High-Fiber Diet Food Selection Guide

Foods Allowed for a Healthy High-Fiber Diet

Protein-rich Foods

• All, use hard soybean cheese/curd (tokwa), legumes and nuts more than meats

Vegetables

• All, increase consumption of leafy vegetables like horse radish (malunggay) leaves, sweet potato (camote) tops/leaves, string beans, swamp cabbage (kangkong), spinach, cabbage, Chinese cabbage (pechay), etc. include stems, stalks, and leaves when possible

Carbohydrate-rich Foods

• All, grains and cereals, preferably unrefined. Others should be whole, with skin, seeds and membrane when possible

Fruits

• All, papaya, pineapple, oranges (preferably with pulp and inner skin)

Juices

• Prune juice, papaya juice

• All fruit juices that are freshly prepared; Include pulp

Foods NOT Allowed

Protein-rich Foods

• None

Vegetables

• None

Fruits

• For constipation, avoid banana, apple, star apple (kaimito) and sapodilla (chico)

Note: For more Tips on Healthy High-Fiber Diet See High-Fiber Diet

Reference: Healing Wonders of Diet Effective Guide to Diet Therapy p.108 © 2003 Philippine Publishing House ISBN 971-581-013-6

High-Fiber Diet

A high-fiber diet is a modified balanced diet with higher fiber content. This is affected by including more fruits, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains in meal preparation.

Fiber, the “forgotten nutrient,” is also called bulk or roughage. Its helpful effects never change. It helps reduce the amount of fats and sugar in the bloodstream. It makes the elimination of waste products faster thus preventing constipation.

Fish, milk, meat, and eggs contain no fiber. Fiber can only be taken from fruits, nuts, vegetables, cereals, whole grains, and legumes. The more the food is in its natural form (unrefined), the higher is its fiber content.


This dietary management is good for Constipation, Atherosclerosis, Hypercholesterolemia, Diabetes.

Some Tips for a High-fiber Diet

• Establish a regular eating schedule.

• Eat 3 good meals daily with breakfast as the heaviest and supper as the lightest.

• Take time to enjoy your food.

• Use unrefined foods instead of processed or refined products.

• Substitute meat and fish with legumes and nuts.

• Include leafy vegetables in meals as much and as frequent as possible.

• Increase fluid intake. Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily between meals. See The Importance of Water.

• Eat fruits, vegetables, cereals and grains with seeds, skin and membrane when possible.

• Avoid apple, banana, guava, star apple, and the likes if you have constipation. Instead, eat papaya, pineapple, prunes, oranges (whole segment), watermelon.

• Include a variety of foods from meal to meal.

• Avoid tea, coffee, alcoholic and carbonated beverages.

Note: For List of Foods which are Allowed and Not Allowed for a Healthy High-Fiber Diet See High-Fiber Diet Food Selection Guide

Reference: Healing Wonders of Diet Effective Guide to Diet Therapy p.105-106 © 2003 Philippine Publishing House ISBN 971-581-013-6