Low-Fiber Diet: Foods, Plans, and More

Here are the top ten low fiber foods that you can use as part of a healthy diet. Whether you’re on a special low-fiber diet or want to help balance out your intake of fiber, these foods can help.

Just because a food is low in fiber does not mean it’s unhealthy. Most adults will want to get their daily recommended fiber for the day for optimal health, but if you’re looking to avoid fiber because of a specific health condition, this list will show you which foods to go with.

1. Salmon

Salmon is one of the healthiest foods around, and provides plenty of omega-3s, as well as protein. It doesn’t contain any fiber at all, but is full of vitamins and minerals that help the body in important ways.

The omega-3s in salmon will help curb excessive inflammation, and also work to help lower your cholesterol. You’ll even be working to improve your brain function when you eat salmon. The great part is you don’t have to eat a ton of salmon to get these benefits, it’s so nutrient dense that even a modest portion gives you plenty of what you need.

One nice feature of salmon is that almost any vegetable works well with it. This means you can pair it with asparagus or broccoli and have a healthy meal with a balanced amount of protein and fiber.

Healthy factor: Salmon is known for its whopping amount of omega-3s, but it also contains plenty of Vitamin C as well as B Vitamins so you’re getting an array of nutrients for overall health.

2. Chicken Breast

Chicken breast contains zero fiber, yet provides you with 21 grams of protein in a 100 gram serving. This same serving provides only 9 grams of fat, which is why you’ll often see chicken breast as a suggested food for weight loss and strength training diets.

The protein in chicken not only acts to keep you satiated, it helps to strengthen bones and protects against bone loss. And you may not have made the association, but chicken breast can actually help immune system thanks to the selenium it contains.

Chicken breast is one of the most popular main dishes, and it’s easy enough to make up a quick meal by adding a vegetable and a carbohydrate to a breast of chicken.

Healthy factor: Chicken breast is gram for gram one of the highest sources of protein. It’s also a good source of phosphorus, a mineral that helps your teeth and bones much like calcium does.

3. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a fiber-free food that can help you reach your goal of eating healthy. It has far more protein than regular yogurt, yet provides the same probiotic effect.

Probiotics have been all the rage in recent years, and the reason is that they can help with your digestion by providing friendly bacteria to your gut, the kind that help you digest foods properly. it’s best to get these from natural, whole food sources rather than supplements.

But the one thing that is most healthy about Greek yogurt is its higher protein content, which will help you feel full longer, as well as help add to your total protein intake for the day. Try substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream to get a similar flavor with a lot less fat and much more protein.

Healthy factor: Greek yogurt contains probiotic bacteria that help with your digestion, while providing more protein than ordinary yogurt.

4. Eggs

Eggs are a non-fiber food, but are generally accepted as being a healthy food on most diet plans. But whether it’s a healthy food has been a hot topic of debate for decades.

Eggs received a lot of attention during the low-fat diet craze, and still today there is lingering sentiment over whether they are good for you. What can’t be denied is the high number of vitamins and minerals they contain, and the fact that humans have likely been eating eggs for many thousands of years.

Whether or not to eat the yolk is still argued, but really it boils down to what you’re trying to accomplish. Those looking to lose weight would most likely want to leave out the yolks, while those looking to get the most nutrients will want to eat the entire egg.

Healthy factor: Eggs are a rich source of protein and are sometimes fortified with omega-3.

5. Tofu

Tofu has only a scant amount of fiber in it, which is strange because the soybeans it is derived from are made up of roughly 9% fiber. While it doesn’t retain much of the fiber, it does keep intact important nutrients that benefit the body in several ways.

The selenium tofu contains has been shown to have anti-cancer properties, and the calcium content will help with the symptoms of menopause. This same calcium helps keep bones strong and can ward off the onset of arthritis and prevent bone loss from osteoporosis.

Vegans and vegetarians have been using tofu for years as a way to get some of the benefits of eating meat, thanks to the protein in tofu, without the saturated fat and cholesterol that meat often comes with.

Healthy factor: Tofu makes a great meat replacement and is also a good source of calcium and other vitamins and minerals that can protect the body.

6. Shrimp

Shrimp are devoid of fiber, but are full of protein and can be used as part of a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

Shrimp contains plenty of selenium, which acts as an antioxidant in the body, helping to prevent free radical damage and keep you free from degenerative conditions like cancer and heart disease. Shrimp also contains respectable amounts of Vitamin D and Vitamin B-12, so you’ll be helping your body absorb more calcium and helping your brain work better, respectively.

Shrimp is very versatile, you can eat it raw in a shrimp cocktail, or skewer it and grill it with an assortment of vegetables. Add it to a seafood chowder or make shrimp tacos. No matter how you add it you’ll be getting plenty of protein and an assortment of nutrients.

Healthy factor: Shrimp are an excellent source of protein and can help balance out a meal.

7. Lean Beef

Beef comes in such a large variety of cuts and fat percentages that it can sometimes be hard deciding on which one to go with. As long as you keep it lean you’ll get plenty of protein, and minerals like zinc and iron, with no fiber whatsoever.

While it’s often recommended to limit your red meat consumption for heart health, occasionally adding red meat to your menu can provide you with minerals your body needs, and protein it can use. The fat it contains can work to help your cholesterol numbers, rather than worsen them, as long as you keep portion sizes in check.

Keep your beef at 90% and make sure it’s grass-fed to get all of the benefits of the protein and minerals it contains, while keeping the saturated fat and calories in check. We recommend going with grass-fed organic beef rather than conventionally raised to avoid the antibiotics and chemicals involved.

Healthy factor: Lean beef is a big source of protein and also contains minerals the body needs, like iron and magnesium.

8. Cheese

Cheese is high in protein and calcium, but has no fiber to speak of, so you can use it as part of a low-fiber diet, as long as you’re able to process dairy products without trouble.

Cheese is a surprising source of nutrients that can help your overall health, surprising because cheese is often the first thing to get axed on diet programs. But it does contain CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) which may help prevent cancer.

The calcium in cheese can help prevent osteoporosis and strengthen your bones, and it does contain vitamins and minerals that help round out your nutritional profile for the day. It’s easy to get more cheese into your diet, because it tastes good on just about everything, but you’ll want to make sure you don’t overdo it because it is higher in fat than other choices on this list.

Healthy factor: Cheese is high in calcium and protein, but can also be fatty and contains cholesterol, so watch your intake of it.

9. Ghee

Ghee is clarified butter, and contains no fiber, but is a delicious addition to your kitchen because it can be used in a number of ways. While ghee may be high in saturated fat, it contains no trans fat, and it is free of many of the impurities found in butter, thanks to the way it’s made.

Ghee is easy to cook with thanks to its high smoke point, and it spreads easily on breads and crackers. It also melts quickly, making it a great choice to put on vegetables like peas and broccoli to enhance their flavor.

With ghee you’re getting all of the good things about butter, without the impurities it contains. This is especially true if you opt for organic ghee.

Healthy factor: Ghee has been credited with helping bouts of constipation, soothing ulcer pain, keeping the heart healthy, and improving the condition of the skin.

10. Tomatoes

There’s just no denying that tomatoes are one of the healthiest foods you can eat, yet they rank pretty low in the fiber department, when compared to other healthy foods like spinach or kale. You simply can’t go wrong with tomatoes, as they add plenty of nutrients without adding much in the way of fat, cholesterol, or carbohydrates.

Tomatoes are known for their lycopene, but that’s not all they provide for us. They’re loaded with an assortment of vitamins, all while being low in calories. You’ll often see tomatoes on the approved foods list of various diet programs.

Cooking your tomatoes helps unlock the lycopene in them, which means you’ll be getting more benefit from them. You’ll still be getting a good dose of lycopene if you eat fresh tomatoes, but it’s recommended to cook them, or blend them up into a smoothie or soup to get the most nutrients from them and help your body absorb them.

Healthy factor: Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that routinely makes health news for its anti-cancer properties.

 

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