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Most people think that eating well means never snacking or eating foods we like. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
In reality, we can eat snacks we like, as long as we’re picking healthy options with the right nutrients. One of the best nutrients to help sustain weight loss goals is fiber, so picking snack foods that contain high levels of fiber is your best bet to meeting your weight loss goals in time for the summer season.
Eating the right amount of fiber is essential to maintaining a healthy and well-rounded diet. This is because fiber helps to control blood sugar levels, regulate digestion and help you feel fuller for longer.
NY-based registered dietitian and creator of popular F-Factor diet Tanya Zuckerbrot told SheFinds, “Fiber rich foods help move everything through the digestive system, leaving your stomach feeling flatter than ever.”
So if you’re ready to get more fiber into your diet, read ahead to learn which foods you should eat more of.
Oats
With 7.5 grams of fiber per cup, oats are among the healthiest grains you can find. They’re also high in antioxidants as well as vitamins B1 and B5, iron, zinc and more vitamins and minerals that help regulate the metabolism.
Looking for new ways to bring oats into your routine? There are a ton of ways to prepare this nutritious, high-fiber food. Our favorite way is making overnight oats, because they bring together the benefits of yogurt and only take five minutes to prep.
Dark Chocolate
It might surprise you to learn that dark chocolate has quite a few health benefits. Not only is dark chocolate high in beneficial antioxidants, but it also contains a substantial amount of fiber: 11 grams per 100-gram bar of 70-85% chocolate.
Next time your sweet tooth gets a craving, try satiating it with a piece of dark chocolate. There’s no harm in eating sweets once in a while, especially if it is as beneficial for you as dark chocolate.
Popcorn
Another snack with some surprising health benefits, popcorn is actually pretty high in fiber. Air-popped popcorn contains 14.4 grams of fiber for every 100 grams.
As long as you don’t overload your popcorn with butter, salt or other unhealthy ingredients, it can be a really healthy snack.
