Fact checkedExpert's opinion

Expert's opinion

The article is a subjective view on this topic written by writers specializing in medical writing.
It may reflect on a personal journey surrounding struggles with an illness or medical condition, involve product comparisons, diet considerations, or other health-related opinions.

Although the view is entirely that of the writer, it is based on academic experiences and scientific research they have conducted; it is fact-checked by a team of degreed medical experts, and validated by sources attached to the article.

The numbers in parenthesis (1,2,3) will take you to clickable links to related scientific papers.

Fiber Foods To Lose Belly Fat 2024: Top 5 Fiber-Rich Foods Burn Belly Fat

Mitchelle Morgan

Updated on - Written by
Medically reviewed by Gopal Ramakrishnan, Ph.D.

fiber foods to lose belly fat
5 High Fiber Foods Help You Lose Belly Fat

Belly fat or visceral fat tends to appear around the midsection of your body. Depending on your food and activity level, you may gain more weight, affecting your health and well-being. This is why it’s crucial to find ways to lose excess weight.

One of the best strategies to use is eating high-fiber foods to lose belly fat. These foods help slow down digestion, improve fat metabolism, and keep you full for longer. You won’t feel the urge to keep eating, and with physical activity, you start losing weight and reducing abdominal fat.

In short, what you eat matters, and this article is the best place to start. Read on to learn about 5 highly nutritious and fiber-rich foods that you can start eating today to help burn belly fat fast.

5 High Fiber Food To Lose Belly Fat

Eating the right foods can help you reduce abdominal fat. These foods are easy to come by and can work with the different diets that you choose.

  1. Peanut butter
  2. Sunflower seeds
  3. Chia seeds
  4. Sweet potatoes
  5. Brown rice

5 High Fiber Foods To Reduce Belly Fat

Peanut Butter

fiber foods to lose belly fat
Peanuts have numerous health benefits, including good fats that your body needs for fat loss

Did you know one of the most nutritious foods you can eat is peanuts? Peanuts grow underground and provide you with so many crucial nutrients[1]. Plus, this is a high-fiber food that can help you lose belly fat when you add it to your diet.

Many people enjoy peanuts as a whole, but you can also make fresh peanut butter to use at home. Peanut butter is a spread that billions of people use each day made using roasted peanuts. The best peanut butter is one without additives like sugar and trans-fats.

The good news is peanut butter is a fantastic source of protein[2] and low in carbs. It works well when you are working towards reducing visceral fat. In addition, peanuts have numerous health benefits, including good fats that your body needs for fat loss.

A little peanut butter or a few peanuts can be the perfect snack replacement when on a strict diet. You won’t feel the urge to eat other foods.

Some of the health benefits of peanut butter include:

Low Cholesterol Levels

You can improve the health of your heart by eating peanut butter which has a high amount of unsaturated fats.

Peanuts are lovely since they lower your cholesterol levels, thus preventing the chances of getting heart disease[3].

Provide Crucial Nutrients

Peanut butter is quite nutritious, especially when it doesn’t contain additives to gain belly fat. The spread is full of vital minerals and nutrients[4] that you need for better health.

You can find folate, copper, magnesium, manganese, vitamin E, vitamin B6, vitamin B3, zinc, vitamin B5, selenium, iron, and potassium.

Reduction In Inflammation

Did you know that eating peanut butter can help you combat inflammation? Peanuts are rich in antioxidants that your body needs to fight inflammation. Antioxidants[5] are pretty essential as your body strives to remain healthy.

Sunflower Seeds

fiber foods to lose belly fat
Seeds like sunflower seeds are packed with nutrients and are a rich source of fiber

As you strive to lose weight and remain in shape, adding seeds to your diet can come in handy. Seeds like sunflower seeds are packed with nutrients and are a rich source of fiber. This is the vital fiber that you need when you want a high fiber intake each day.

Sunflower seeds come from the sunflower plant, whose single head can hold more than 1800 seeds. Edible sunflower seeds are inside hulls which are protective shells that you have to break open. Many people enjoy eating them after roasting them for the best flavor.

You can eat sunflower seeds to support weight loss since these are healthy snack alternatives. Thanks to eating fiber and protein content in sunflower seeds, you can feel fuller after eating them for quite some time. Feeling full is crucial to reducing appetite and avoiding excessive eating when you want to experience reduced fat storage.

So, keeping a pack of sunflower seeds next to you is beneficial to have less belly fat.

Sunflower seeds also have other health benefits that include:

Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Apart from getting in shape, eating healthy sunflower seeds can help you combat inflammation[6]. This is a condition that happens in your body resulting in pain.

These seeds contain soluble fiber that acts to protect you and improve your general health.

High Nutrient Content

Sunflower seeds are a powerhouse when it comes to nutritional content. You can find loads of protein and other crucial nutrients. These seeds contain saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats.

You can also get vitamin E, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, folate, zinc, iron, selenium, and copper.

Chia Seeds

fiber foods to lose belly fat
Chia seeds are another food rich in fiber content and are low in calories

The journey to reducing belly fat in overweight and obese subjects requires some diet changes. You’ve to start eating more foods rich in fiber. An increase in fiber intake is something your body will love. Indeed, soluble fibers increase your chances of getting healthy.

Chia seeds are another food rich in fiber[7] content and are low in calories. These seeds come in handy when you want to shed visceral fat since it contains soluble fiber foods to lose belly fat. Soluble fiber acts as a sponge that absorbs lots of water and expands.

When chia seeds expand in your stomach, you feel less drawn to eating more food. Also, the fiber reduces digestion which keeps you satisfied for longer. The more you reduce calorie intake, the easier it becomes to lose weight[8], thanks to the soluble fiber intake.

Therefore, if you want to feel full for the rest of the day, you can make chia seeds a part of your first meal. You end up eating less food throughout the day since you feel sated, which benefits fat loss. Chia seeds are powerful nutritional appetite suppressants that help you tackle stubborn visceral fat.

Some of the health benefits you can enjoy when you take chia seeds are:

Source Of Protein

Your body needs loads of protein which is instrumental in your growth and development. Chia seeds are one of the best plant sources of protein that you can include in your diet as you work towards burning belly fat.

In addition, they contain loads of essential amino acids[9] that your body needs to utilize the protein. Eating foods rich in protein keeps you fuller for longer, so you won’t keep thinking about food as you go about your day.

Antioxidant Properties

Chia seeds have loads of antioxidant properties that are quite beneficial to your health and well-being. These antioxidants are your body’s primary protection against free radicals that cause different types of cancers. 

The radicals damage healthy cells leading to these health conditions.

Sweet Potatoes

fiber foods to lose belly fat
Sweet potatoes are root vegetables high in fiber and nutrients

Are you searching for foods rich in fiber that you can eat regularly for better health and total body fat loss? Sweet potatoes are root vegetables high in fiber and nutrients. They’re healthy to eat when on a diet to reduce belly fat.

One of the best ways to lose weight is by eating fewer calories. Sweet potatoes meet this criterion as they contain low caloric content[10]. When you boil or roast them, they make perfect additions to your meals and can work as healthy snacks.

In addition, eating sweet potatoes not only lowers calorie intake, but the fiber also helps you feel fuller. When your stomach feels full, you won’t feel the urge to keep eating more food. This works to your advantage as you work on reducing visceral fat. You’ve less appetite but still, get essential nutrients that your body needs.

Lastly, when it comes to belly fat loss, sweet potatoes come in handy because of their high water content[11]. One issue that causes reduced fat burning is low metabolism. This occurs as a result of dehydration which you can solve with sweet potatoes.

Apart from losing belly fat, other health benefits of sweet potatoes are:

Gut Health

Sweet potatoes have soluble and insoluble fibers that your gut requires for better health. A healthy gut contains loads of good bacteria. The gut bacteria are crucial, and more soluble fiber intake helps your body produce more of it.

More so, soluble fibers play a crucial role when it comes to digestion. The bacteria in your colon ferment the fibers resulting in short-chain fatty acids[12]. These are the acids that look after the cells in your intestines.

Eye Health

Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that sweet potatoes have that provides your body with Vitamin A.

The deficiency of this crucial vitamin causes poor vision[13] and deteriorating eye health. Therefore, eating sweet potatoes often can help you have better vision.

Brown Rice

fiber foods to lose belly fat
swap white rice with brown rice when you want to reduce belly fat

Lastly, swap white rice with brown rice when you want to reduce belly fat. Brown rice is a healthy source of carbs that’s quite nutritious and beneficial to your health. You can make it part of your healthy recipes for more fiber benefits.

Brown rice has loads of fiber[14] that keeps you satisfied longer. This is a type of whole grain that helps you to eat a few calories in a day.

Apart from reducing belly fat, brown rice benefits:

Can Help People With Diabetes

Brown rice can help you with blood sugar levels which impact how the body releases insulin. You can lower blood sugar and insulin spikes by taking brown rice[15] or other whole grains.

Conclusion

Eating foods rich in fiber is one of the best ways to reduce appetite and tackle visceral fat. Foods like peanut butter, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, sweet potatoes, and brown rice are excellent sources of fiber. In addition, they’ve loads of nutrients, and each helps your body in numerous other ways.


+ 15 sources

Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here

  1. Usda.gov. (2021). FoodData Central. [online] Available at: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/324860/nutrients
  2. ‌Arya, S.S., Salve, A.R. and Chauhan, S. (2015). Peanuts as functional food: a review. Journal of Food Science and Technology, [online] 53(1), pp.31–41. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4711439/
  3. ‌Kris-Etherton, P.M., Hu, F.B., Ros, E. and SabatéJ. (2008). The Role of Tree Nuts and Peanuts in the Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease: Multiple Potential Mechanisms. The Journal of Nutrition, [online] 138(9), pp.1746S1751S. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18716180/
  4. ‌Timbabadiya, P.N., Bheda, S.B., Harsukh Gajera and S.V. Patatel (2017). Application of Peanut Butter to Improve the Nutritional Quality of Cookies. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322072176_Application_of_Peanut_Butter_to_Improve_the_Nutritional_Quality_of_Cookies
  5. ‌Neog, M.K., Joshua Pragasam, S., Krishnan, M. and Rasool, M. (2017). p-Coumaric acid, a dietary polyphenol ameliorates inflammation and curtails cartilage and bone erosion in the rheumatoid arthritis rat model. BioFactors, [online] 43(5), pp.698–717. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28742266/
  6. ‌Jiang, R., Jacobs, D.R., Mayer-Davis, E., Szklo, M., Herrington, D., Jenny, N.S., Kronmal, R. and Barr, R.G. (2005). Nut and Seed Consumption and Inflammatory Markers in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. American Journal of Epidemiology, [online] 163(3), pp.222–231. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16357111/
  7. ‌Ullah, R., Nadeem, M., Khalique, A., Imran, M., Mehmood, S., Javid, A. and Hussain, J. (2015). Nutritional and therapeutic perspectives of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.): a review. Journal of Food Science and Technology, [online] 53(4), pp.1750–1758. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4926888/
  8. ‌Salas-Salvadó, J., Farrés, X., Luque, X., Narejos, S., Borrell, M., Basora, J., Anguera, A., Torres, F., Bulló, M. and Balanza, R. (2008). Effect of two doses of a mixture of soluble fibres on body weight and metabolic variables in overweight or obese patients: a randomised trial. British Journal of Nutrition, [online] 99(6), pp.1380–1387. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18031592/
  9. ‌Olivos-Lugo, B.L., Valdivia-López, M.Á. and Tecante, A. (2010). Thermal and Physicochemical Properties and Nutritional Value of the Protein Fraction of Mexican Chia Seed (Salvia hispanica L.). Food Science and Technology International, [online] 16(1), pp.89–96. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21339125/
  10. ‌Shih, C.-K., Chen, C.-M., Hsiao, T.-J., Liu, C.-W. and Li, S.-C. (2019). White Sweet Potato as Meal Replacement for Overweight White-Collar Workers: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients, [online] 11(1), p.165. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6356856/
  11. ‌Usda.gov. (2021). FoodData Central. [online] Available at: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168482/nutrients
  12. ‌Topping, D.L. and Clifton, P.M. (2001). Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Human Colonic Function: Roles of Resistant Starch and Nonstarch Polysaccharides. Physiological Reviews, [online] 81(3), pp.1031–1064. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11427691/
  13. ‌Zhong, M., Kawaguchi, R., Kassai, M. and Sun, H. (2012). Retina, Retinol, Retinal and the Natural History of Vitamin A as a Light Sensor. Nutrients, [online] 4(12), pp.2069–2096. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3546623/
  14. ‌Kondo, K., Morino, K., Nishio, Y., Ishikado, A., Arima, H., Nakao, K., Nakagawa, F., Nikami, F., Sekine, O., Nemoto, K., Suwa, M., Matsumoto, M., Miura, K., Makino, T., Ugi, S. and Maegawa, H. (2017). Fiber-rich diet with brown rice improves endothelial function in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE, [online] 12(6), p.e0179869. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5491061/
  15. ‌Sun, Q. (2010). White Rice, Brown Rice, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in US Men and Women. Archives of Internal Medicine, [online] 170(11), p.961. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3024208/
Mitchelle Morgan

Medically reviewed by:

Mitchelle Morgan is a health and wellness writer with over 10 years of experience. She holds a Master's in Communication. Her mission is to provide readers with information that helps them live a better lifestyle. All her work is backed by scientific evidence to ensure readers get valuable and actionable content.

Medically reviewed by:

Journal of Physical Education and Sport

Trusted Source

Go to source

SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

Trusted Source

Go to source

African Journals Online

Non-profit Platform for African Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of The American Board of Family Medicine

American Board of Family Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

Informit

RMIT University Library

Trusted Source
Go to source

European Food Safety Authority

Science, Safe food, Sustainability

Trusted Source
Go to source

OrthoInfo

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Trusted Source
Go to source

American Academy of Family Physicians

Strengthen family physicians and the communities they care for

Trusted Source
Go to source

Agricultural Research Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Trusted Source
Go to source

The American Journal of Medicine

Official Journal of The Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Lippincott Journals

Subsidiaries of Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute on Aging

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Translational Research

The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cell

An All-science Publisher

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of Translational Medicine

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

Federal Trade Commission

Protecting America's Consumers

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Human Genome Research Institute

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Food Production, Processing and Nutrition

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

BMC Gastroenterology

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

ACS Publications

A Division of The American Chemical Society

Trusted Source
Go to source

Annual Reviews

Independent, Non-profit Academic Publishing Company

Trusted Source
Go to source

PubChem

National Center for Biotechnology Information

National Library of Medicine
Go to source

PLOS Journals

Nonprofit Publisher of Open-access Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Thieme E-books & E-Journals

Peer-reviewed & Open Access Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences

Peer-reviewed International Journal Publishes

Trusted Source
Go to source

Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing Home

Chemical Science Journals, Books and Database

Trusted Source
Go to source

Frontiers

Publisher of Peer-reviewed Articles in Open Acess Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

De Gruyter

German Scholarly Publishing House

Trusted Source
Go to source

Hindawi

Open Access Research Journals & Papers

Trusted Source
Go to source

Oilseeds and Fats, Crops and Lipids

EDP Sciences

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cambridge Core

Cambridge University Press

Trusted Source
Go to source

FoodData Central

U.S. Department Of Agriculture

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of the American Heart Association

Peer-reviewed Open Access Scientific Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The Americans with Disabilities Act

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Organization of Food and Nutrition Professionals

tr
Go to source

Sage Journals

Database From Sage Publications

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute of Drug Abuse

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The ClinMed International Library

A Repository and an Open Access Publisher for Medical Research

Trusted Source
Go to source

The Royal Society Publishing

United Kingdom's National Academy of Sciences

Trusted Source
Go to source

APA PsycNet

Database From American Psychological Association

Trusted Source
Go to source

The Pharma Innovation Journal

Peer-reviewed And Refereed Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Development

Peer-reviewed Bimonthly Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

British Pharmacological Society

Journals - Wiley Online Library

Trusted Source
Go to source

American Psychological Association

Scientific and Professional Organization of Psychologists

Trusted Source
Go to source

AAP Publications

Database From American Academy of Pediatrics

Trusted Source
Go to source

Karger Publishers

Academic Publisher of Scientific and Medical Journals and Books

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Database From Cambridge University

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute of Mental Health

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

MDPI

Publisher of Open Access Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Bulletin of the National Research Centre

Part of Springer Nature

Trusted Source
Go to source

The New England Journal of Medicine

Massachusetts Medical Society

Trusted Source
Go to source

Economic Research Service

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Trusted Source
Go to source

MedlinePlus

Database From National Library of Medicine

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

National Institute of Health

An agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Trusted Source
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The BMJ

Weekly Peer-reviewed Medical Trade Journal

The British Medical Association
Go to source

The British Psychological Society

The British Psychological Society is a charity registered in England

Database From Wiley Online Library
Go to source

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

PubMed

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source

DailyMed

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source

Google Scholar

Go to source

Science.gov: USA.gov for Science

Government Science Portal

Go to source

ResearchGate

Social Network Service For Scientists

Find and share research
Go to source

American Heart Association

To be a rentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives

Go to source

BioMed Central

Research in progress

Go to source

JAMA Network

Home of JAMA and the Specialty Journals of the American Medical Association

Go to source

Springer Link

Database From Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Springer - International Publisher Science, Technology, Medicine
Go to source

ODS

Database from Office of Dietary Supplements

National Institutes of Health
Go to source

Federal Trade Commission

Bureaus of Consumer Protection, Competition and Economics
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database From U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Governmental Authority
Go to source

Oxford Academic Journals

Oxford University Press

Trusted Source
Go to source

Taylor & Francis Online

Peer-reviewed Journals

Academic Publishing Division of Informa PLC
Go to source

WHO

Database from World Health Organization

Go to source

Journal of Neurology

Peer-reviewed Medical Journal

American Academy of Neurology Journal
Go to source

ScienceDirect

Bibliographic Database of Scientific and Medical Publications

Dutch publisher Elsevier
Go to source

Wiley Online Library

American Multinational Publishing Company

Trusted Source
Go to source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

U.S. National Public Health Agency

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database from U.S. National Library of Medicine

U.S. Federal Government
Go to source

U.S. Food & Drug Administration

Federal Agency

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

PubMed Central

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source
Feedback

Help us rate this article

Thank you for your feedback

Keep in touch to see our improvement