Raspberries are among the richest foods in fiber. A serving provides 35% of the recommended daily intake of fiber, having under 80 calories!
How much fiber should we consume a day?
A high-fiber diet has been associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and certain gastrointestinal diseases. Also, it may reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol, enhance immune functions, and improve insulin sensitivity.[1]
We should consume at least 28 g of fiber per 2,000 calories. Higher amounts are better, though. Consuming too much fiber is rather unlikely to cause any side effects.
Actually, most people fail to meet the recommended daily intake. In fact, about 90% of Americans fail to consume adequate amounts of fiber.
Are raspberries high in fiber?
Raw raspberries provide one of the highest amounts of fiber per 100g. They provide 6.5 g of fiber per 100g. This amount of fiber is 23% of the Daily Value (DV).[2]
A cup of raspberries provides 9.75 g of fiber, or 35% of the DV.
Raspberries are good for weight loss. First, they’re low in calories. Moreover, they’re particularly high in fiber, which controls hunger, and reduces cravings for fattening foods! Fiber improves satiety by slowing the absorption of nutrients, like fat.[3]
How much fiber is in other raspberry products?
Frozen raspberries (both sweetened and unsweetened) contain approximately 4.3 g of fiber per 100g.
As a rule of thumb, better consume raw raspberries as well as other fruits. Processed foods, containing fruits, tend to be high in calories, and sugars, while containing less fiber.
For instance, raspberry:
- syrup contains 3.3 g of fiber and 20.1 g of sugars per 100g,
- pie contains about 4.3 g of fiber and 19.6 g of sugars per 100g,
- juice contains no fiber. However, it contains up to 28 g of sugars per serving!
Other foods containing raspberry, like jams, cookies, or yogurt have negligible amounts of fiber as well.
Therefore, better consume raw or frozen unsweetened raspberries! Especially, if you want to lose weight, you’re on keto, or have diabetes.
What’s the fiber content of other berries?
Actually, raspberries are the richest common berries in fiber! They have about 3 times more fiber than strawberries or blueberries!
| fiber (g) per 100g | |
| raspberries | 6.5 |
| blackberries | 5.3 |
| cranberries | 3.6 |
| blueberries | 2.4 |
| strawberries | 2 |
Furthermore, raspberries contain more fiber than most common fruits. They contain more fiber than banana or apple! Only avocado has a similar fiber content to raspberries.
Common foods high in fiber
Only plant-based foods, like vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, whole-grains, pseudocereals (e.g. quinoa), mushrooms, seeds, and nuts (e.g. almonds, walnuts), are good dietary sources of fiber.
Animal-derived, like dairy, eggs, and meat, as well as refined foods are poor in fiber. They can’t help us meet our daily needs.
On the other hand, the richest foods in fiber are beans. For instance, just a serving of soybeans, chickpeas, or lentils provides up to 55% of the DV!
Health benefits of raspberries
We should eat 1 cup raw raspberries every day. They have many health benefits.
Besides their great fiber content, raspberries are among the few foods that are excellent dietary sources of ellagitannins and anthocyanins.[4,5]
These are powerful antioxidant phytochemicals, which help athletes recover after strenuous exercise. In fact, a great time to eat raspberries is after strenuous exercise.
Raw raspberries as well as raspberry extracts, and leaves, have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. They may have beneficial effects on high blood pressure and cholesterol. Also, raspberries may decrease atherosclerotic development, improve vascular function and alleviate diabetes symptoms!
In addition, the whole raspberry has a prebiotic effect. It’s good for gut health. It seems to have chemopreventive effects as well.[6,7]
You could eat raw raspberries before bed. They promote a good night’s sleep!
Last, but not least, raspberries are excellent dietary sources of vitamin C.
