Talking about getting enough fiber to support digestion isn’t as exciting as telling someone they need to pump up the protein to build muscle—something everyone, especially women going through perimenopause or menopause, seems to be chasing these days!
It’s easy to see why fiber can fly under the radar, but regularly coming up short can have an adverse impact on long-term health.
“Fiber promotes a healthy colon and gut microbiome, helps regulate blood sugar, supports healthy cholesterol levels, keeps digestion moving, and helps you stay full between meals, which can make cravings and weight management easier to navigate,” explains Samantha Cassetty, M.S., R.D., a nutrition and weight loss expert and co-author of Sugar Shock.
No wonder research shows that going bigger on fiber can boost longevity by offering some protection against developing chronic ailments like cancer and heart disease.
Yet Cassetty says about 95% of American adults fall short of the recommended fiber intake (about 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed), or roughly 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men each day, per the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
It’s clear that many of us need to find ways to boost our intake of this under-consumed multitasker. Luckily, a smidge of extra fiber here and a smidge there adds up—and you don’t have to do anything drastic like spike your morning coffee with Metamucil to get your fiber fix. By adding more fiber-filled foods to your meals, you’ll also be adding additional bonus nutrients as well. Here are easy expert-approved ways to sneak more fiber into meals and snacks.
Meet the experts: Samantha Cassetty, M.S., R.D., a nutrition and weight loss expert and co-author of Sugar Shock; Lauren Panoff, R.D., a plant-based registered dietitian in Colorado.
Breakfast
Stir Coconut Flour Into Oatmeal
Why not give your oatmeal a taste of the tropics? Coconut flour is nothing more than coconut flesh that’s dried, then ground into fine flour. It’s a magnificent source of fiber—6 grams in a mere 2-tablespoon serving. It stirs very well into a steaming pot of cooked oats and will add just a subtle coconut flavor. Plus, coconut flour has significantly less saturated fat than what’s in coconut milk and coconut oil.
Blend Raspberries Into Breakfast Smoothies
Add a sweet-tart fiber boost to your daybreak smoothies by whizzing in frozen raspberries. A cup of these seedy berries contains an impressive 6 grams of fiber, which is more than most other commonly consumed fruits. As a reference, a medium banana has 3 grams of fiber. And frozen raspberries are typically cheaper than fresh options.
Top Toast With Sliced Pear
Instead of fiber-void jam, adorn your morning toast with slices of sweet pear—a medium-sized fruit contains roughly 5 grams of fiber. A delicious combo is a generous spread of almond butter, sliced pear, and a dusting of cinnamon.
Sprinkle Chia Seeds on Yogurt
If you fancy a bowl of yogurt for your first meal of the day, Cassetty recommends sprinkling on chia seeds, which have about 4 grams of fiber per two teaspoons. The wee-sized seeds have a pleasant crunch but not much flavor on their own. Add raspberries or blackberries for even more hunger-crushing fiber.
Add Pinto Beans to Scrambled Eggs
You can give your morning scramble a little Tex-Mex flair and a big fiber lift with pinto beans. These mild-flavored legumes supply about 7 grams of fiber in each 1/2 cup serving. Beyond a payload of fiber, pinto beans offer up several other nutritional perks, including plenty of plant-based protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Stir Ground Flaxseed Into Cereal
On their own, most boxed cereals can’t be considered nutritional standouts. That’s why you should look for ways to upgrade them. Start with milk (for some protein and calcium) and then try this pro tip from Lauren Panoff, R.D., a plant-based registered dietitian in Colorado: stir in a couple of tablespoons of ground flaxseed. A simple addition that will net you an extra 4 grams of blood-sugar-stabilizing fiber. “The nutrition in flax is more easily absorbed when the seeds are ground,” Panoff adds.
Mix Oat Bran Into Pancake Batter
This is an effortless way to bolster the fiber content of your Sunday flapjacks. Oat bran is made up of only the outer shell (bran layer) of the oat kernel, so it is especially concentrated in dietary fiber—roughly 2 grams in each tablespoon. All you need to do is swap out about 25% of the flour in a pancake or waffle mix with oat bran, and you’ll boost fiber numbers without doing much to impact flavor or texture.
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Lunch
Spread Guac on Sandwiches and Wraps
Starring fiber-rich avocado, Cassetty says guacamole is a perfect swap for mayonnaise or mustard when it comes to a creamy spread for wraps and sandwiches. Every 1/4 cup of the avocado mash supplies an impressive 4 grams of satiety-boosting fiber. “Add 10 baby carrots to the side for another 3 grams of fiber,” suggests Cassetty.
Toss Edamame Into Grain Bowls
Like other beans, Panoff says that these green soybeans are a guaranteed way to ramp up your fiber intake to help foster a more robust microbiome. Simply tossing a 1/2 cup of them into your grain bowl gives you an extra 4 grams of fiber. Look for shelled edamame in the frozen vegetable section of supermarkets and easily prepare them by boiling for a few minutes until tender.
Use Roasted Chickpeas as a Salad Topper
Think of crunchy, oven-baked chickpeas as croutons but with way more fiber. A single-ounce serving contains an impressive 6 grams of fiber along with the same amount of plant-based protein. Just be sure to look for brands that don’t include any added sugar.
Whisk Hummus Into Salad Dressings
Not only will it give your dressing a delicious creamy body, but hummus adds an extra layer of fiber to your already fiber-rich salads. Each tablespoon has 1 g of fiber, with some variation expected based on what brand you are using. For a next-level dressing, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, hummus, a grated garlic clove, fresh thyme, and a pinch of salt.
Dinner
Garnish Soups With Toasted Buckwheat
Say hello to your new favorite crunchy soup (and salad!) topper, which adds an extra 2 grams of fiber for each 2 tablespoons. Toast buckwheat groats, which also happen to be gluten-free, in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until darkened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Add Parsnips in Chilis and Stews
Underappreciated parsnips are a great way to bulk up chili, soups, and stews with extra fiber. Each chopped cup of the root vegetable contains nearly 7 grams of fiber. That is an amount that puts carrots to shame. Plus, when parsnips are cooked, they develop a wonderful nutty-sweet flavor.
Pair Rice with Lentils
As you start incorporating more fiber-rich foods into your day, be mindful of timing and dosing, especially if you’re sensitive to an uptick in fiber intake. It can help to spread a more modest fiber intake throughout your meals and snacks rather than piling it all into one meal. For instance, Cassetty recommends adding ¼ cup cooked or canned lentils to your rice for an easy extra 4 grams of fiber. “It’s always helpful to add a high-fiber food, like lentils and beans, to foods that are lower in fiber.”
Toss Green Peas With Pasta
Choosing whole-grain noodles is a good first step to making pasta night a fiber MVP. You can go one better by tossing in some green peas. Each half cup of these green pearls supplies upwards of 4 grams of dietary fiber to support better gut health. You also get a solid dose of vitamin K to help promote improved bone health. Frozen peas typically taste much better than canned.
Make Meatloaf and Meatballs With Wheat Bran
Wheat bran is a great, higher-fiber alternative to bread crumbs when preparing meatloaf or meatballs. Like bread crumbs, it also serves as a binder while supplying a whopping 5 grams of fiber in every 2 tablespoons. In recipes, you should be able to swap wheat bran for bread crumbs in a 1-to-1 ratio.
Dessert
Top Ice Cream With Cacao Nibs
Made by smashing up the cocoa beans that eventually get turned into chocolate bars, cacao nibs add crunch and pleasant bitterness to an ice cream treat. Nutritionally, they upgrade your diet with 3 grams of fiber in every 3 tablespoons. Chopped nuts or unsweetened coconut are also yummy toppings that sneak in some fiber. Who says dessert can’t be part of your plan for racking up the fiber count?
