This is the most reliable guide to high-fiber foods compiled by registered dietitians. Add more of these fiber-rich foods to your meals and recipes for improved health. Here, we’ll share how much fiber you’ll get with each of these top 24 real food choices (in a reasonable serving amount that you’d actually eat), as well as the other health benefits they provide.
Benefits Of A High-Fiber Diet
Most people should aim to eat a minimum of 25-30 grams of fiber each day for optimal health, and higher amounts can be even better (scroll down to the FAQ below to learn how much fiber is too much).
Research shows that dietary fiber that you get from real foods has many health benefits, including:
Consistent and better digestion, including less constipation
A healthy gut microbiome for disease-fighting immunity
Lowered blood pressure and regulated blood sugars
Reduced cholesterol levels and triglycerides
Weight loss, less abdominal fat, and weight management
Lowered risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers
Unfortunately, most Americans lack fiber in their diets. On average, Americans get only 10-15 grams of fiber per day, which is half of the recommended minimum amount.
1. Apples
Fiber per serving: 5 grams per large apple
Eating an apple a day is a great way to increase fiber content — most people like the taste of apples, and they’re reasonably easy and cheap to obtain.
All types of apples are a great source of fiber. By eating an apple with the skin still on and pairing an apple with peanut butter, you can increase the fiber content even more. The fiber in apples is largely in the form of pectin, which helps prevent cholesterol buildup in blood vessels and reduces constipation.
2. Avocado
Fiber per serving: 7 grams per ½ avocado
Avocado is often cited for being a great source of monounsaturated healthy fats, which it is. But it’s also an excellent source of insoluble fiber and soluble fiber.
For both of these reasons, we love to incorporate avocado as a healthful addition to:
Salads
Baked goods, as a replacement for butter and oil
Casseroles, soups, and tacos, as a delicious topping
3. Bananas
Fiber per serving: 3 grams per 1 medium banana
Most people know bananas for the awesome amount of potassium they provide. But bananas are also incredibly rich in two special types of fiber: resistant starch and pectin.
Resistant starch is a prebiotic that helps grow the beneficial bacteria in your gut, which is prime for everything from your immunity to your skin health. Try Smoothies (like our The Alkaline Green Goddess Smoothie, which boasts more than 7 grams of fiber per serving) It is especially high in underripe and green bananas. Pectin, which is a fiber in both ripe and unripe bananas, is beneficial for preventing constipation and softening stools.
4. Dried Coconut
Fiber per serving: 3.5 grams per ¼ cup
Dried coconut, which you can buy as flaked coconut and shredded coconut, is an excellent source of fiber. We like to use it most often as unsweetened shredded coconut added to granola bars and other baked goods and no-baked treats.
Coconut is high in fat, most of which is a type of saturated fat called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are metabolized differently than other fats, making them a quick source of energy. There’s some evidence that the MCT fats in coconut may be a beneficial choice for weight loss and improved metabolism. Coconut also provides important minerals needed for bone health, including manganese and iron.
5. Chickpeas
Fiber per serving: 6 grams per ½ cup cooked
Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, are a type of bean so versatile that we felt it deserved its own call-out as a high-fiber food.
Chickpeas are the type of bean that is typically used to make hummus. And we love hummus because it has turned beans into a readily enjoyable snack food (here’s our favorite layered dip with hummus). Bonus: You’re getting fiber in delicious snack-food form!
6. Quinoa
Fiber per serving: 5 grams per 1 cup cooked
There’s no doubt about it: Quinoa is one of our favorite gluten-free whole grains.
Quinoa is a complete source of protein, which is rare in the world of seeds and grains. This means that quinoa contains all 9 of the amino acids necessary for our nutritional needs and that our bodies don’t create fully on their own. One cup of cooked quinoa contains 8 grams of protein, as well as many more health benefits.
7. Raspberries
Fiber per serving: 8 grams per 1 cup
Raspberries are one of the highest-fiber fruits and contain more fiber than any other type of berry. Other types of berries, including strawberries and blackberries, are good sources of fiber. However, raspberries contain the most grams of fiber thanks to the many little seeds and fibrous threads that each berry contains.
Raspberries are also an excellent source of potassium, which helps blunt the impact of a high-sodium diet on blood pressure. They’re also high in flavonoids, a powerful type of antioxidant.
What’s the best way to increase your fiber intake?
While many doctors will prescribe a fiber supplement, such as Metamucil, one of the most natural ways to increase your fiber content is to add more plant-based foods to your diet. Plant-based foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, contain many different types of beneficial fibers. They also boast other health benefits, including high amounts of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Which fruit is highest in fiber?
Raspberries are the fruit that contains the most fiber. Other high-fiber fruits are apples, bananas, mango, a medium pear, and other types of berries.