High Fiber Foods List: 40 Easy Picks for Real Meals

This high fiber foods list gives you about 40 easy picks, from raspberries and pears to lentils, oats, chia seeds and popcorn, with fiber per serving for each. Beans, lentils, berries and seeds lead the pack. Mix a few into every meal and most women can reach 25 grams a day without trying hard.

The best fiber food is the one you will actually eat. So alongside the numbers, you will find simple ways to fit each group into breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, plus picks for low carb eating and sensitive stomachs.

Jump to a sectionIn this article14 sections

1. Top 10 Foods on the High Fiber Foods List
2. Fruits High in Fiber
3. Vegetables High in Fiber
4. Beans and Lentils
5. Whole Grains
6. Nuts and Seeds
7. High Fiber Snacks
8. High Fiber Meal Ideas for Every Part of the Day
9. Low Carb High Fiber Foods
10. Foods That Are Easy on the Stomach
11. Pair Fiber with Protein for Fullness
12. Your This-Week Plan
13. Quick Questions
14. The Bottom Line

Top 10 Foods on the High Fiber Foods List

If you only remember ten foods, make it these. They are affordable, easy to find, and each one gives you a solid share of your daily fiber in one serving.

Food	Fiber	Easy Way to Eat It
Chia seeds	10g	Two tablespoons stirred into yogurt or overnight pudding
Lentils	8g	Half cup cooked, simmered into soup or a grain bowl
Raspberries	8g	One cup on oatmeal or eaten by the handful
Black beans	7.5g	Half cup cooked in tacos, burrito bowls or salads
Chickpeas	6g	Half cup roasted as a snack or blended into hummus
Pear	5.5g	One medium pear, sliced with the skin on, with cheese
Avocado	5g	Half an avocado mashed on whole grain toast or in salads
Artichoke	7g	One medium artichoke, or canned hearts in pasta or salads
Oats	4g	Half cup dry, cooked as oatmeal or blended into smoothies
Popcorn	3.5g	Three cups air popped for a big, crunchy snack

Fiber numbers are approximate and vary by brand, size and cooking method. They are close enough to plan your day with.

Fruits High in Fiber

Fruit is the easiest place to start because it needs no cooking. Keep the skin on when you can, since much of the fiber lives there.

1. Raspberries. About 8 grams per cup.
2. Blackberries. About 7.5 grams per cup.
3. Pear with skin. About 5.5 grams per medium pear.
4. Apple with skin. About 4.5 grams per medium apple.
5. Avocado. About 5 grams per half.
6. Orange. About 3 grams per medium orange.
7. Banana. About 3 grams per medium banana.
8. Kiwi. About 4 grams for two kiwis.

Whole fruit beats juice every time. Juicing strips out most of the fiber, which is covered in more detail in does juicing remove fiber.

Vegetables High in Fiber

Vegetables give you a lot of volume and fiber for very few calories. Cooked vegetables shrink down, so a cup cooked holds more fiber than a cup raw.

• Artichoke. About 7 grams per medium artichoke.
• Green peas. About 7 grams per cup cooked.
• Brussels sprouts. About 4 grams per cup cooked.
• Broccoli. About 5 grams per cup cooked.
• Sweet potato with skin. About 4 grams per medium potato.
• Carrots. About 4.5 grams per cup cooked.
• Spinach. About 4 grams per cup cooked.
• Cauliflower. About 3 grams per cup cooked.

Beans and Lentils

If there is one food group that does the most for fiber, it is this one. Beans and lentils also bring plant protein, which makes meals more filling. Canned beans count, just rinse them to cut the salt.

1. Navy beans. About 9.5 grams per half cup cooked.
2. Split peas. About 8 grams per half cup cooked.
3. Lentils. About 8 grams per half cup cooked.
4. Black beans. About 7.5 grams per half cup cooked.
5. Pinto beans. About 7.5 grams per half cup cooked.
6. Kidney beans. About 6.5 grams per half cup cooked.
7. Chickpeas. About 6 grams per half cup cooked.
8. Edamame. About 4 grams per half cup shelled.

Whole Grains

Whole grains keep the bran, which is where most of the grain’s fiber lives. Look for a whole grain as the first ingredient on the label.

• Barley. About 6 grams per cup cooked.
• Bulgur. About 8 grams per cup cooked.
• Whole wheat pasta. About 6 grams per cup cooked.
• Oats. About 4 grams per half cup dry.
• Quinoa. About 5 grams per cup cooked.
• Brown rice. About 3.5 grams per cup cooked.
• Whole grain bread. About 2 to 4 grams per slice.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds pack a lot of fiber into a small space, along with healthy fats. They are also high in calories, so measure portions if weight loss is your goal.

1. Chia seeds. About 10 grams per 2 tablespoons.
2. Ground flaxseed. About 4 grams per 2 tablespoons.
3. Almonds. About 3.5 grams per ounce, or about 23 almonds.
4. Pistachios. About 3 grams per ounce.
5. Pumpkin seeds in the shell. About 5 grams per ounce.
6. Sunflower seeds. About 3 grams per ounce.

High Fiber Snacks

Snacks are where many women lose fiber to chips and crackers. These swaps give you fiber and something to chew on.

• Air-popped popcorn. About 3.5 grams per 3 cups.
• Roasted chickpeas. About 5 grams per half cup.
• Hummus with carrots. About 5 grams for a quarter cup with a cup of carrots.
• Dried figs or prunes. About 3 to 4 grams per small handful.
• Whole grain crackers. About 3 grams per serving, check the label.
• Apple with almond butter. About 6 grams together.

High Fiber Meal Ideas for Every Part of the Day

A list is only useful if it turns into meals. Here are simple combinations that each add 7 grams or more.

Breakfast

• Oatmeal with raspberries and a spoon of chia seeds.
• Greek yogurt with sliced pear and ground flax.
• Whole grain toast with mashed avocado and a fried egg.

Lunch

• A big salad with chickpeas, peppers, cucumber and feta.
• Lentil soup with a slice of whole grain bread.
• A burrito bowl with black beans, brown rice and salsa.

Dinner

• Salmon with roasted Brussels sprouts and a baked sweet potato.
• Whole wheat pasta with turkey, spinach and white beans.
• Chicken and vegetable stir fry over barley or quinoa.

Snacks

• Popcorn with a cheese stick.
• Hummus and veggie sticks.
• A pear with a small handful of almonds.

Want all of this laid out for you? The 7-day high-fiber meal plan maps out a full week of meals and snacks.

Low Carb High Fiber Foods

If you eat low carb or keto, fiber gets harder, since grains, beans and most fruit are limited. These picks give you fiber with fewer net carbs.

• Chia seeds and ground flax. Mostly fiber, with very few net carbs.
• Avocado. About 5 grams of fiber per half and only about 2 grams net carbs.
• Leafy greens, broccoli and cauliflower. High volume, low carb.
• Raspberries and blackberries. The lowest sugar fruits for the fiber they give.
• Almonds and pumpkin seeds. Good fiber, just watch portions.

Foods That Are Easy on the Stomach

Some women find that beans, raw vegetables and bran cause gas or cramps, especially at first. If your stomach is sensitive, start with gentler, mostly soluble sources.

• Oatmeal and oat bran.
• Bananas, peeled pears and applesauce.
• Cooked carrots, zucchini and peeled sweet potato.
• Chia seeds soaked in liquid first.
• Small portions of well cooked lentils.

Cooking, peeling and blending can make fiber easier to tolerate. For more on this, see how to eat more fiber without feeling like you swallowed a balloon.

Pair Fiber with Protein for Fullness

Fiber fills you up, and protein keeps you full. Together they are the simplest hunger fix I know, and as a NESTA nutrition coach it is the first thing I look at when someone tells me they are always snacking.

Try to put one fiber food and one protein food on every plate. Beans and lentils do both at once. For more ideas, see protein rich foods that curb appetite.

Your This-Week Plan

1. Pick five foods from this list you already like.
2. Add one of them to breakfast every day this week.
3. Swap one refined grain for oats, barley or whole wheat pasta.
4. Eat beans or lentils at least three times.
5. Replace one daily snack with popcorn, hummus or fruit with nuts.
6. Drink a glass of water with every meal as your fiber rises.

New to fiber? Start with the fiber for women guide, then find your target in how much fiber per day for women.

Quick Questions

The Bottom Line

This high fiber foods list is your shortcut to 25 grams a day. Lean on beans, lentils, berries, oats, seeds and vegetables, and you will hit your number without fiber bars or powders.

Pick a few favorites, build them into meals you already eat, and raise your fiber slowly with plenty of water.

I am a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, not a doctor, and this article is educational only. Fiber values are approximate. If you have a digestive condition, take medicines or use a GLP-1 drug, talk with your doctor before making big changes to your fiber intake.