What would you incorporate into your daily diet to consistently get between 30-40g of fiber per day?
I was surprised to see things like salad greens really don’t have that much. Other things I considered to be high fiber, like oats, broccoli, brussels sprouts, etc still only have 3-4 grams per serving.
I know berries have a big fiber bang for your buck. But what else would be good to add to your diet on a daily basis to get more than 30g in a day when you eat around 2000 calories and try to get close to lean bodyweight in grams of protein?
They’ve already been mentioned, but chia seeds, apples and psyllium husk.
Chia seeds can be added to several snacks and dishes. Grab and go apples between meals. Psyllium husk is available via supplement or in All Bran Buds cereal. All Bran adds a tasty crunch to things like yogurt, toast, salads etc.
People are sleeping on wraps/quesadillas. There are large tortilla wraps that have 25 grams of fiber per serving. A wrap or quesadilla can be a vehicle to get in plenty of other nutrients or foods, like proteins and vegetables.
Aside from a fiber supplement, I have yet to come across a better source of fiber than high fiber tortilla wraps.
Borlotti/ Cranberry beans. Pinto Beans. Red kidney beans.
Cranberry beanSources include: USDAAmount Per 100 gramsCalories 335% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1.2 g 1%
Saturated fat 0.3 g 1%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 6 mg 0%
Potassium 1,332 mg 38%
Total Carbohydrate 60 g 20%
Dietary fiber 25 g 100% <<<<<<<<<<
Protein 23 g 46%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 12%
Iron 27%
Vitamin D 0%
Vitamin B6 15%
Cobalamin 0%
Magnesium 39%
My breakfast is 100g Oat bran (think it is called that in the US)250g frozen wild blueberries15g of almonds35g of whey
Calories 702Protein 46gFat 20gCarbs 97gFiber 26.5g
Most of the fibers are from oat bran so I would start to implement that as your choice instead of regular oats
Quinoa, lentils, flax, chia, generally all legumes, almonds. I eat quinoa/lentils with salad, which boosts their fiber content, and usually top with sunflower kernels for crunch (also adds more fiber).
Bran cereal is low in calories and high in fiber, some other cereals have high fiber, along with wheat breads could help you reach fiber goals.What type of fiber are you striving for? Soluble or insoluble? Both have differing health benefits. General fiber is a great start to increased wellness, what is the primary objective of the increased fiber? Cholesterol? Bowel? Heart health?
Be careful of that much fiber, ease into that IF you feel it will help you. If you got that from some website, don’t stress it. Some folks have huge issues with large amounts of fiber. And be careful of commercial fiber supplements, some can have heinous reactions to them, like explosive gas and diarrhea. I am one of those with a sensitive gut and must be very gentle with fiber. Fiber is VERY easy to overdue.
First - it is definitely hard to get a lot of fiber while staying lower on calories. It takes effort and planning, and you might want to work your way up to that depending on where you are now.
The regular sized Ole Extreme Wellness tortillas are 11g of fiber each, so a quesadilla with 2 of those will get you halfway there. Editing to add - they’re also only 50 calories each.
Better Oats makes 100 calorie oatmeal packets that have 3 g of fiber. That’s a pretty good tradeoff for the calories.
Snack on some carrots, celery, and grape tomatoes dipped in hummus. I get single-serve hummus containers from Costco that are 160 calories and have 3g of fiber, plus whatever you get from the veggies, and they have 4g protein as well.
You can also make a smoothie with protein powder, frozen berries, and a few big handfuls of spinach that would get you some good amounts.
I also take a daily fiber supplement (well, when I remember) to get an extra 5g that way, or else add powdered fiber to the smoothie.
You are probably getting enough. A high fiber diet will do nothing but cause constipation, gas, bloating and will lead to a ton of digestive and bowel issues.
People need to realize that the idea that eating a high fiber diet is healthy was introduced by John Harvey Kellogg, the same guy who sells high fiber cereal and was not based on thorough academic research, but based off profits and commercialism.
If you consume fiber from natural unprocessed Whole Foods then there isn’t anything wrong with it because (a) the small amounts of natural fiber(mostly soluble), will not obstruct your intestines or cause digestive issues, (b) most of it will get fermented in the large intestine and, (c) the remainder will not bulk up the volume of stool high enough to cause any damage from “roughage”.
I don’t know how much 30 grams would be, but my daily diet is usually a huge bowl of oats(around 200 grams), with fruits, berries and plain yogurt for breakfast.
My dinner would be something like 150 gram of uncooked whole wheat pasta with tons of veggies and a salad made from a can of chickpeas and veggies.
Another dinner would be salmon with a cup of raw rice(obviously cooked) plus veggies,
That’s just roughly an idea how much fiber I eat. I don’t eat lunch or snacks which is why the amounts might seem high per meal.
I eat majority plant based filled with fruit, veg, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans and pulses and have zero trouble getting enough fiber in a day.
I tried estimating one example meal I eat frequently: oatmeal (1/2 cup uncooked), mixed with a variety of fruits (e.g. apples, plums, dates, berries etc.), nuts (e.g. almonds, walnuts, pecans etc.), seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds), spices (e.g. cinnamon, cardamom), maybe coconut flakes and cacao nibs etc. and I calculated about 20g of fiber in one meal.
I would think just adding one food to a diet that is already lacking fiber won’t get you far. Plant based is really the way to go to get those levels of fiber and to keep you lean. If you’re looking for protein: beans, pulses, nuts and whole grains are essential!
Honestly shooting for 10 servings of vegetables/day would probably have a number of benefits while getting you your fiber.
What kinds of things do you mean by salad greens? My go to salad bases are: spinach, kale, red/green cabbage, and arugula. These will all be higher in fiber than most lettuce, as well as better nutrient profiles in general (and if you ask me, taste better).
Lentils or beans incorporated into a meal most days will help. And once again, beans are one of the healthiest things to eat regularly.
And personally, I’ve never had just one serving of broccoli. And sauteed spinach in garlic is an amazing side dish that can seemingly use infinite spinach in a pan.
Swap what you can for whole wheat alternatives! Whole wheat cereals, pasta, bread etc. contains plenty of fibre and can easily top up with some veggies and seeds.Also fibre bars can be well priced for 6-8g of fibre
I just eat straight up psyllium husk. For a long time, it was uncut but I’ve recently started mixing peanut butter powder into it to help with the flavor.
Sometimes you can mix it into oatmeal and it’ll bulk up the whole thing.
Your best bet here would definitely be beans and lentils. The reason a lot of fruits and vegetables aren’t very high in fiber is because they mostly consist of water. And things like beans are just dry dense balls of fiber pretty much. I eat about 100 grams of fiber daily!
My friend, let me tell you about the glory of beans.
I just made myself a savory pot of lentil stew (very heavy on the mushrooms). 100 grams of cooked lentils has 8 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein, along with plenty of iron and B6. It also only has about 120 calories.
You can find similar numbers on black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, army beans, green beans, green beret beans, and butter beans. Green peas are high in protein and fiber, too. Split peas are even higher. “Superfood” is a pseudoscientific term used by fools, but if such a list of foods existed surely legumes would be near the top.
Just like the message embroidered in my living room throw pillow: never go a day without beans.
Quest bars are great. 12-15 grams of fiber per bar. Super easy to down. Psyillium Husk is also awesome. Some breads and wraps are very high in fiber. Some fruit and veggies are good, but sometimes they can fill you up too much for comfort.