Depending on your age and gender, nutrition experts recommend you eat at least 21 to 38 grams of fiber per day for optimal health. Research suggests that most of us aren't eating half that amount. While hitting your daily target may seem overwhelming at first, by filling up on whole grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and seeds you can get the fiber you need to start reaping the health benefits.

Refined or processed foods are lower in fiber content, so try to make whole grains an integral part of your diet. There are many simple ways to add whole grains to your meals. Start your day with fiber. Look for whole-grain cereals to boost your fiber intake at breakfast.

Simply switching your breakfast cereal from Corn Flakes to Bran Flakes can add an extra 6 grams of fiber to your diet; switching to All-Bran or Fiber-One will boost it even more. If those cereals aren't to your liking, try adding a few tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran to your favorite cereal.

Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole-grain products. Choose whole-grain bread for toast and sandwiches. Experiment with wild rice, barley, whole-wheat pasta, and bulgur. These alternatives are higher in fiber than their more mainstream counterparts—and you may find you love their tastes.

If you've never eaten whole wheat products or it's been a while, start with replacing half your regular product such as pasta with the whole wheat version to get used to the flavor. Read nutrition labels. Bulk up your baking.

When baking at home , substitute whole-grain flour for half of the white flour, since whole-grain flour is heavier than white flour. In yeast breads, use a bit more yeast or let the dough rise longer. Try adding crushed bran cereal or unprocessed wheat bran to muffins, cakes, and cookies.

Or add psyllium husk to gluten-free baked goods, such as breads, pizza dough, and pasta. Add flaxseed. Flaxseeds are small brown seeds that are high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower your total blood cholesterol.

Ground flaxseed is best since the body can't break down the outer hull, so it will pass through the gut undigested. You can grind the seeds in a coffee grinder or food processor and add to yogurt, applesauce, or breakfast cereals. You can also buy it pre-ground, but store it in the fridge, as the heart-healthy fat it contains can oxidize and spoil quickly.

Most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, another good reason to include more in your daily diet. Here are some simple strategies that can help:.

Add fruit to your breakfast. Berries are high in fiber, so try adding fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries to your morning cereal or yoghurt.

Keep fruit and vegetables at your fingertips. Wash and cut fruit and veggies and put them in your refrigerator for quick and healthy snacks.

Choose recipes that feature these high-fiber ingredients, like veggie stir-fries or fruit salad. Replace dessert with fruit. Eat a piece of fruit, such as a banana, apple, or pear, at the end of a meal instead of dessert. Top with cream or frozen yogurt for a delicious treat. Eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juice.

You'll get more fiber and consume fewer calories. An 8oz glass of orange juice, for example, contains almost no fiber and about calories, while one medium fresh orange contains about 3g of fiber and only 60 calories.

Eat the peel. Peeling can reduce the amount of fiber in fruits and vegetables, so eat the peel of fruits such as apples and pears.

Incorporate veggies into your cooking. Add pre-cut fresh or frozen vegetables to soups and sauces. For example, mix chopped frozen broccoli into prepared spaghetti sauce or toss fresh baby carrots into stews. Bulk up soups and salads. Liven up a dull salad by adding nuts, seeds, kidney beans, peas, or black beans.

Artichokes are also very high in fiber and can be added to salads or eaten as a snack. Beans, peas, lentils, and rice make tasty high-fiber additions to soups and stews.

Make snacks count. Fresh and dried fruit, raw vegetables, and whole-grain crackers are all good ways to add fiber at snack time. A handful of nuts can also make a healthy, high-fiber snack.

If you're new to eating high-fiber foods, it's best to start by gradually adding fiber to your diet and increasing your water intake. Fiber absorbs water so the more fiber you add to your diet, the more fluids you should drink. Suddenly adding a large amount of fiber to your diet can sometimes cause side effects such as abdominal cramps, intestinal gas, bloating, or diarrhea.

You can also become constipated if you increase the fiber without also increasing your fluid intake. These symptoms should go away once your digestive system becomes used to the added fiber. Fast food is often cheap and convenient, but finding a healthy meal with enough fiber can be a challenge.

Many fast food meals are packed with calories, sodium, and unhealthy fat with little or no dietary fiber. Even a seemingly healthy salad from a fast food restaurant is often light on fiber—simple lettuce greens provide only about 0.

Look for salads that include other vegetables, and whenever possible, up the fiber content by adding your own nuts, beans, or corn. While the best way to get fiber in your diet is from foods naturally rich in fiber—fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts—when that proves difficult, taking a fiber supplement can help make up the shortfall.

Supplements can also be useful to top up your daily intake while you transition to a high-fiber diet.

Fiber supplements come in a variety of forms, including powders you dissolve in water or add to food, chewable tablets, and wafers. However, there are some drawbacks to getting your fiber from supplements instead of fiber-rich foods:. If you decide to take a fiber supplement, start with small amounts and gradually build up to avoid any abdominal bloating and gas, and drink plenty of fluids.

Textbook of Family Medicine. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A. Editorial team. High-fiber foods.

What to Expect at Home. To get more fiber into your diet, eat different types of foods, such as: Fruits Vegetables Whole grains Read food labels carefully to see how much fiber they have. Vegetables, Legumes, and Nuts. Vegetables are a good source of fiber. Eat more: Lettuce, Swiss chard, raw carrots, and spinach Tender cooked vegetables, such as asparagus, beets, mushrooms, turnips, and pumpkin Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes with skin Broccoli, artichokes, squashes, and string beans You can also get more fiber by eating: Legumes, such as lentils, black beans, split peas, kidney beans, lima beans, and chickpeas Nuts and seeds, such as sunflower seeds, almonds, pistachios, and pecans.

Fruits are another good source of fiber. Eat more: Apples and bananas Peaches and pears Tangerines, prunes, and berries Figs and other dried fruits Kiwis. Grains are another important source of dietary fiber.

Eat more: Hot cereals, such as oatmeal and farina Whole-grain breads Brown rice Quinoa Popcorn High-fiber cereals, such as bran, shredded wheat, and puffed wheat Whole-wheat pastas Bran muffins.

Alternative Names. Sources of fiber. Read More. Constipation in infants and children Diverticulitis Fiber. Patient Instructions. Constipation - self-care Constipation - what to ask your doctor Diverticulitis and diverticulosis — discharge Diverticulitis - what to ask your doctor How to read food labels.

Learn how to cite this page. It was found protective from both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancers. A high-fiber diet was also associated with a lower risk of benign breast disease, a risk factor in adolescents for the later development of breast cancer.

Earlier epidemiological studies show mixed results on the association of fiber and colorectal cancer CRC. One reason may be due to differing effects of fiber on specific subtypes of CRC. When accounting for this, fiber was found to be protective with certain subtypes.

Occasional bouts of constipation are common, but chronic constipation that does not resolve can lower quality of life and lead to symptoms of bloating, cramping, and even nausea. Chronic constipation increases the risk of diverticular disease and hemorrhoids. Lifestyle behaviors that help relieve constipation include eating more fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; drinking more water; and regular exercise.

There are various reasons why fiber reduces constipation. Some types of soluble fiber bind to water, creating a gel that helps to soften and bulk stool.

Insoluble fibers mildly irritate the intestinal lining, which stimulates the secretion of water and mucus to encourage movement of stool. Because of the differing actions of various fiber types with constipation, a range of high-fiber foods from whole grains, fruits, legumes, and vegetables is recommended.

It is suggested to increase fiber intake gradually, because a sudden significant increase in dietary fiber can cause bloating and cramping. Drinking more fluids while eating more fiber can also help lessen these side effects.

It is one of the most common disorders of the colon in the Western world, with the highest rates in the U. and Europe. Diverticulitis can cause persistent abdominal pain usually in the lower left side , nausea, vomiting, and fever.

Treatment is typically a brief period of no food, drinking liquids only, and antibiotic medications. In severe cases where an abscess or perforation may develop, surgery may be needed. Research shows that a Westernized diet low in fiber and high in red meat and ultra-processed refined foods is a major contributor.

It can also lead to an increase in harmful intestinal bacteria, causing inflammation and further increasing the risk of diverticular disease.

Large cohort studies show a protective effect of fiber on diverticular disease, particularly fibers from fruits, cereal grains, and vegetables. Other factors that increase the risk of diverticular disease are increasing age, smoking, lack of exercise, use of certain medications NSAIDs, steroids, aspirin, opioids , family history, and history of irritable bowel syndrome.

Although the role of diet with diverticular disease has long been debated, a high-fiber intake with a focus on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables has been found to have a strong association with decreased risk of diverticular disease and diverticulitis.

There are many types of dietary fibers that come from a range of plant foods. Therefore, eating a wide variety of plant foods like fruits , vegetables , whole grains , legumes , nuts , and seeds to reach the fiber recommendation of grams daily best ensures reaping those benefits.

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Types of Fiber Fiber comes in two varieties, both beneficial to health: Soluble fiber , which dissolves in water, can help lower glucose levels as well as help lower blood cholesterol. Further defining fiber Under the umbrella terms of insoluble and soluble fibers, you may see fiber described in other ways.

It can be viscous with a gel-like quality, or fermentable because it acts as food for gut bacteria that break down and ferment it. Fibers that are not broken down by bacteria, called nonfermentable , travel intact to the colon and can add bulk and weight to stool so it is easier to pass.

These properties offer health benefits such as slowing down digestion, delaying blood sugar rises after meals, promoting healthy colonies of bacteria, or having a laxative effect. In addition, there are many subtypes of soluble and insoluble fibers, some of which occur naturally in plant foods and others that are synthetically made.

Naturally occurring plant fibers: Cellulose, hemicellulose — Insoluble fiber found in cereal grains and the cell walls of many fruits and vegetables. It absorbs water and adds bulk to stool, which can have a laxative effect. Lignins — Insoluble fiber found in wheat and corn bran, nuts, flaxseeds, vegetables, and unripe bananas that triggers mucus secretion in the colon and adds bulk to stools.

Has laxative effect. Beta-glucans — Soluble highly fermentable fiber found in oats and barley that is metabolized and fermented in the small intestine. Acts as a prebiotic.

Can add bulk to stool but does not have a laxative effect. May help to normalize blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Guar gum — Soluble fermentable fiber isolated from seeds. Has a viscous gel texture and is often added to foods as a thickener.

It is metabolized and fermented in the small intestine. Does not have a laxative effect. May help to normalize blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Inulin, oligofructose, oligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides — Soluble fermentable fibers found in onions, chicory root, asparagus, and Jerusalem artichokes.

May help to bulk stool with a laxative effect, normalize blood glucose, and act as a prebiotic. People with irritable bowel syndrome may be sensitive to these fibers that can cause bloating or stomach upset. Pectins — Soluble highly fermentable fiber found in apples, berries, and other fruits.

Minimal bulking or laxative effect. Due to its gelling properties, it may slow digestion and help normalize blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Resistant starch — Soluble fermentable fiber found in legumes, unripe bananas, cooked and cooled pasta, and potatoes that acts as a prebiotic.

Adds bulk to stools but has minimal laxative effect. Manufactured functional fibers, some of which are extracted and modified from natural plants: Psyllium — Soluble viscous nonfermentable fiber extracted from psyllium seeds that holds onto water and softens and bulks stools.