Printable List of High Fiber Foods

Boost your daily fiber intake with my free printable list of high fiber foods plus an easy and healthy high fiber diet plan pdf.

Fiber may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about your diet, but eating enough of this important nutrient can have a significant impact on your health.

Most Americans don’t meet the recommended daily intake of fiber, falling short by over 10 grams per day.

Free High Fiber Foods Printable List

Try my printable list of high fiber foods with recipes. It will make it easier for you to get enough fiber in your diet!

What is Fiber?

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate found in a variety of plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and grains. There are two main types of fiber – soluble and insoluble – and both have slightly different jobs.

Soluble fiber is a type of dietary fiber that, when eaten, forms a gel-like consistency in your gastrointestinal tract.

Eating foods with soluble fiber is associated with positive health benefits including:

a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes
improvements in cardiovascular health markers such as total cholesterol

Insoluble fiber is a type of dietary fiber that’s considered non-digestible (meaning it doesn’t fully breakdown in the gastrointestinal tract when eaten).

Eating both soluble and insoluble fiber helps to create bulk which can fill you up and keep you full while also promoting GI health and bowel regularity.

While most sources of fiber contain a combination of both insoluble and soluble fiber, some foods have more of one type than the other.

Examples of foods high in soluble fiber include:

Oats
Chia seeds
Beans

Foods with mostly insoluble fiber include:

Whole grains
Leafy greens
Nuts
Some seeds

If you’re looking for a complete list of foods for both kinds of fiber, then check out the soluble fiber vs insoluble fiber chart in my high fiber foods printable list.

What is a High Fiber Diet?

A high fiber diet is a diet that meets or exceeds the daily recommended dietary fiber intake. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a daily fiber intake of 25-36 grams per day.

While fiber supplements can help you reach the daily recommended intake, opting for whole food sources of fiber is the most beneficial for your health.

This is because fiber-rich food sources include additional health-promoting nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Health Benefits of following a Printable List of High Fiber Foods

There are many positive health benefits of a high fiber diet such as cardiovascular and digestive health. A high fiber diet is also associated with improvements in weight management and blood sugar.

Fiber and Cardiovascular Health

Both soluble and insoluble fiber have heart healthy benefits. Eating dietary fiber has shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease – even with small increases in total dietary fiber intake.

Research shows that even a small increase of 7 grams of fiber per day results in a reduction in cardiovascular disease risk. That’s equivalent to eating one cup of raspberries (which has eight grams of fiber).

Additionally, dietary fiber is associated with reductions in total cholesterol and blood pressure which has a positive benefit on heart health.

Fiber and Digestive Health

Eating the recommended amount of dietary fiber has also shown to benefit digestive health through a few mechanisms.

Fiber plays a role in creating bulk in the digestive tract which can help to prevent constipation
Fiber is a source of prebiotics which play a role in diversifying the bacteria in your gut. This diversification both improves digestive health and benefits mineral bioavailability (your body’s ability to absorb nutrients)
Fermentable fiber intake is also associated with digestive health and may play a role in reducing inflammation

Fiber and Blood Sugar Management

Dietary fiber intake has also been associated with a reduced risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Eating a high fiber diet has shown to improve inflammation markers which is thought to be one of the reasons why there’s a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Additionally, soluble fiber is beneficial for managing blood sugar. It plays a role in preventing blood sugar spikes after meals.

Fiber and Weight Management

Dietary fiber intake has been associated with reductions in weight. Research has found an inverse association between the intake of dietary fiber and body mass index.

One study of 345 adults following a reduced calorie diet, found that those eating the recommended 20 grams or more of fiber per day were more likely to stick to the macronutrient goals outlined in the calorie-restricted diet.

Researchers concluded that the increased fiber intake likely played a role in satiety which reduced energy intake overall.

High Fiber Foods: How Much Should You Eat?

The recommended daily intake for fiber is 14 grams per 1000 calories. On average, women should consume a minimum of 25 grams of fiber per day and men a minimum of 36 grams of fiber per day.

Most Americans don’t eat enough fiber with averages reported to be as low as 10-15 grams per day.

While there’s no limit to the amount of fiber you can eat in a day, meeting the minimum recommended daily intake from whole food sources, versus fiber supplements, has shown to be the most beneficial for your health.

Sample Day from Printable List of High Fiber Foods

Breakfast: Apple pie overnight oats 2.0 (12 gm fiber)

AM Snack: Macadamia nuts and tangerines (3.9 gm fiber)

Lunch: Leftover avocado, black bean, and tomato sandwich with oranges.

Cucumber + dip on the side. (total lunch fiber: 15.7 gm)

Dinner: Leftover pesto chicken penne and red cabbage with pecans (total dinner fiber: 13 gm)

Total fiber for sample day: 44.6 gm

Is Too Much Fiber Bad for You?

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, there isn’t a limit to how much fiber you can eat. However; eating excessive fiber, especially fiber supplements, may result in negative effects such as digestive discomfort, bloating, gas, and diarrhea.

If you’re not used to eating a high fiber diet, it’s important to start slowly and drink enough water.

Fiber supplements or foods with added fiber, often called functional foods, may result in gastrointestinal distress.

This is especially true if you have irritable bowel syndrome or another gastrointestinal condition. You could be sensitive to certain types of fiber like the fermentable sources (also known as FODMAPs).

Who Shouldn’t Follow a Printable List of High Fiber Foods?

There are instances where a high fiber diet may not be appropriate. For example, certain chronic conditions such as some types of gastric cancers may require low fiber diets for treatment and/or management of the condition.

Additionally, those who have Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, or other gastrointestinal condition may require avoidance of certain types of fiber and/or the reduction of total daily fiber.

It’s important to work with a registered dietitian and a multidisciplinary health team, if available, when adjusting your diet for managing chronic digestive conditions.