Top 10 Foods Highest in Fiber

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Written by Daisy Whitbread, BSc (Hons) MSc DipIONPowered by USDA Nutrition Data
Top 10 Foods Highest in Fiber

Dietary fiber or "roughage" is an essential nutrient required for proper digestion of foods and helping you feel full. (1)

Health benefits of fiber include reduced blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and a decreased risk for stroke, diabetes, and various gastrointestinal diseases. (1)

High fiber foods include beans, lentils, avocados, chia seeds, acorn squash, green peas, collard greens, broccoli, oranges, and sweet potato. (2) The current daily value (DV) for dietary fiber is 28 grams. (3)

Below is a list of high fiber foods, for more, see the extended lists of fiber rich foods, vegetables high in fiber, fruits high in fiber, beans high in fiber, and grains high in fiber.

Top 10 Foods High in Fiber

Navy Beans

#1: Navy (Haricot) Beans

Fiber
per Cup		Fiber
per 100g		Fiber
per 200 Calories
19g
(68% DV)		11g
(38% DV)		15g
(54% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Navy Beans. (Source)

More Beans and Legumes High in Fiber

  • 19g (66% DV) in 1 cup of white beans
  • 16g (56% DV) in 1 cup of lentils
  • 17g (60% DV) in 1 cup of adzuki beans
  • 15g (55% DV) in 1 cup of pinto beans
  • 12g (45% DV) in 1 cup of chickpeas
  • 9g (33% DV) in 1 cup of lima beans

See the full list of beans high in fiber.

Half an avocado

#2: Avocados

Fiber
per Avocado		Fiber
per 100g		Fiber
per 200 Calories
13g
(48% DV)		7g
(24% DV)		8g
(30% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Avocados. (Source)

See the list of fruits high in fiber.

Chia Seeds

#3: Chia Seeds

Fiber
per oz (~2 Tblsp)		Fiber
per 100g		Fiber
per 200 Calories
10g
(35% DV)		34g
(123% DV)		14g
(51% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Chia Seeds. (Source)

Other Nuts and Seeds High in Fiber

  • 8g (28% DV) per oz of flaxseeds
  • 5g (19% DV) per oz of pumpkin and squash seeds
  • 4g (14% DV) per oz of sesame seeds
  • 4g (13% DV) per oz of almonds
  • 3g (11% DV) per oz of pistachios
  • 3g (10% DV) per oz of pecans
  • 2g (9% DV) per oz of sunflower seeds

See the ranking for nuts and seeds high in fiber.

An acorn squash

#4: Acorn Squash

Fiber
per Cup Cooked		Fiber
per 100g		Fiber
per 200 Calories
9g
(32% DV)		4g
(16% DV)		16g
(56% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Baked Acorn Squash. (Source)

Other Squash High in Fiber

  • 10g (36% DV) in 1 cup of hubbard squash (cooked)
  • 7g (23% DV) in 1 cup of butternut squash (cooked)
  • 6g (21% DV) in 1 cup of an average winter squash (cooked)

See the list of all vegetables high in fiber.

Green Peas

#5: Green Peas

Fiber
per Cup Cooked		Fiber
per 100g		Fiber
per 200 Calories
9g
(31% DV)		6g
(20% DV)		13g
(47% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Green Peas. (Source)
  • 18% DV fiber in 1 cup of podded peas

See the list of all vegetables high in fiber.

Collard Green Leaves

#6: Collard Greens

Fiber
per Cup Cooked		Fiber
per 100g		Fiber
per 200 Calories
8g
(27% DV)		4g
(14% DV)		24g
(87% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Collards. (Source)

Other Green Leafy Vegetables High in Fiber

  • 5g (18% DV) in 1 cup of cooked turnip greens
  • 4.3g (15% DV) in 1 cup of cooked spinach
  • 4.2g (15% DV) in 1 cup of cooked escarole
  • 3.7g (13% DV) in 1 cup of Swiss chard

See the list of all vegetables high in fiber.

Broccoli Stalk

#7: Broccoli

Fiber
per Cup Cooked		Fiber
per 100g		Fiber
per 200 Calories
5g
(18% DV)		3g
(12% DV)		19g
(67% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Broccoli (Cooked). (Source)

See the list of all vegetables high in fiber.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti

#8: Whole Wheat Pasta

Fiber
per Cup		Fiber
per 100g		Fiber
per 200 Calories
5g
(16% DV)		4g
(14% DV)		5g
(19% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Whole Wheat Pasta. (Source)

Other Whole Grains High in Fiber

  • 8g (29% DV) per cup of bulgur
  • 7g (26% DV) per cup of kamut
  • 4g (14% DV) in a 2 slices of whole wheat bread
  • 4g (13% DV) per cup of brown rice

See the list of grains high in fiber.

Slices of orange

#9: Oranges

Fiber
per Cup		Fiber
per 100g		Fiber
per 200 Calories
4g
(15% DV)		2g
(9% DV)		10g
(36% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Oranges. (Source)

See the list of fruits high in fiber.

Sliced Sweet Potato

#10: Sweet Potatoes

Fiber
per Cup		Fiber
per 100g		Fiber
per 200 Calories
4g
(14% DV)		3g
(11% DV)		7g
(25% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Sweet Potatoes. (Source)

See the list of all vegetables high in fiber.

See All 200 Foods High in Fiber

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Printable list of the top 10 foods high in fiber including beans, lentils, avocados, chia seeds, acorn squash, green peas, collard greens, broccoli, oranges, and sweet potato. The current daily value (DV) for dietary fiber is 25 grams.

Extended List of Fiber Rich Foods

FoodServingFiber
#1 Mamey Apple
View (Source)
per fruit91% DV
(25g)
#2 Passion-Fruit (Granadilla)
View (Source)
per cup88% DV
(25g)
#3 Sapodilla
View (Source)
per fruit46% DV
(13g)
#4 Mamey Sapote
View (Source)
1 cup chopped34% DV
(9g)
#5 Natto (Fermented Soybeans)
View (Source)
per cup34% DV
(9g)
#6 Durian
View (Source)
per cup chopped33% DV
(9g)
#7 Guavas
View (Source)
per cup32% DV
(9g)
#8 Bulgur (Cracked Wheat)
View (Source)
per cup29% DV
(8g)
#9 Edamame (Green Soybeans)
View (Source)
per cup29% DV
(8g)
#10 Taro Root
View (Source)
per cup24% DV
(7g)
#11 Persimmon
View (Source)
per fruit22% DV
(6g)
#12 Dried Coconut
View (Source)
per oz17% DV
(5g)
#13 Bran
View (Source)
per tablespoon6% DV
(2g)

How much fiber do you need each day?

The percent daily value (%DV) for fiber is 28 grams per day (2) and the adequate intake (AI) for adults is 38 grams per day. (3)

The Percent Daily Value (%DV) is shown on food labels to help the "average" consumer compare foods, while the adequate intake (AI) is meant to give people a more accurate daily target by age and gender. In this case, the daily value for fiber is probably set too low and should be revised higher by the FDA.

Here is the breakout of the adequate intake by age and gender for fiber: (3)

  • 1-3 years old: 19g/day
  • 4-8 years old: 25g/day
  • Boys 9-13 years old: 31g/day
  • Boys 14-18 years old: 38g/day
  • Girls 9-18 years old: 26g/day
  • Men 19-50 years old: 38g/day
  • Men 50+ years old: 30g/day
  • Women 19-50 years old: 25g/day
  • Women 50+ years old: 21g/day
  • Pregnant and Lactating Women: 28-29g/day

Differences in fiber requirements between men and women are established based on estimated energy needs, and data that suggests the amount of fiber required for protection against cardiovascular disease. In other words, men need to consume more fiber to gain the health benefits.(3)


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Data Sources and References

  1. Health benefits of dietary fiber.
  2. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
  3. FDA on Daily Values
  4. Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes

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