Top 10 Foods Highest in Fiber

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Dr. Patricia Shelton
Evidence Based. References sourced from PubMed.
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Top 10 Foods Highest in Fiber

Dietary fiber, also known as "roughage," is an essential nutrient required for proper digestion of foods, good gut health, 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. The current daily value (DV) for dietary fiber is 28 grams. (2)

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 Beans1 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 avocado2 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 Seeds3 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 squash4 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 Peas5 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 Leaves6 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 Stalk7 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 Spaghetti8 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 orange9 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 Potato10 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 Next ➞

Printable One Page Sheet

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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 daily value (DV) for fiber is 28 grams per day. (2) This is the amount shown on food labels to help the average person compare the health benefits of different foods. However, for many people, this amount is actually too low.

The adequate intake (AI) is a more accurate daily target, and varies by age and gender. The AI for fiber is up to 38 grams per day. (3) We've included the specific values below for various groups below, so you can determine what your personal target should be.

The average American consumes far less than the DV for fiber, let alone the AI for their demographic group. (4)

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

Life StageRDA
Children
1-3 years old19g
4-8 years old25g
Males
9-13 years old31g
14-50 years old38g
50+ years old30g
Females
9-18 years old26g
19-50 years old25g
50+ years old21g
Pregnancy
14-50 years old29g
Lactation
14-50 years old29g
Extensive research has been done to determine how much fiber is needed to provide protection against cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and other serious health concerns. This research shows that men need more fiber than women in order to get the maximum health benefits, which is why the AI targets are higher for men. (3)

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

About Nutrient Targets

Setting targets can provide a guide to healthy eating.

Some of the most popular targets include:
  • Daily Value (%DV) - The daily value (%DV) is a general guideline for consumption that will prevent deficiency of a particular nutrient in most people. The %DV refers to the percentage of an amount that's found in a single serving of a food. It also accounts for absorption factors. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Recommended Dietary Allowance (%RDA) - The RDA sets an average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals. It's more specific than the daily value, and varies by age and gender. The RDA is set by the US National Instutites of Health.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) -The reference dietary intake is similar to the recommended daily allowance, but is specific to age and gender. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - This value is primarily used in reference to omega-3 and omega-6 fats. The Adequate Intake is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Because there is less evidence to determine the ideal targets for consumption of these nutrients, the specific amount is considered to be less reliable. Using the term Adequate Intake, rather than one of the other terms, helps to emphasize that the ideal intake of that particular nutrient has not yet been scientifically determined.

See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

Want to set your own targets? Sign up for an account and set custom targets in the daily meal planner.

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

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
  5. Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes Details
  6. Thomas M. Barber, Stefan Kabisch, Andreas F. H. Pfeiffer and Martin O. Weickert The Health Benefits of Dietary Fibre Nutrients. 2020 Oct; 12(10): 3209.
  7. FDA on Daily Values
  8. Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes
  9. Diane Quagliani, MBA, RDN, LDN and Patricia Felt-Gunderson, MS, RDN, LDN Closing America’s Fiber Intake Gap Am J Lifestyle Med. 2017 Jan-Feb; 11(1): 80–85. Published online 2016 Jul 7. doi: 10.1177/1559827615588079
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