Fiber Content of Common Foods
Recommended for its cardiovascular and digestive system benefits, dietitians and health care practitioners encourage a high fiber diet for their patients. Despite the fact that advocates of healthy nutrition, such as the American Dietetic Association and the National Institutes of Health recommend that adults consume 20-35 grams of fiber every day, most of us fail to get that in our average diet.
Fiber is the indigestible parts of plants. A healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables and grains will give sufficient fiber, but due to a busy schedule we often fail to pick up the healthiest choices at the grocer. By making smarter choices, we have the opportunity to sneak in extra roughage to snacks and meals.
Considering that many of us are not getting the recommended quantity of fibrous food in our diet, we would do well to reevaluate the foods in our pantry. If needed, supplementation can also be an easy and convenient solution.
Let’s explore the fiber content of commonly eaten foods:
Fruits Size or amount by volume Total fiber
coconut ¼ cup 10 grams
orange 1 medium 7 grams
grapefruit ½ large 6 grams
*raisins ½ cup 6 grams
apple 1 medium 5 grams
banana 1 medium 4 grams
blueberries ½ cup 2 grams
nectarine 1 medium 2 grams
peach 1 medium 2 grams
plum 2 medium 2 grams
strawberries ½ cup 2 grams
tomato 1 medium 2 grams
cherries ½ cup 1.5 grams
pineapple ½ cup 1 gram
grapes ½ cup < 1 gram
Vegetables
sweet potato 1 medium 3.5 grams
potato 1 medium 3 grams
corn ½ cup, off cob 3 grams
broccoli ½ cup 2 grams
carrots ½ cup 2 grams
cauliflower ½ cup 2 grams
spinach ½ cup 2 grams
collard greens ½ cup 1.5 grams
yellow squash ½ cup 1.5 grams
cabbage ½ cup 1 gram
celery ½ cup 1 gram
kale ½ cup 1 gram
leek ½ cup 1 gram
popcorn 1 cup, popped 1 gram
zucchini ½ cup 1 gram
pre-cut packaged lettuce mixes ½ cup .5 gram
Legumes (beans)
red beans ½ cup 9 grams
lentil ½ cup 8 grams
black ½ cup 7.5 grams
pinto ½ cup 7.3 grams
chili ½ cup 7 grams
garbanzo ½ cup 7 grams
green peas ½ cup 4 grams
edamame (soy) ½ cup 3.8 grams
green beans ½ cup 2 grams
Grains (measured dry)
Spelt ½ cup 16 grams
Rye ½ cup 12 grams
wheat bran ½ cup 12 grams
Oats ½ cup 12 grams
Millet ½ cup 10 grams
Bulgur ½ cup 8 grams
Quinoa ½ cup 6 grams
brown rice ½ cup 4 grams
Credit for the chart and the fiber content information is courtesy of: Brenda Watson, C.N.C. The Fiber 35 Diet: Nature’s Weight Loss Secret
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