Dietary fiber is a crucial part of any healthy diet.

It’s important to get as much fiber into your diet as possible. It has plenty of benefits, such as reducing constipation, lowering cholesterol levels, promoting healthy gut bacteria, reducing the risk of heart disease, and many more.

Even with all its benefits, it is often overlooked. An average American adult gets less than the recommended fiber requirement each day.

Fiber content varies in different plant foods, so I’m sharing easy ways to add more fiber into your diet.

20 Easy Ways To Get More Fiber

Swap mayo for avocado

Avocado is a good source of fiber, so a super simple way to get more fiber is to swap mayo for avocado in your sandwiches.

You get that creaminess, but with a much healthier source of fat, plus good amounts of fiber.

Eat whole food carb sources

Fiber is a type of carb that is present in plants.

So, the best way to consume more fiber is to eat whole-food carb sources, such as fruits, starchy vegetables, and legumes.

Include veggies in each meal

Eating veggies is not only great for eating more fiber, but for weight loss too. There are tons of good sources of fiber when we look at vegetables, so you can easily incorporate them into your diet more, as you must have some veggies you like.\

There are also tons of ways to eat veggies - as salads, as sides, as parts of dishes, etc.

Snack on nuts and seeds

Instead of snacking on chips, snack on nuts and seeds. They’re good sources of fiber, better for weight loss than chips, and are good sources of fat.

Snack on fruits and vegetables

Another great way to incorporate more fiber-rich foods into your diet, is to snack on fruits and veggies.

They’re much healthier than chips, full of vitamins and minerals, and they’re high in fiber.

Snack on popcorn

Popcorn is actually a whole grain, so it’s a good source of fiber (6 grams of fiber per serving).

That’s why this is another great snack option.

Leave the skin on apples

Apple skin actually has tons of fiber, so for a super-easy way to consume more fiber, just leave the skin on apples when you eat them!

Leave the skin on potatoes

Just like with apples, the skin of potatoes contains lots of fiber.

So, don’t peal them. Potato skin can be super tasty if you make crispy potatoes in the oven, or if you bake them. You can even leave it in a mash, if you like the skin there.

Just make sure to clean it very well, as potato skin can be super dirty.

Eat whole grains and not refined grains

Whole grains are not only much healthier than refined grains, but they have more fiber in them.

Instead of white rice, white flour, and white bread, eat brown rice, whole-grain rice, whole-grain flour, and bread.

Also eat whole-grain oatmeal, barley, buckwheat, quinoa, and bulgur wheat - they’re delicious and have fiber.

Here’s a quick quinoa meal that has tons of fiber.

Quinoa Greek Style Salad

444 calories

Ingredients:

1 Cucumber, small - 32 calories (pro tip: leave the skin on - it has fiber)
1 cup Tomatoes, grape - 32 calories
½ cup Beans & legumes, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cooked - 134 calories
½ cup Quinoa, cooked - 111 calories
¼ cup Cheese, crumbled, feta - 99.75 calories
2 Tbsp Vinaigrette, light (less than 50 calories per 2 Tbsp) - 35 calories
1 Salt, dash - 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories
1 Basil, dash - 0 calories
1 Oregano, dash - 0 calories

Instructions:

Cook quinoa as instructed on package.
Slice cucumber and tomatoes.
Mix all ingredients.
No dairy? Use an oil-based vinaigrette.
Note: I like Trader Joe’s fat free vinaigrette – but Paul Newman, Whole Foods, etc. all have good light dressings.

Add almonds to your cereal

Almonds are rich in fiber, and they’re a great addition to cereal. So, cut them up, or put whole almonds in your morning cereal, for an easy way to eat foods that are high in fiber.

Swap unhealthy snacks with veggies

We already covered some easy swaps, but in general, swapping unhealthy snacks for fiber-rich snacks is one of the easiest ways to get more fiber.

You still get your daily dose of snacks, but you’re getting fiber at the same time.

Eat veggies and beans as side dishes

For every meal, eat veggies or beans as side dishes.

Opt in for veggies that are rich in fiber, or for black beans, as beans are an amazing source of fiber.

Eat high-fiber foods

This goes without saying, but generally trying to eat more high-fiber foods will pay off. You can start eating them more slowly, and making the switches one by one, until it becomes a habit.

Try eating high-fiber foods for all meals.

If you need some high-fiber breakfast ideas, check out this post: 20 High Fiber Foods For Breakfast.

Eat whole-grain bread

Another easy swap is switching out white bread for whole-grain bread. It’s healthier for you, and has more fiber.

The taste isn’t that different, so you can eat it any way you would eat white bread - in sandwiches, as a side, etc.

Eat rather than drink fruit and veggies

Eating fruit and veggies is better than juicing and drinking them - when you juice fruits and veggies, the fiber breaks down, and doesn’t stay intact.

So, even though you can and should drink natural juices as well, try to eat fruits and veggies whenever possible, instead of just drinking them (if that’s what you normally tend to do).

Eat legumes

Legumes are very high in fiber, so including them in your meal plan is definitely going to help you get more fiber.

You can eat them as main dishes, or as sides. Black beans, for example, work in so many dishes - from burritos, bowls, to salads and soups.

Here is a simple lunch or dinner idea with garbanzo beans, that has tons of fiber, and is easy to make.

Quick Chana Masala

512 calories

Ingredients:

1 cup Beans & legumes, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cooked - 268 calories
½ Onion, yellow - 27.5 calories
¾ cup Canned, diced tomatoes - 37.5 calories
1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) - 119 calories
¼ cup Tikka Masala sauce - 60 calories

Instructions:

Dice onion
Add oil to a pan, turn to low heat
Stir fry onions ~6 minutes, or until translucent
Add in chickpeas, tomatoes, and Tikka Masala sauce
Let simmer 10+ minutes
Serve
Note: I used Whole Food’s 365 brand Tikka Masala sauce, but any brand you find is fine!

Read labels

When you’re buying food, whether that’s snacks, or anything similar, read the label. Try to find the option with the most fiber.

Take a fiber supplement

You should always strive to get your fiber naturally, through food.

However, if you’re very low on fiber, it might be a good idea to take a fiber supplement (not instead of eating high-fiber foods, but in addition to it).

Eat chickpea pasta

Another crazy simple way to eat more fiber is to swap out regular pasta, for chickpea pasta.

It contains more fiber and allows you to eat the dishes you love while still getting more fiber.

Add seeds to your oatmeal and salads

Seeds have a lot of fiber, so you can add them to any dish where you see fit. My favorite way is to add them to my oatmeal, or even to salads as a crunchy element.