Fiber is an essential nutrient that keeps your gut healthy, helps you maintain a good weight and cholesterol numbers, and helps prevent constipation and chronic disease. But most Americans don’t even meet the minimum for fiber intake!

So let’s look at exactly how much fiber per day is recommended and how you can boost your daily amount.

How Much Fiber Per Day?

According to EatRight.org, women should get at least 25 grams of fiber each day and men should get at least 38 grams. If you’re over 50, how much fiber per day drops slightly to 21 grams for women and 30 grams for men.

What Foods are High in Fiber?

Fiber is only found in plant-based foods, so you want to eat plenty of them per day. Here’s a breakdown of your options.

Fruits and Veggies

Many vegetables and fruits are one of the highest fiber sources. Focus on a variety of each group and “eating the rainbow.” If you aren’t a fan of most fruits or vegetables, start with the ones you do like first and work up from there.

The cool thing about changing your diet is that your taste buds will gradually adapt and you’ll start to enjoy healthier foods more!

Here’s some fiber counts for high fiber vegetables per cup, cooked:

• Broccoli: 5 grams
• Acorn squash: 9 grams
• Spinach: 4 grams
• Carrots: 5 grams
• Sweet potatoes: 4 grams
• Asparagus: 5 grams
• Kale: 3 grams

Tip: In general, the darker color of the vegetable, the higher fiber content.

And for high fiber fruits:

• Raspberries: 8 grams per cup
• Strawberries: 3 grams per cup, halved
• Apples: 4-5 grams per one apple
• Mangos: 5 grams per one mango
• Avocado: 5 grams per ½ medium avocado
• Bananas: 3 grams per one banana
• Oranges: 2-3 grams per one orange

Also keep in mind a lot of the fiber of fruits is in the skins (if those skins as edible, such as apples), so it’s better to avoid peeling them.

Beans and Legumes

Not only are beans high in fiber, they’re also good sources of plant-based protein!

Here are some high fiber beans and legumes, per ½ cup, cooked:

• Garbanzo beans: 17.5 grams
• Pinto beans: 15 grams
• Black beans: 14.5 grams
• Navy beans: 8 grams
• Lentils: 8 grams
• Peas: 3.5 grams
• Edamame: 4 grams

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are high in healthy plant-based fats as well as a decent source of fiber. Seeds are higher in fiber than nuts and chia and flax seeds provide essential omega-3 fatty acids.

You can easily have them as a snack or add them to other snacks, meals, or even dessert dishes.

High fiber nuts include, per one-ounce handful:

• Almonds: 4 grams
• Pistachio nuts: 3 grams
• Pecans: 3 grams
• Chestnuts: 4 grams

High fiber seeds include, per one-ounce handful:

• Chia seeds: 10 grams
• Flax seeds: 8 grams
• Pumpkin seeds: 5 grams
• Sesame seeds: 4 grams
• Sunflower seeds: 4 grams

Whole Grains

Whole grains add bulk and satiety to meals along with fiber. Refined grains have been processed to remove the plant’s bran and germ, which is where the heart-healthy fiber is, but whole grains still have those components intact.

Whole grains aren’t typically as high-fiber as the foods above, they’re still a good whole foods choice to add to your meals.

High fiber whole grains include, per ½ cup cooked:

• Oatmeal: 2 grams
• Rolled oats (uncooked): 4 grams
• Brown rice: 2 grams
• Barley: 3 grams
• Quinoa: 2 grams
• Bulgur: 4 grams

How to Boost Your Fiber Intake

If you need ideas for getting more fiber into your day, here are some ways to do it.

Swap Oatmeal for Refined Cereal

Instead of breakfast cereals, try some cooked oatmeal with berries, chia seeds or flax seeds, and a little honey or other healthy sweetener.

Add Vegetables and Beans to Your Meals

Chop some vegetables to add on top of dinner, or add some greens and sliced tomato to your sandwiches. Add beans to soups, salads, or other dishes for extra bulk.

Get creative with how you can add these extra high fiber foods to your meals. Before long, you’ll miss them when you don’t.

Make Soups and Salads

Salads and soups are great dishes for adding lots of extra fiber-rich foods. Look for vegetable, bean, and grain soup recipes or add extras to existing recipes.

For salads, you can chop up a variety of vegetables plus nuts and seeds, beans like garbanzo beans, and even fruits or cooked grains that have been cooled. Get creative and look for recipes if you aren’t sure where to start.

Snack on Fruits and Nuts

Nuts, or nut butters, and fruits make quick and healthy snacks, giving your body wholesome vitamins and minerals while you increase your overall fiber intake!

You can even buy certain fruit and nut bars, such as Larabars, That’s It bars, or Kind Bars for an easy whole foods snack.

Replace Refined Grains with Whole Grains or Vegetables

Some white breads can be replaced with vegetables, like wrapping your burger in lettuce instead of using the white bun or eating sandwich feelings over a salad instead of with white bread.

But even with more refined flour-based foods like crackers, tortillas, or pastas, you can boost the fiber by choosing the whole grain versions.

Just make sure the label contains minimal ingredients, whole grains make up at least the first three ingredients, and that these foods are minimized (because they still tend to be lower in fiber).

And that brings up the last tip: The less processed a food is, the more fiber it’s likely to have.

For example, a whole apple has 4-5 grams of fiber while a ½ cup of applesauce has 1.5 grams. Or ½ cup of brown rice has two grams while brown rice crackers often have virtually no fiber.

And lastly, remember to drink plenty of water as you increase your fiber intake, especially in the beginning. If you experience digestive upset, you can also cut back slightly and increase how much fiber per day more slowly. But know that as time passes, your body will get used to the higher fiber and adjust.