Best Sources of Fiber
By Mediconsult's Nutrition Services
Q. What are the best sources of fiber?
A. Fiber comes from plants, not animal foods. It is highest in fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and dried beans and peas. Nuts and seeds contain fiber, but are also high in fat and calories so be careful with these.
| FIBER
CONTENT OF SELECTED FOODS |
| Food |
Serving
Size |
Total
Fiber (gms)
|
Soluble
Fiber (gms) |
Insoluble
Fiber (gms) |
| Fruits |
| Apple,
with skin |
1
medium |
4.2
|
1.6 |
2.6 |
| Banana |
1
medium |
2.3
|
0.7 |
1.6 |
| Grapes |
1
cup |
0.6
|
0.1 |
0.5 |
| Orange |
1
medium |
2.5
|
1.6 |
0.9 |
| Pear,
Bartlett |
1
medium |
4.0
|
0.8 |
3.2 |
| Prunes,
dried |
4 |
3.1
|
1.3 |
1.8 |
| Strawberries |
1
cup |
1.6
|
0.6 |
1.0 |
| Vegetables |
| Beans,
green, cooked |
1/2
cup |
2.0
|
0.8 |
1.2 |
| Broccoli,
raw |
1/2
cup |
1.5
|
0.1 |
1.4 |
| Brussel
Sprouts, Cooked |
1/2
cup |
3.6
|
1.7 |
1.9 |
| Carrot,
raw |
1
medium |
2.6
|
1.1 |
1.5 |
| Cauliflower,
raw |
1/2
cup |
1.0
|
0.4 |
0.6 |
| Celery,
raw |
1/2
cup |
0.9
|
0.2 |
0.7 |
| Corn,
cooked |
1/2
cup |
4.7
|
0.2 |
4.4 |
| Lettuce,
Butterhead |
1 cup |
1.3
|
0.6 |
0.7 |
| Lettuce,
Iceberg |
1 cup |
1.0
|
0.3 |
0.7 |
| Lettuce,
Romaine |
1 cup |
0.7
|
0.3 |
0.4 |
| Peas,
cooked |
1/2
cup |
4.4
|
1.2 |
3.2 |
| Pepper,
green, raw |
1/2
cup |
0.9
|
0.3 |
0.6 |
| Potato,
with skin |
1 medium |
2.4
|
0.6 |
1.8 |
| Sweet
potato, peeled |
1 medium |
3.4
|
1.7 |
1.7 |
| Tomato |
1
medium |
1.3
|
0.3 |
1.0 |
| Dried
Beans and Peas (cooked) |
| Blackeyed
peas |
1/2
cup |
4.1
|
0.5 |
3.6 |
| Garbonza
beans |
1/2
cup |
4.0
|
1.2 |
2.8 |
| Kidney
beans |
1/2
cup |
8.2
|
3.6 |
4.6 |
| Lentils |
1/2
cup |
4.5
|
0.7 |
3.8 |
| Pinto
beans |
1/2
cup |
10.3
|
3.9 |
6.4 |
| Split
peas |
1/2
cup |
3.4
|
1.1 |
2.4 |
| Breads/Rice/Pasta |
| Pumpernickel
bread |
1
slice |
1.0
|
0.5 |
0.5 |
| Rye
bread |
1
slice |
1.6
|
0.7 |
0.9 |
| Sourdough
bread |
1
slice |
2.8
|
0.9 |
1.9 |
| White
bread |
1
slice |
0.6
|
0.3 |
0.3 |
| Whole
wheat bread |
1
slice |
2.2
|
0.5 |
1.7 |
| Brown
rice |
1/2
cup |
1.8
|
0.2 |
1.6 |
| White
rice |
1/2
cup |
0.6
|
0.2 |
0.4 |
| Wild
rice |
1/2
cup |
1.3
|
0.2 |
1.1 |
| Spiral
pasta, cooked |
1
cup |
1.3
|
0.2 |
1.1 |
| Spiral
pasta, whole wheat. cooked |
1
cup |
3.7
|
0.7 |
3.0 |
| Nuts
and Seeds |
| Almonds |
1/4
cup |
3.9
|
0.4 |
3.5 |
| Cashews |
1/4
cup |
1.1
|
0.6 |
0.5 |
| Peanuts,dry
roasted |
1/4
cup |
2.5
|
0.7 |
1.8 |
| Walnuts |
1/4
cup |
1.4
|
0.5 |
0.9 |
| Sesame
seeds |
1/4
cup |
3.3
|
0.7 |
2.6 |
| Sunflower
seeds |
1/4
cup |
2.2
|
0.7 |
1.5 |
| Breakfast
Cereal |
| All-Bran
with Extra Fiber |
1/2
cup |
15.0
|
1.0 |
14.0 |
| Bran
Buds |
1/3
cup |
10.7
|
2.8 |
7.9 |
| Cherrios |
1
cup |
1.6
|
1.0 |
0.6 |
| Corn
Flakes |
1 cup |
0.7
|
0.4 |
0.3 |
| Fiber
One |
1/2
cup |
13.0
|
1.0 |
12.0 |
| Oatmeal,
cooked |
1
cup |
4.0
|
2.4 |
1.6 |
| Shredded
Wheat, small biscuits |
1
cup |
4.2
|
0.7 |
3.5 |
| Total
Raisin Bran |
1
cup |
6.0
|
0.9 |
5.1 |
