15 Best High-Fiber Recipes for Weight Loss
Getting enough fiber is crucial for your health, but it can be challenging to eat the recommended daily amount. Restaurant food is often low in fiber, and cooking high-fiber meals at home can be difficult if you don't know the best fiber-rich foods or how to prepare them. However, if you have some high-fiber recipes on hand that you actually enjoy cooking, you have a better chance of reaching your daily fiber goals.
Benefits of fiber
What are the health benefits of eating enough daily fiber? One of the most significant advantages is weight loss. Fiber is a key nutrient for weight management as it is incredibly filling, helping you feel satisfied longer and reducing overall calorie intake. This macronutrient also helps regulate blood sugar levels, preventing spikes that can increase hunger and lead to overeating.
Here are other benefits of fiber beyond weight loss:
- Can help with weight management/weight loss: Fiber is one of the most filling nutrients, so eating a high-fiber meal can help you feel full into your next meal.
- Improves gut health: Fiber can help improve digestion by softening and adding bulk to your stool, and it also feeds the good bacteria in your gut microbiome.
- Can help with blood sugar levels: Fiber can slow down the rate at which sugar is absorbed into your bloodstream, which can help prevent your blood sugar from spiking.
- Reduces "bad" cholesterol: Soluble fiber helps reduce cholesterol absorption into the bloodstream, lowering levels of "bad" LDL (low-density lipoprotein), which can reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Supports gut microbial diversity: Soluble fiber promotes a diverse and healthy gut microbiome, crucial for overall health and well-being.
- Helps you live longer: Some studies have even found that a high-fiber diet can help reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
How much fiber should you eat?
The average American only eats around 10-15 grams of fiber daily, but the USDA Dietary Guidelines suggest 14 grams per 1,000 calories consumed. So, if you're eating around 2,000 calories per day, this would be about 28 grams of fiber.
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that setting a goal of eating 30 grams of fiber daily can help you lose an average of 4.5 pounds over the course of a year.
When you break that down into meals, that could be around 8-10 grams of fiber per meal for three meals a day and a smaller snack in between.
The following recipes have at least 8 grams of filling fiber per serving, with some having close to 20! Read on to find your next home-cooked meal, then check out 38 Best Store-Bought High-Fiber Snacks.
Mason Jar Bean, Kale, and Salmon Salad
Fiber count per serving: 11 grams
We love a salad you can throw into a mason jar and take wherever you need to go! Not only is this one great for meal prepping, but it has around 11 grams of fiber per jar from ingredients like kale, tahini, avocado, and chickpeas.
Get our recipe for Mason Jar Salad.
Vegetarian Black Bean Omelet
Fiber per serving: 12 grams
Start your morning off right with this super easy, fiber-filled breakfast. Made with eggs, black beans, feta cheese, and salsa, this omelet is a healthy choice when you need a fiber boost. Want to pack even more of this nutrient into your meal? Add some avocado on top of your omelet, which has about 3 grams of fiber per serving.
Get our recipe for Black Bean Omelet.
Fiber-Filled Breakfast Burrito
Fiber count per serving: 14 grams
A fiber-filled burrito, indeed! Made with fiber-rich ingredients like avocado, salsa, black beans, and whole wheat tortillas (these tortillas from La Tortilla Factory have 6 grams of fiber), this breakfast burrito is the perfect way to start your day when you're looking to add more fiber to your routine. And, it's only 415 calories, so those who are watching their calorie intake can enjoy this one, too.
Get our recipe for Breakfast Burrito.
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos
Fiber per serving: 8 grams
For a taco night that provides some extra fiber, try these Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos. Made with corn tortillas, salsa, beans, sweet potatoes, lime, cilantro, onions, and sweet peppers, two of these tacos will give you 8 grams of fiber and 16 grams of protein.
Get our recipe for Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos.
Oatmeal with Peanut Butter and Banana
Fiber count per serving: 10.5 grams
A bowl of oatmeal is a tasty way to start your day, and this recipe made with peanut butter, banana, and almonds gives you over 10 grams of fiber per bowl! We recommend using plain rolled oats to make this recipe, but if you need something even quicker, you can use a healthy instant oatmeal brand as well.
Get our recipe for Peanut Butter Oatmeal.
Warm Kale-Quinoa Salad
Fiber per serving: 17 grams
Most of the ingredients in this Kale-Quinoa Salad contain fiber, which is why this dish is one of the highest-fiber meals on our list. At 17 grams of fiber per serving, this salad contains fiber-rich ingredients like kale, walnuts, quinoa, apples, and sweet potato.
Get our recipe for Kale-Quinoa Salad.
Red and Green Breakfast Salad
Fiber per serving: 8 grams
We know what you're thinking—a salad for breakfast sounds a bit strange. But don't knock it until you've tried it, especially because you can enjoy 8 grams of filling fiber per serving with this meal. You'll also get 23 grams of protein for only 410 calories, so this healthy choice will leave you feeling full and satisfied and will fit into any sort of lower-calorie eating plan.
Get our recipe for Breakfast Salad.
Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Fiber per serving: 13 grams
Making a jar of overnight oats is one of the easiest things you can do for breakfast. All you have to do is wake up the next morning and eat! These oats, made with peanut butter, maple syrup, milk, and chia seeds, serve up 13 grams of fiber per jar and will leave you feeling extra satiated until lunch.
Get our recipe for Peanut Butter Overnight Oats.
Slow Cooker Cuban Tomato and Black Bean Soup
Fiber per serving: 8 grams
If you need a lunch or dinner meal that requires little to no effort, try this Cuban Tomato and Black Bean Soup. It has 8 grams of filling fiber and is made with deliciously satiating ingredients like beans, tomatoes, ham hock, Greek yogurt, and chicken broth. The best part? You can make it in the slow cooker and let it simmer while you go about your day.
Get our recipe for Cuban Tomato and Black Bean Soup.
Turkey Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
Fiber per serving: 19 grams
With 19 grams of fiber, this Turkey Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash is one of the highest-fiber meals on our list. You'll also get 26 grams of filling protein and a boost of healthy fats, making this hash a super healthy, well-balanced meal to try as soon as possible.
Get our recipe for Turkey Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash.
Grain-Free, Plant-Based Breakfast Burrito
Fiber per serving: 12 grams
These fully grain-free and plant-based breakfast burritos are full of fiber, mostly because of the Siete Cassava & Coconut Tortillas (4 grams of fiber per serving) and the LightLife Smart Ground Plant-Based Crumbles (3 grams per serving). Enjoy even more of this filling, gut-healthy nutrient by adding black beans, peppers, and avocado slices.
Get our recipe for Breakfast Burrito.
Grilled Mexican Steak Salad
Fiber per serving: 10 grams
Salads can be an easy fiber boost, and this Grilled Mexican Steak Salad is a great example. With corn tortilla strips, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, and black beans, you'll get about 10 grams of gut-healthy fiber per serving.
Get our recipe for Mexican Steak Salad.
Breakfast Loaded Sweet Potato
Fiber per serving: 8 grams
This isn't your typical baked potato. Pile your baked sweet potato with yogurt, blueberries, and high-fiber granola, and you'll have a gut-healthy dish to eat for breakfast or a sweet side option for dinner.
Get our recipe for Loaded Sweet Potato.
Oatmeal Pancakes
Fiber per serving: 11 grams
Most people don't associate pancakes with fiber, but when you make these Oatmeal Pancakes, which use rolled oats, whole wheat flour, and cinnamon apples, you'll get a boost of about 11 grams of filling fiber. Want even more fiber? Add some chopped almonds or walnuts on top of your maple syrup.
Get our recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes.
Paleo Smoothie with Yogurt and Granola
Fiber per serving: 9 grams
The combination of coconut yogurt, banana, chia seeds, and granola gives this smoothie about 9 grams of fiber per serving. Another plus? This recipe is fully paleo-friendly, so you can enjoy a fiber boost even when following this eating plan.
Get our recipe for Paleo Smoothie.
- Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352252/
- Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3513325/
- Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/should-i-be-eating-more-fiber-2019022115927
- Source: https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/How-much-dietary-fiber-should-I-eat#:~:text=Information&text=Dietary%20fiber%20intake%20is%20recommended,intake%20should%20be%2028%20grams.
- Source: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171705/nutrients