10 Best High-Fiber Snack Bars, According to a Dietitian

Fiber is an essential nutrient for your overall health and well-being. Not only is it important for your GI tract and gut microbiome, but fiber can also help you maintain a healthy weight, lower harmful LDL cholesterol levels, stabilize blood sugar levels, and may add years to your life.

So, how much fiber do you need? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you eat. If you eat 2,500 calories a day, your fiber intake should be 35 grams. According to the guidelines, 90 percent of women and 97 percent of men don't meet the recommended fiber intake. Most adults only get about 14 grams of fiber per day.

While whole grains, seeds, fruits, and veggies are always the best sources of fiber to include in your diet, sometimes you'll want an on-the-go source. High-fiber snack bars are a convenient way to help ensure you get the daily fiber you need. Many traditional snack foods like chips, cookies, and candy don't have any significant amounts of dietary fiber. What's more, protein bars also lack fiber. Finding snack bars that provide both fiber and other healthful ingredients is challenging.

How we chose the best high-fiber snack bars:

Here are the criteria we used for selecting the healthiest high-fiber snack bars:

• High in fiber (obviously!). For our purposes, 'high fiber' means at least 4 grams of fiber.
• Moderate in calories. These bars are up to 250 calories, a calorie count that can be enjoyed as a snack without weighing you down.
• Lower in sugar. Many snack bars contain added sugars. Your best bet is to limit total sugar to no more than 12 grams, which equals 4 teaspoons.
• Made with natural ingredients. The best bars are also made with more natural ingredients, such as whole grains, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds.

NuGo Fiber d'Lish Chocolate Brownie Bar

These impressive snack bars are made with natural oats and other whole grains, including wheat bran, kamut, psyllium, flax, millet, and plums, to provide a whopping 12 grams of fiber, or about half of the fiber most adults need in a day. The fiber provides an ideal blend of soluble and insoluble fiber for the most health benefits, from lowering cholesterol to improving your microbiome. NuGo bars are also low in saturated fat, and the calorie count is well within the recommended limit of 250 calories per snack bar. As a bonus, NuGo bars are non-GMO certified.

 The 16 Healthiest Low-Sugar Protein Bars, According to Dietitians

Aloha Lemon Cashew Bar

Aloha bars are USDA organic, dairy-free, and soy-free, and they keep sugar counts low and fiber and protein high. This bar packs in 9 grams of fiber from tapioca fiber and cashews. It also has 14 grams of plant-based protein.

 10 Best Protein Powders For Weight Loss, According To a Dietitian

Quest Dipped Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar

Quest bars are a great source of fiber and protein to add to your diet, and they keep added sugar and total carbs low. This energy bar has just 1 gram of sugar and 3 grams of net carbs. The fiber in this bar comes primarily from prebiotic fiber. The protein is milk protein isolate and whey protein isolate. Quest bars are sweetened with zero-calorie sweeteners, like stevia and sucralose, to keep sugar intake low.

RELATED: 10 Healthiest Plant-Based Protein Bars—and 3 to Avoid6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

KIND Zero Caramel Almond and Sea Salt Bar

Almonds are the first (read: primary) ingredient in this KIND bar, and almonds, coupled with tapioca and chicory root fiber, make this bar a great option to get more fiber into your diet. Sugar is kept to a minimum, and the bar is also low in saturated fat despite having 13 grams of total fat.

 10 Best High-Fiber Cereals for Weight Loss, According to Dietitians

Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chewy Bar

Fiber One is the OG of high-fiber snack bars. This bar has higher sugar than I'd typically recommend, but with 9 grams of fiber in a 140-calorie bar, this bar provides about one-third of the fiber you need daily. The first two ingredients are chicory root extract and whole-grain oats, both of which contribute to the high fiber count of these bars.

 I Tried 11 Popular Protein Bars & There Are Only 3 I'll Be Buying Again

IQ Bar Peanut Butter Chip Bar

These bars are made with peanuts, almonds, and prebiotic fiber, providing 10 grams of filling fiber per bar. Thanks to the pea protein, the protein counts are also high. The bars are sweetened with stevia to keep sugar to a minimal level.

 Here's Exactly How I Eat Over 100 Grams of Protein Every Day

Supergut Chocolate Brownie Bar

This bar is marketed as a natural GLP-1 agonist due to its fiber content. The first ingredient is resistant starch fiber, which is known to be one of the most filling types of fiber you can eat. It also provides a lot of protein, which can help increase feelings of fullness. Thanks to its lower calorie and sugar counts, this is a great bar to help keep your GI tract in check and help you lose and maintain a healthy weight. It is also GMO-free and keto-friendly.

 The 9 Healthiest Energy Bars, According to Dietitians

RxBar Blueberry Bar

The Blueberry RxBar has one of the highest fiber counts, so it meets our criteria. It weighs in with 16 grams of sugar, but that sugar is from natural, wholesome ingredients, including dates and berries. The bar contains no added sugar. What's more, this bar is made with only a few natural ingredients, making it one of the most 'natural' bars you can find.

 12 Best High-Protein, High-Fiber Foods You Can Eat

BelVita Soft Baked Oats & Chocolate Breakfast Biscuits

BelVita breakfast biscuits are a great option for a between-meal snack due to the four grams of fiber from whole grain oats, buckwheat, rye, and whole wheat. These bars meet our minimum fiber recommendation for a high-fiber snack bar and fall within our sugar guidelines. But with just 3 grams of protein per serving, you might want to enjoy these with some nonfat Greek yogurt or another protein-rich option if you want to stay fuller longer.

 10 Unhealthiest Protein Bars To Avoid

Dave's Killer Bread Cocoa Brownie Blitz Bar

These snack bars are made with a variety of whole grains, such as whole wheat, oat bran, and oats, as well as flax and chia seeds to increase fiber. They are also certified organic and have moderate sugar counts.