95% Of People Need To Eat More Of This Critical Carb—How To Fill Your Plate
Yes, we're saying to eat more of these carbs
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Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.
Image by Lisa Vlasenko / istock January 29, 2025 Carbs still have a negative connotation. They get blamed for spiking blood sugar levels and causing weight gain. While eating heaps of low-quality carbs like pastries, pasta, or loaves of white bread can certainly have negative health effects, high-quality, complex carbs that are rich in fiber are crucial. It’s these carbs that are critically under-consumed—leading to 95% of all Americans falling short of their fiber needs (which range from 25 to 38 grams1 a day). Benefits of eating more fiber
Fiber is a unique complex carbohydrate found exclusively in plants—including grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds). It’s not digestible by the human body (so it doesn’t contribute calories to food or elicit a blood sugar response).
However, fiber does play an essential role in keeping your bathroom schedule regular (by adding bulk to the stool), promoting satiety, lowering cholesterol, and supporting the gut microbiome.*
Some fibers even have prebiotic properties, meaning good bacteria in the gut can feed on and ferment the fiber and create gut-healthy metabolites known as short-chain fatty acids.*
Overall, folks who eat high-fiber2 diets have better heart health, metabolic, gut, and immune health.
How to actually eat more fiber
Incorporating more fibrous foods (here’s a list of the 25 highest fiber foods) into your daily diet
Consistently incorporating high-fiber foods (like these 25 options) into your daily diet is a great place to start. However, even if you eat a lot of plants, it can still be challenging to hit the recommended 25-38 grams of fiber a day.
So here are a few specific (and tasty) hacks to make a significant dent in your fiber goals.
Make a dense bean salad for meal prep
Dense bean salads have picked up a lot of social media traction lately—and for good reason. They're easy to make, keep well in the fridge, and back in a lot of protein, fiber, and veggies.
These salads are truly just a mixture of one or more bean varieties, chopped veggies (like onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers), herbs, and a dressing.
Beans are one of the most fibrous foods out there. One cup of black beans provides 15 grams of fiber, and one cup of cannellini beans provides 13 grams.
These salads make a great base for lunch or dinner (just top with some chicken or fish for more protein) or a midday snack.
Have an avocado a day
Avocados are a surprisingly good source of fiber. One medium avocado offers 13.53 grams of fiber (!!).
There are also other benefits to eating a whole avocado a day. Research shows that it can improve the quality of your overall diet, lower cholesterol levels, support weight management, and promote gut health.
If that seems like a lot of avocado to you, consider breaking it up across two different meals in a day (have half on some avocado toast for breakfast and the other half for tacos at dinner). Or even having half an avocado a day still provides 6-7 grams of fiber, which is still a meaningful amount.
Start a fiber supplement
Fiber supplements are a convenient way to boost your fiber intake. Many come in powders, which can easily be mixed in water or added to foods you’re already eating.
And if you do supplement, it’s always best to look for one that provides prebiotic fibers. Only certain fibrous foods act as prebiotics and feed the good bacteria in your gut (and also have properties that help manage cholesterol levels).*
mindbodygreen’s organic fiber+ with prebiotic support is a great option. Each scoop of this powder provides 6 grams of fiber from organic guar beans, green kiwifruit, and a trio of mushrooms.* (It’s also completely flavorless and mixes easily in hot or cold liquids.)
Make dishes with lentil pasta
If you enjoy a pasta salad for lunch or if noodles are your carb of choice for dinner, then reach for a lentil pasta.
For example, 2 ounces of red lentil pasta4 (about a heaping cup of cooked noodles) offers 6 grams of fiber—quite a jump from the 2 grams of fiber from the same amount of white pasta5.
Lentil pastas also typically just include one ingredient (red lentil flour) and are a safe choice for those following a gluten-free diet.
Make a berry chia pudding for breakfast
Despite their small size, chia seeds and berries pack an impressive amount of fiber despite their small size.
mindbodygreen's executive editor Hannah Margaret Allen combined these two stellar ingredients in this indulgently healthy chia pudding that packs over 20 grams of fiber (which keeps her full for at least five hours).
The takeaway
Fiber-rich carbs are severely lacking in many people’s diets. So it’s time to replace those low-quality, sugary carbs with tasty fibrous alternatives and a prebiotic supplement.
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.