Dietary fiber is often praised for its positive effects on digestion, most notably helping prevent constipation, but it also provides a number of other surprising health benefits, — such as lowering cholesterol and helping control blood sugar. Yet, despite trends such as fibermaxxing and a growing awareness of its importance, up to 95 percent of Americans aren’t meeting their fiber needs.
The fact that fiber comes from plants could be a limiting factor, said Whitney Linsenmeyer, an assistant professor and director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at St. Louis University. Studies show plants are notoriously undereaten, with accessibility — and perhaps more consequentially, cost — being key contributors, she said.
Fresh produce isn’t a prerequisite for adequate fiber consumption, though, said Wendy Lopez, a registered dietitian, diabetes educator and co-founder of Diabetes Digital. Neither is a large monetary investment. In fact, the foods that registered dietitians most frequently encourage their clients to lean on aren’t pricey nut butters, tropical fruits or fresh berries that get the most credit for their fiber content, but rather the unsung heroes of the shelf-stable aisles — as well as a couple of standout, budget produce picks.
Here are the fiber-rich ingredients they recommend to get more of the nutrient while going easy on your budget.
Canned Beans
Approximate cost per gram of fiber: $0.06
Beans offer one of the biggest returns on investment in regard to fiber. The fiber count of these legumes can climb up to almost 16 grams per one-cup serving depending on the variety. Uses for them are practically limitless, with their most famous applications covering everything from soups and stews to dips such as hummus, Lopez said.
There are also many creative ways to sneak them into dishes where they might not normally appear. Lindsay Malone, a registered dietitian and instructor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said some of the easiest, stealthy tricks include adding them to recipes that call for ground meat. “You don’t even have to replace all of your meat but let’s say you’re making tacos: use half meat, half beans,” she said.
Get started with this layered three-bean salad recipe, a mixed bean and greens soup and a cannellini, sage, tomato and sausage dish.
Dried Lentils
Approximate cost per gram of fiber: $0.03
The lentil is another fiber-rich food that’s easy to slip into and boost the fiber count of traditionally meat-based meals without drawing undue attention, Malone said. What’s more, lentils may be easier to digest than most beans, thanks to their thinner skins and lower amounts of fermentable carbohydrates, which may cause bloating and gas in large amounts, Malone said via email.
What’s really special about lentils is just how inexpensive they are. “If you’re buying the dried version versus the canned version, those will be pennies per serving,” Linsenmeyer said. The typical 16-ounce box or bag of lentils carries 13 servings, so it can contribute meaningfully to fiber intake for weeks.
Need some inspiration? Here are 10 lentil recipes to appeal to every palate.
Oat Bran
Approximate cost per gram of fiber: $0.05
Oatmeal is widely considered to be one of the most inexpensive, fiber-rich foods, and while that’s largely true, there’s an important caveat: instant oats, the type a lot of folks are likely to choose for convenience, don’t offer as much as slower-cooking, whole grain varieties, Malone said.
Malone recommends choosing oat bran — the fibrous part of oats, found in the same supermarket aisle — because it retains some of the fiber content that instant oats lose during processing. Its creamy texture makes it the perfect option for hot cereal, and you can combine it with the same toppings you’d use on other kinds of oats, such as berries, seeds and nut butters.
Additionally, you can add oat bran to baked goods, such as these oat bran muffins with walnuts and blueberries and these maple oatmeal muffins, to boost fiber content without drastically altering taste, she said.
Chia Seeds
Approximate cost per gram of fiber: $0.04
Chia seeds require more of an up-front investment than some of the other items on this list — between $5 to $15 per 12- to 16-ounce bag in general — but the fiber offerings per serving are impressive all the same, said Linsenmeyer.
Beyond the cost, Malone is a chia seed advocate because of its versatile taste and texture and how well the ingredient regulates bowel movements. She warns that consuming the seeds with a liquid is important to avoid unintended consequences such as constipation, as they can absorb up to 15 times their weight in water. But because many popular recipes prioritize soaking or blending them — such as chia pudding or smoothies — that doesn’t tend to be too much of an issue.
Try throwing some seeds into a cacao chia pudding, raspberry almond chia pudding parfait or a blueberry, banana and chia smoothie.
Popcorn
Approximate cost per gram of fiber: $0.02
A surefire way to ensure your daily fiber needs are met is to keep fiber-rich snacks on hand to fill in the gaps, Lopez said. Popcorn is a solid choice because it’s low in cost, long-lasting, infinitely customizable and generally a healthy choice, provided you’re limiting intake of microwave options with excess sodium and saturated fats.
Lopez is a fan of the olive oil and herbed offerings at Trader Joe’s, as well as making it from scratch with plain kernels and your seasonings of choice.
Here are five sweet, savory and even spicy popcorn recipes to get you started.
Apples
Approximate cost per gram of fiber: $0.20
When it comes to fresh produce that’s rich in fiber and cheap to boot, apples can’t be beat, Linsenmeyer said. This fruit has both types of fiber — the flesh is soluble and the skin insoluble — and contains roughly five grams of fiber on average.
Plus, the fact that apples are transportable and relatively long-lasting when compared with other fresh fruits makes them an especially good option for high-fiber snacking throughout the day.
Beyond just crunching on one straight from the fridge, here are eight great ways to cook and bake with apples.
Sweet Potatoes
Approximate cost per gram of fiber: $0.08
These bright orange spuds have an extended shelf life and a solid amount of fiber without the high price tag, Malone said. Her tip is to keep the skin on for an added gram or two of the nutrient. Using it as a base for an already fiber-rich dish, such as chili or a lentil-based stew, is a tried-and-true technique for ensuring a lunch or dinner hits that 10-gram-per-meal recommendation.
A few of our favorite recipes to try: skillet sweet potatoes with brown butter and sage, a sweet potato and ground beef chili and this creamy sweet potato and mushroom gratin.
How to start eating more fiber
While fiber is nonnegotiable for regular and consistent bowel movements, adding too much to your diet too quickly can backfire, said Malone. “The analogy that I give my patients is that if the conveyor belt is not moving, putting more boxes on the conveyor belt is not going to help our situation,” she said. She recommends aiming to include 10 grams of fiber in each meal but suggests starting with about half of that if you don’t already have a habit of eating very much.
Another option is to introduce one new fiber-rich food into your dining routine every couple days, Linsenmeyer said. That way, “you’re basically giving your intestines time to adapt to that significantly larger bulk that it’s not used to,” she explained.
However you choose to go about increasing your fiber intake, staying hydrated throughout the process is one point all of our sources could get behind. “We need the conveyor belt to be moving for everything to work, and that requires adequate hydration,” Malone said.
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