33 Vegetables High in Fiber

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BSc (Hons) MSc DipION
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Dr. Patricia Shelton
Evidence Based. References sourced from PubMed.
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33 Vegetables High in Fiber

Vegetables are arguably the healthiest of all the food groups and are a great source of fiber.

Eating more fiber significantly decreases the risk of heart disease, colon cancer, and other serious medical conditions. (1) At the same time, a high fiber diet supports gut health.

Unfortunately, research has shown that only about 5% of the US population is currently meeting recommended targets for fiber intake. (2)

Vegetables high in fiber include lima beans, acorn squash, green peas, collard greens, artichokes, parsnips, broccoli, carrots, spinach, and more. The current daily value (DV) for fiber is 28 grams. (3)

Below is a list of 33 vegetables high in fiber. For more, see the article on high fiber foods and also the list of 200 fiber rich vegetables.

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How much fiber do you need each day?

The daily value (DV) for fiber is 28 grams per day. (3) This is the amount shown on food labels to help the average person compare the health benefits of different foods. However, for many people, this amount is actually too low.

The adequate intake (AI) is a more accurate daily target, and varies by age and gender. The AI for fiber is up to 38 grams per day. (4) We've included the specific values below for various groups below, so you can determine what your personal target should be.

In the US, the average person consumes far less than the DV for fiber, let alone the AI for their demographic group.

The Percent Daily Value (%DV) is shown on food labels to help the "average" consumer compare foods, while the adequate intake (AI) is meant to give people a more accurate daily target by age and gender. In this case, the daily value for fiber is probably set too low and should be revised higher by the FDA.

Here is the breakout of the adequate intake by age and gender for fiber: (4)

Life StageRDA
Children
1-3 years old19g
4-8 years old25g
Males
9-13 years old31g
14-50 years old38g
50+ years old30g
Females
9-18 years old26g
19-50 years old25g
50+ years old21g
Pregnancy
14-50 years old29g
Lactation
14-50 years old29g
Extensive research has been done to determine how much fiber is needed to provide protection against cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and other serious health concerns. This research shows that men need more fiber than women in order to get the maximum health benefits, which is why the AI targets are higher for men. (4)

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. Thomas M. Barber, Stefan Kabisch, Andreas F. H. Pfeiffer and Martin O. Weickert The Health Benefits of Dietary Fibre Nutrients. 2020 Oct; 12(10): 3209.
  2. Diane Quagliani, MBA, RDN, LDN and Patricia Felt-Gunderson, MS, RDN, LDN Closing America’s Fiber Intake Gap Am J Lifestyle Med. 2017 Jan-Feb; 11(1): 80–85. Published online 2016 Jul 7. doi: 10.1177/1559827615588079
  3. FDA on Daily Values
  4. Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes
  5. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
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