When I read medical recommendations on fiber consumption, they hold parents to a low standard, often recommending cereals or spoons of wheat bran. I want to raise the bar, and rather than assume your kids eat only chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and other fiber-less foods, I believe you can incorporate into your household real foods that happen to be fiber-rich.
Why is Fiber Good For You?
Fiber feeds your healthy gut bacteria. Research suggests fiber improves health, perhaps by directly affecting the microbiome or via a downstream effect in reducing inflammation and boosting metabolic, endocrine, immunologic, and cardiovascular health. You can cultivate your microbiome by eating prebiotic-rich foods, like fiber.
Moreover, fiber aids in achieving healthy, bulky bowel movements, a chore for many and often diet related. When choosing foods to aid in constipation problems, however, we are often guided toward fruits, vegetables, fiber supplements, or fiber fortified foods. Like with many isolated super-nutrients, fiber-fortifications may not actually work as well as fiber in its natural state.
When Should I Start Feeding My Child Fiber?
As soon as your baby is ready for solid foods, they can start eating fibrous foods, like avocado and lentils. Avocados are soft, easy to mash, and offer healthy fats. Lentils are high in iron and protein, as well as fiber—all essential for a baby’s developing brain and gut microbiome.
How do I Incorporate Fiber Into a Daily Diet?
While fruits and vegetables contain fiber, they are not nearly as fiber-rich as beans, lentils, and peas. A child who eats half an apple, a banana, five baby carrots, and 4 slices of cucumber in one day will ingest about 7 grams of fiber. Give that child half a cup of cooked lentils, half a cup of peas, and half a cup of chia pudding, and boom—you’re up to 22 grams of fiber. Below, I’ve created a table of foods I recommend for routine consumption. For ease of reference, I’ve included commonly served portions—including raspberries—a notable exception as a high fiber fruit.
How Much Fiber Do I Need? How Much Does My Kid Need?
Adults should consume about 25-35 grams of fiber a day. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends adding 5 (or even 10) to the age of your child for an approximate fiber goal in grams. For example, a 2-year-old should have about 7-12 grams of fiber a day.
Can I Consume Too Much Fiber?
Too much fiber can cause bloating, gas, or even constipation, especially if not consumed with enough water. How do you know if you are drinking enough water? While water recommendations vary from one to five cups a day for children under age five to between three and eleven cups a day for older teens, I usually recommend increasing baseline water intake by a third when increasing fiber intake. Remember to increase fiber intake slowly if your body is not accustomed to fiber-rich foods.
Bottom Line
Fiber is an incredibly important food group that we unfortunately tend to ignore. It feeds your microbiome, communicates with and shapes your immune and organ systems, and helps with healthy bowel movements. You can incorporate fiber into your child’s diet as soon as you start solid foods.
Dr. Angel’s Fiber Resource for Families
| Food | Amount | Fiber (grams) |
| Strawberries | 1/2 cup | 2 g |
| Kiwi (without skin) | 1 medium | 2 g |
| Prunes | 3 | 2 g |
| Whole grain bread (Dave’s Killer Seed) | 1 slice | 2–3 g |
| Flax seeds | 1 tablespoon | 2–3 g |
| Kiwi (with skin) | 1 medium | 3 g |
| Banana | 1 medium | 3 g |
| Oatmeal (rolled, cooked) | 1 cup | 4 g |
| Chia seeds | 1 tablespoon | 4 g |
| Raspberries | 1/2 cup | 4 g |
| Honeycrisp apple (with skin) | 1 medium | 4–4.5 g |
| Oatmeal (steel cut, cooked) | 1 cup | 4–5 g |
| Peas (cooked) | 1 cup | 9 g |
| Avocado | 1 medium | 10 g |
| Garbanzo beans (chickpeas, cooked) | 1 cup | 12–13 g |
| Black beans (cooked) | 1 cup | 15 g |
| Red lentils (cooked) | 1 cup | 15–16 g |
| Brown lentils (cooked) | 1 cup | 15–16 g |
| Black lentils (cooked) | 1 cup | 15–16 g |
| Split peas (cooked) | 1 cup | 16 g |
Thank you for reading my human-generated articles! If you found this helpful or educational, please share, follow on your preferred platform, or subscribe below. For coaching or consultations, please contact me at www.DrAngel.com.
For more perspective on what it takes to have and raise a thriving little human, check out my show, The Unplanned Parent, on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
References:
Williams, C L et al. “A new recommendation for dietary fiber in childhood.” Pediatrics vol. 96,5 Pt 2 (1995): 985-8.
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/healthy-eating/fiber-helps-diabetes.html
https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/files/page-files/Total_Dietary_Fiber.pdf
