High-Fibre Foods: Tips and Tricks to Eat More Fibre

Guest post written by Nia Hawrysh, Dietetics Student from the University of Ottawa and edited by Jennifer Neale, RD

Welcome back to our 3-part mini series about fibre. 

Part 1: How Much Fibre Do You Need? Benefits, Types & Daily Recommended Intake

If you missed Part 1, where we talk about what fibre is and how much you need daily, check out the first post in our fibre mini-series here.

In Part 2 of this blog series, we're going to be chatting about how to increase your fibre intake through high-fibre foods and tips and tricks to avoid digestive discomfort as you increase your fibre intake.

An easy way to get more fibre - eat more plants. All plants contain dietary fibre. This means that fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes all provide you with fibre. Even certain mushrooms provide fibre. Every plant will offer a mix of soluble and insoluble fibre.

Quick Tips to Increase Your Fibre Intake:

Tip 1: Eat the skin of your fruits and vegetables

Did you know that the skins of fruits and vegetables provide a lot of fibre? Eating the skin on 1 medium potato adds about 2g of fibre and saves you the time and effort of peeling it! Avoid peeling skin off apples, potatoes, pears and more. Just be sure to wash the skins well.

Tip 2: Top foods with nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are great sources of fibre. Some easy ways to include more of these in your diet are:

• Adding chia seeds and pumpkin seeds to yogurt

• Adding flax seeds to smoothies or mixing them in with homemade muffins

• Adding slivered almonds to oatmeal for some crunch

Tip 3: Don’t shy away from beans and legumes

Beans and legumes can pack a lot of fibre into a small serving size. Here are some easy ideas for adding lentils and beans to your day:

• Adding cooked lentils or black beans to ground beef for tacos and quesadillas (In addition to adding fibre, this is also a great way to save money and stretch your meat a little further)

• Adding split peas or lentils to veggie soups or pasta sauces

• Adding white beans to our salads

• Snacking on roasted chickpeas

Remember that you don’t need to meet all of your fibre needs in one meal or snack. It’s important to look at our intake over all 3 meals. If we aim for 8-10g of fibre in each meal, we will have no difficulty reaching our DRI’s. Want to see what a high-fibre day of eating could look like? Enter your email below to get your free copy of my Sample High-Fibre Meal Plan.

Tips for Increasing Fibre Without Digestive Discomfort

If you’re motivated to start increasing your fibre intake, here are some tips to help you get started in a way that won’t cause stomach issues:

• Start slow: Gradually increase your fibre intake, especially if your diet was lower in fibre to begin with. Going from a low fibre intake to a very high fibre intake quickly can cause bloating, stomach discomfort, and possibly even constipation or diarrhea. 

• Drink enough water: Water and fibre work hand in hand. Fibre may cause gas, cramps, and bloating if you do not drink enough fluids. 

• Stay consistent: Aim to get adequate fibre intake every day. Avoid going from very low fibre days to very high fibre days, or your digestive system won’t be able to keep up.

Key Takeaways About Fibre

Fibre is currently trending, and it's for good reason. It supports digestive health, helps regulate blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, and is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and overall mortality. Even though fibre won't directly “burn fat,” it can help regulate appetite and keep you feeling full and satisfied after meals, which may reduce how often you’re reaching for snacks late at night.

Increasing fibre by eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds is the most effective way to reach our daily needs.

Both soluble and insoluble fibre play important roles, but there is no need to track specific ratios. Eating a variety of foods is key to ensuring that you will get enough of each type.

Be sure to increase fibre gradually and drink adequate fluids to minimize discomfort.

Part 3: Do You Need a Fibre Supplement? What Actually Works

Considering adding a fibre supplement to your day? Let’s break down whether you actually need them in the last part of our 3-part mini series about fibre. Click here to read Part 3.

References

1. Bulsiewicz, W. J. (2023). The Importance of Dietary Fiber for Metabolic Health. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 17(5), 639–648. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276231167778
2. Burton-Freeman, B., Liyanage, D., Rahman, S., & Edirisinghe, I. (2017). Ratios of soluble and insoluble dietary fibers on satiety and energy intake in overweight pre- and postmenopausal women1. Nutrition and Healthy Aging, 4(2), 157–168. https://doi.org/10.3233/NHA-160018
3. Canada, H. (2012, January 12). Fibre [Education and awareness]. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/nutrients/fibre.html
4. Canadian Nutrient File (CNF)—Search by food. (n.d.). https://food-nutrition.canada.ca/cnf-fce/
5. CDC. (2024, October 8). Fiber: The Carb That Helps You Manage Diabetes. Diabetes. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/healthy-eating/fiber-helps-diabetes.html
6. Daley, S. F., & Shreenath, A. P. (2026). The Role of Dietary Fiber in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: A Practical Guide for Clinicians. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559033/
7. Alberta Health Services, Nutrition Services. (2025). Eat More Soluble Fibre.
8. Forde, C. G. (2018). From perception to ingestion; the role of sensory properties in energy selection, eating behaviour and food intake. Food Quality and Preference, 66, 171–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2018.01.010
9. Hervik, A. K., & Svihus, B. (2019). The Role of Fiber in Energy Balance. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2019, 4983657. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/4983657
10. Ioniță-Mîndrican, C.-B., Ziani, K., Mititelu, M., Oprea, E., Neacșu, S. M., Moroșan, E., Dumitrescu, D.-E., Roșca, A. C., Drăgănescu, D., & Negrei, C. (2022). Therapeutic Benefits and Dietary Restrictions of Fiber Intake: A State of the Art Review. Nutrients, 14(13), 2641. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14132641
11. Lemons, J. M. S. (2024). Too Much of a Good Thing: Imposing an Upper Limit to a High Fiber Diet. Gastroenterology, 166(2), 250–251. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2023.11.290
12. McRorie, J. W. (2015). Evidence-Based Approach to Fiber Supplements and Clinically Meaningful Health Benefits, Part 1. Nutrition Today, 50(2), 82–89. https://doi.org/10.1097/NT.0000000000000082
13. McRorie, J. W. (2015). Evidence-Based Approach to Fiber Supplements and Clinically Meaningful Health Benefits, Part 2. Nutrition Today, 50(2), 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1097/NT.0000000000000089
14. USDA FoodData Central. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2026, from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
15. Van der Schoot, A., Drysdale, C., Whelan, K., & Dimidi, E. (2022). The Effect of Fiber Supplementation on Chronic Constipation in Adults: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 116(4), 953–969. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqac184

Also in Nutrition News