What does 30g of fiber actually look like?

After my last post about why fiber is so important — for digestion, blood sugar, cholesterol, hormones, and overall longevity — a few of you were wondering:

“Okay… but what does 30 grams of fiber actually look like in a day?”

Because “eat more fiber” sounds nice in theory, but in practice it can feel vague and confusing.

The good news is that you don’t need weird supplements, cardboard-tasting cereal, or giant bowls of beans at every meal.

For most of us, hitting ~ 30g per day is simply about:

• adding plants to every meal
• choosing whole foods over refined when you can
• and layering fiber throughout the day instead of cramming it all in at dinner

Similar to protein, you want to add fiber to all your meals and snacks rather than trying to pack it all into one meal.

So what does that look like? 

(Related: How much protein you actually need, 6 easy ways to get 30g of protein)

First — what is 30g of fiber, really?

Getting enough fiber is easier than you think if you try to include fiber-rich foods in all of your meals and snacks most of the time. A general rule of thumb is to aim for at least 10g of fiber per meal + a few grams from snacks and you’ll land right around 30-40g without without tracking or overthinking.

You can hit 30g with totally normal, everyday foods like:

• oats
• berries
• beans or lentils
• veggies
• nuts/seeds
• whole grains
• fruit

So that you can better understand what that looks like, below is a chart to give you an idea of how much fiber is in a serving of various foods:

Meal and snack examples

Below is a sample of what a day might look like to hit your fiber goals:

Breakfast

Oats with chia + berries + Greek yogurt (or throw it all in a smoothie)

• 1/2 cup rolled oats → 4g
• 1 tbsp chia seeds → 5g
• 1/4 cup raspberries → 2g
• = 11g fiber

Mid-morning snack

Apple + handful almonds

• apple → 4g
• almonds → 3g
• = 7g fiber

Lunch

Avocado toast with a side of roasted veggies (+ protein of choice)

• 1 slice whole grain bread → 3g
• ½ avocado → 5g
• 1 cup cooked veggies → ~ 4g
• = 12g fiber

Dinner

Chipotle Chili → 10g fiber/serving

→ All-in you’re at 40g of fiber for the day!

My favorite “easy wins” for adding fiber

Instead of calculating fiber amounts, just make these tiny upgrades that make a big difference:

Breakfast

• Add chia or ground flax to oats/smoothies (+4–5g)
• Choose berries over banana (+ way more fiber)
• Use oats instead of refined cereal
• Quickly steam or sautee veggies with eggs – I like to always have some cooked veggies in the fridge that I can quickly warm up in a skillet and add to anything!
• Add avocado to your savory breakfasts

Lunch & dinner

• Add ¼ cup/serving beans or lentils to soups, bowls, salads
• Leave skins on potatoes/sweet potatoes
• Double your veggies (roast an extra tray while you’re already cooking)
• Make my go-to rice/quinoa combo – I love white rice and it’s a staple of my diet. To sneak in some fiber, I’ll do a half and half quinoa and rice mixture (instructions here).
• Add avocado to bowls

Snacks

• Apples and pears with some nuts
• Hummus + carrots
• Nuts/seeds
• Hearty muffins (like these Sneaky Chocolate Raspberry Muffins)

A gentle note (so your stomach stays happy)

If you’re currently eating ~10–15g/day and suddenly jump to 35g… your gut will let you know!

Instead:

• increase slowly over 1–2 weeks
• drink plenty of water
• spread fiber across meals

Fiber works best when it’s paired with hydration.

A simple mindset shift

Instead of counting grams all day, try asking: “Where can I add one more plant?”

• greens with eggs
• beans in soup
• berries on yogurt
• veggies with dinner

Those tiny additions add up fast.

The big picture

Fiber doesn’t have to mean restriction or perfection.

It’s really just:

• more plants
• more variety
• more whole foods

Which also happens to make meals more colorful, satisfying, and nourishing.

Very on brand for us around here!

If you aim for 30g most days, you’re doing great. Not every day has to be perfect — it’s the weekly average that matters.