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Diabetes Q&A

Fiber Up for Diabetes

Reviewed and updated by Anne Danahy, MS, RDN, LDN

The American Diabetes Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommend that individuals with diabetes eat a balanced diet that includes high fiber, complex carbohydrate foods. Not only does fiber help control blood glucose, but it also helps reduce cardiovascular disease risk by improving insulin and cholesterol levels.

Fiber dietary guidelines

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating 14 g of fiber for every 1000 calories consumed, or about 21 to 25 g/day for women and 30 to 38 g/day for men. However, researchers who looked at studies done during the previous 25 years on diabetes and cardiovascular disease recommend that people eat 25 to 50 g of fiber/day.2 Because most Americans eat only half the recommended amount of fiber, aiming for at least 25 g/day is a step in the right direction. For those starting out with low-fiber diets, meeting the dietary guidelines amount is recommended as an initial goal. Make sure that you include high-fiber foods as part of your carbohydrate allotment in your eating pattern.

Studies have shown that soluble fiber (at least 6 g/day) is particularly important for improving blood glucose control. Oats, beans, barley, and many fruits and vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber. However, eating a wide variety of high-fiber foods—whole grains, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables—will help ensure that you get an adequate supply of all types of fiber.

Increasing fiber in your diet

The following tips can help you increase the fiber in your diet.

Whole grains 

Eat at least 3 ounce equivalents of whole grains/day. Substitute whole-grain products (i.e., 100% whole wheat bread, bran cereal, brown rice, and whole grain pasta) for refined grains whenever possible.

Fruits and vegetables

Consume more fruits and vegetables—at least 2 C of fruit and 2½ C of vegetables each day. Choose whole (fresh, frozen, or dried) vegetables and fruits over juices, which have most of the fiber removed.

Legumes

Serve legumes (ie, dried beans and peas) with your meals regularly. Increase your intake of these foods gradually to limit the gaseous side effects.

Nuts and seeds

Include nuts and seeds several times/week. They contain monounsaturated fats and can help control blood cholesterol levels.

Fiber intake

Increase the amount of fiber in your diet gradually, using a variety of food sources. Try to include one fiber-rich food at every meal.

Water

Drink plenty of water to enhance the effectiveness of fiber and to prevent constipation.

Sneaking fiber into your diet

These suggestions may help you add more fiber into your diet.

Breakfast

Start every day with a bowl of high-fiber cold cereal, oat bran, or oatmeal. Liven up high-fiber cereal with fresh fruit, such as bananas or berries, or with dried fruits, such as raisins, cranberries, or apricots.

Flour

Substitute whole-wheat flour, spelt flour, or oat bran for at least one third of the all-purpose flour in recipes for baked goods.

Coating

Coat chicken or fish with crushed bran cereal before baking.

Vegetables

Serve entrées such as steak, chicken, or fish on a “bed” of grilled zucchini and peppers, sautéed spinach or kale, sautéed onions and mushrooms, or grated carrots and slivered beets. Add frozen vegetables to soups, sauces, casseroles, or pasta dishes.

Pizza

Order or make your own pizza with a whole-wheat crust and vegetable toppings, such as spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, roasted red peppers, and/or green peppers.

Snacks

Snack on oat-bran pretzels, whole-wheat crackers, air-popped popcorn, dry-roasted nuts or seeds, whole-grain cereal, fresh or dried fruit, baked tortilla chips dipped in fresh salsa, or raw vegetables dipped in hummus. Make sure to include these snacks as part of your carbohydrate intake for the day.

Whole grains

Try different types of whole grains for variety, such as barley, kasha, bulgur, quinoa, wild rice, and couscous, and different pastas and rice, such as whole wheat, brown rice, or quinoa pastas.

Higher fiber foods

Choose foods with higher fiber, such as:

  • Bean soup over cream of broccoli soup
  • Oat bran over instant Cream of Wheat®
  • A whole-wheat bagel over a croissant or a white bagel
  • A baked potato or sweet potato (with skin) over French fries or mashed potatoes

References and recommended readings

  1. American Diabetes Association. 4. Lifestyle management: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2018. Diabetes Care 2018;41(Suppl. 1):S38–S50
  2. Anderson JW, Randles KM, Kendall CW, Jenkins DJ. Carbohydrate and fiber recommendations for individuals with diabetes: a quantitative assessment and meta-analysis of the evidence. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004;23:5-17.
  3. Dahl WJ, Stewart ML. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: health implications of dietary fiber. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2015 Nov 1;115(11):1861-70.
  4. Kowalczyk K, Wall-Bassett E. Evidence Analysis Review of the Beneficial Effects of Dietary Fiber in Adults with Diabetes. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016 Sep 1;116(9):A79.
  5. Russell WR, Baka A, Björck I, Delzenne N, Gao D, Griffiths HR, Hadjilucas E, Juvonen K, Lahtinen S, Lansink M, Loon LV. Impact of diet composition on blood glucose regulation. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. 2016 Mar 11;56(4):541-90.
  6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. Available at https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/.

Page last reviewed/updated: June 4, 2018.