Make nutrition count more and calories count less by designing a diet that focuses on protein & fiber first. (Not sure how much protein you actually need? Check out this guide.) The daily recommended fiber is 25 grams (g) a day (or, 14g for every 1000 cal, if you like extra math. That’s just the minimum, there’s no harm in getting more). According to data the USDA collects, the average American gets 10-15g of fiber a day - less than half of the minimum recommended value.

We all know to “eat our veggies” but how much do we actually need to eat to get our 25 grams? Here are some resources to help get to 25g of fiber/day (click here for downloadable PDFs).

How to use the guide: An easy way to design your diet is to make a list of the foods you like eating & can easily incorporate into your day. Then add snacks until you get to 25g. You can do this to plan different meals each day, or to build a checklist of things you’ll eat commonly. The checklist can have enough snacks/foods that you know if you eat 7 out of the 10 or 12 of your “fav foods” on it, you’ll hit 25g. This is a great time-saver for people who don’t want to keep a food log every day.

Examples of “designer diets” that get you to 25g of fiber in a day: These are some example meals, only the fiber is listed. Obviously, when you think about your diet as a whole, you also want to consider protein and have simple carbs in proportion to your training goals/how much you’re moving. Want help designing the rest of your diet? Schedule a consult.

Example 1 (29g total fiber): Breakfast is Kashi Go cereal (7g). Lunch includes a sandwich using multi-grain bread (3g) and an avocado (15g) plus whatever else you want on a sandwich - maybe eggs (protein) with kale (vitamins/minerals). Mid-afternoon snack is an apple (4g) with cheese. Dinner includes a serving of lentils (7g) as a side, a warm addition to a soup or salad, or on top of your protein of choice. I like making a batch of something like spicy chicken in the crockpot so I can add the chicken (protein) to a pile of lettuce (vitamins/minerals) with cheese (more protein, fat to feel full), and some lentils for a filling salad.

Example 2 (26g total fiber): Breakfast is whole rolled oatmeal (4g) with sliced almonds (3g) and some raw honey and cinnamon (flavor). Lunch includes plain (or low sugar) Greek yogurt (protein) with mixed berries (4g) and 1 tbsp chia seeds (4.5g). Mid-afternoon snack can be a banana (3g) with dark chocolate (70% or higher; 3g). Dinner includes butternut squash (4.5g) maybe paired with some salmon (protein) or crispy tofu (also protein) and arugula (vitamins/minerals).

Example 3 (26g total fiber): Breakfast is shredded wheat (8g) with raspberries (8g). Lunch includes multigrain bread. (3g) - maybe for grilled cheese (protein) with arugula (vitamins/minerals). Mid-afternoon snack is a mango (3g) and dinner includes a sweet potato (4g). Maybe the sweet potato replaces the bun for a burger (protein) or grilled portobello mushroom (vitamins/minerals).

Find this useful? Let me know - and if you’re on IG, tag @ask.a.biochemist and show me your snacks!