Top High Fiber Foods For Kids That You Must Feed Them

Fiber is an important nutrient for the digestive system, yet these days it is not being included in a child’s diet in the way it should be.

Kids love to eat all kinds of foods but not always the foods which are beneficial to them. High fiber foods should always be provided to help keep your kids healthy.

So you might be wondering, what is the importance of fiber in a child’s diet? Fiber can help lower the blood cholesterol levels, prevent diabetes, and help food move through your digestive system protecting against constipation and promoting bowel movement at a healthy pace. There are generally two types of fibers, soluble fiber, and insoluble fiber.

Soluble fiber is responsible for helping lower cholesterol levels in your and your little one’s body. Insoluble fiber is responsible for regulating bowel movements as it bulks up the stool.

Foods that have 0.10 oz (3 g) per serving of fiber will help to keep your kids and toddlers full which in turn makes them consume less fatty foods and sugar. After reading about the essential aspects of high-fiber foods for babies, do check how to hold a pencil and how to use color pencils? here on Kidadl.

List Of High Fiber Foods For Kids

There is a range of high fiber foods for kids which will keep them healthy. Here is a list of foods with enough fiber content to help keep your kids and toddlers in good shape.

Oats – Oats are one of those high fiber foods for kids which can be incorporated into a child’s diet in many ways. You can put oats in your kid’s granola bars, cookies, and smoothies.

A bowl of oats with fruits or maple syrup is a good alternative meal for kids and toddlers who do not like to eat their veggies.

Strawberries/ Raspberries – When it comes to high-fiber food for kids, nothing is tastier than your classic berries, such as raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Not only are berries healthy, but they are also a great way to make your children consume more fiber, especially if they are fussy with their vegetables.

There are multiple recipes to go with berries, such as breakfast tacos, homemade jams, and blueberry muffins, all of these recipes are tasty and healthy at the same time.

Apples – When the skin of the apple is left, they prove to be a rich source of fiber for kids. Apples with the skin left on are high fiber foods, and fruits like this help keep your kids healthy.

There are a lot of ways to make this fruit more appealing for your kids such as adding peanut butter or yogurt to the apple for your kid’s breakfast or dinner.

Both peanut butter and yogurt add to the taste of apple when dipped, and lots of children love this combination. There are multiple other recipes that you can try for your child’s breakfast and dinner, which include raspberries and other berries.

Peas & Beans – Peas and beans are high-fiber foods that have other rich nutrients in them as well. There are a lot of ways to include this rich fiber mix in your kid’s diet; these can include a mix of black peas and beans in your everyday taco and pasta recipe.

Why not try a bean-based pasta made with lentil flour or chickpea flour? Rich in fiber and protein this makes for a highly nutritious and fiber rich dinner.

Black beans are super healthy for your kid’s everyday breakfast. Recipes such as pea mint and salad with cheese can be really tasty for your kid.

High Fiber Cereal – Cereals are a staple breakfast item that are high in fiber food and can deliver anywhere between 0.14-0.49 (4 – 14 g) of fiber per serving. Whole grain wheat shredded has 0.17 oz (5 g) of fiber per serving.

Cereal is an easy-go-to breakfast option for your kids, and the nutrient benefits of cereals cannot be ignored.

Carrots – Carrots are fresh and high-fiber foods that are generally loved by kids more than other veggies. You can offer your children rainbow carrots dipped in ranch, yogurt, and other types of sauces.

Shredding carrots and adding them to tomato sauce is a great way to sneak these fiber rich foods into your childrens diet. Baked goods such as carrot cake and carrot muffins are also a great source of fiber for your little one.

Dried Plums – These fruits are also known as prunes. A one-fourth bowl of prunes offers more than 0.10 oz (3 g) of fiber for your body. They can look like candy and are known to be very moist from the inside and would be ideal for adding to your daily breakfast.

Popcorn – Technically, popcorns are whole grains. One cup of this whole-grain snack will provide about 1 gram of fiber. You can also mix this whole grain snack with nuts to increase your fiber intake.

Almonds – Nuts like almonds that have their skin on are high fiber foods for kids. Serve your kids with nuts in order to increase their fiber intake.

You can try adding yogurt to the nut mix to make your kid a perfect snack if they tend to avoid veggies or other fiber foods. Serving carrots, bread, and brown rice alongside these nuts is a kid-friendly meal.

Benefits Of Fiber In The Diet

The inclusion of high fiber food in your kid's diet is very important. Medical advice suggests that kids need more than 0.88 oz (25 g) of fiber every day. There are multiple benefits of high fiber foods, such as;

Cholesterol levels – Soluble fiber, which can be found in foods such as carrots, beans, peas, whole grains, and types of fruit, can help lower the levels of cholesterol in your child’s body; it works towards lowering the bad cholesterol levels. High-fiber diets can also reduce the risk of heart diseases and inflammation.

Healthy Weight – Serving your children with fiber-rich food such as green vegetables, bread, beans, fruit like apples, and berries can work towards maintaining a child's weight. Fiber-rich food keeps your stomach full, and they take longer to eat, keeping you full throughout the day.

Normalizing Bowel Movements – Having fiber-rich food increases the weight of the stool, which in turn decreases the chance of your kid having constipation. High fiber foods such as bananas can also help with an upset stomach.

Lack Of Fiber In Kids

High fiber foods for babies and kids are really important to maintain their health. If they start having less fiber-rich foods in their diet, it can lead to multiple problems.

The lack of fiber in kids can lead to things such as constipation. If your child has less than three bowel movements in a week, it is a clear sign of lack of fiber in the child’s diet.

Intake of fiber in toddlers is important to prevent constipation. Constipation stems from a lack of fiber, and boosting your child’s fiber intake by making them eat fiber-rich food will help them avoid constipation.

If your child is constipated, try to make them eat whole grains such as oatmeal, white bread, and pasta.

These whole grains are an amazing source of fiber and will help to ensure regular bowel movements. Your child will start seeing an unusual weight gain if they lack fiber in their diet as they will not feel full even after having their meal.

The solution to this is making your kids eat at least 0.88 oz (25 g) of fiber on a daily basis through fruits, whole grains, and vegetables. Berries in the form of a snack can be served as fiber foods for picky toddlers.

If your child’s breakfast and dinner include low carbohydrate and high protein foods, such as one rich in meat, cheese, and eggs, this may lead to a rise in cholesterol levels and can also leave your child feeling weak and nauseated.

It is suggested to increase dietary fiber with whole grain foods such as brown rice, vegetables, and fruits. Cutting out fatty foods can also help maintain a healthy diet.

How to make your kids eat more fiber?

A pediatric high-fiber diet will help your child’s health thrive, but children do not always enjoy high-fiber foods such as vegetables and whole grains. There are many ways to include them in your child’s diet.

Always keep high-fiber snacks in your homes, such as carrot sticks, fresh fruit, popcorn, and dried fruit, and serve these when your child gets hungry after their meals.

If your kid asks for a cookie, serve them a biscuit with raisins or oatmeal.

There are whole wheat crackers to which peanut butter can be added to make them delicious and a good source of fiber for your kids. Try to avoid peeling the produce as the skin of fruits such as apples, pears, kiwis, cucumber and apricots is where they hold the most fiber.

If you are concerned about the pesticides on these peels or skin parts, you should rinse these fruits multiple times before serving them to your kids.

Adding other sources of fibers such as beans and lentils can provide high fiber content for your children. Even a quarter cup of beans, such as kidney beans or black beans, can provide a good dose of fiber for your child.

You can include these beans with cheese dishes as well to slip these with your child’s favorite food. Keep in mind, too much fiber intake in the form of a snack or meal is not good for your child either.

An over-intake of fiber can cause your child to have bloating, constipation and gas. It can also lead to abdominal pain and other mineral deficiencies in your child’s body.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for high fiber foods for kids, then why not take a look at how to teach kids to write or why do kids walk on their toes.