Food & Nutrition High Fiber Foods Nutritional Basics for Kids By Vincent Iannelli, MD facebook Vincent Iannelli, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Iannelli has cared for children for more than 20 years. Learn about our editorial process Vincent Iannelli, MD Medically reviewed by a board-certified physician Updated on March 06, 2021 Print Credit: RJW/The Image Bank/Getty Images Since many children don't eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and have a relatively high-fat diet, they tend to have diets that are low in fiber. This kind of diet can become pretty unhealthy. One of the more common and immediate consequences? Constipation. So how much fiber does a child need in their diet? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a person's daily intake of fiber should equal his or her age plus 5 grams (thus, for a 7-year-old, 7 + 5 = 12 grams a day) up to a maximum of 35 grams a day. Still, many nutrition experts think that isn't enough fiber. The latest fiber recommendations state that kids should eat about 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories they eat. Older kids who eat more calories need to get more fiber in their diet. How Much Fiber Do Kids Need Each Day? High Fiber Foods In general, good sources of fiber include many fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans), breads, and cereals. For any prepackage foods, make sure you are actually getting things that contain a significant amount of fiber by reading the nutrition label. Some foods that are mistakenly thought to contain a good amount of fiber include grapes, melons, granola bars, non-bran cereals, oatmeal cookies, lettuce, and apples without the skin on them. A food that is considered "high fiber" would have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving or more. "Good" sources of fiber contain at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving. High fiber foods include: Artichokes Baked beans Barley Black beans Bran cereal Broccoli Brussels sprouts Couscous Dates Green peas Lentil soup Lentils Lima beans Navy beans Oat bran Pears Prunes Raspberries Refried beans Shredded wheat cereal Spinach Split peas Turnip greens Wheat flour Whole wheat pasta Foods that are still pretty good sources of fiber that contain approximately 2 to 4.9 grams of fiber per serving—at least as compared to other foods without fiber, but not as high as the high fiber foods listed above—include: Air popped popcorn Almonds Apples (skin on) Applesauce Bananas Brown rice Brussels sprouts Carrots Celery Cheerios Corn Figs Graham crackers Oatmeal Oranges Peanuts Pecans Pistachio Nuts Potatoes (baked with skin on) Raisins Rice Rye bread Strawberries Tomato paste (canned) Whole wheat bread Again, don't forget to check the nutrition label to find high fiber foods; avoid adding high-fat toppings to your high fiber foods; and encourage your kids to eat their fruits, like apples, with the skin on. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get expert tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Constipation in Children. Updated February 28, 2017. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. Published December 2015. Calorie Control Council. Dietary Fiber on the Food Label. Published August 26, 2016. Additional Reading U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). FoodData Central.