Dinner is just another chance to add fiber-rich foods to your everyday diet. Vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds can all become part of your evening meals.
There's no need to eat a specific amount of fiber in the evening. What matters more is your overall daily diet, the variety of fiber sources, and the amount that's right for you.
What can dinner be made up of?
There's no single dinner formula that works for everyone. What it looks like depends on your overall daily diet, individual needs and the foods you choose.
In practice, you can put together dinner by combining a few food groups:
- vegetables;
- a protein source;
- whole grains or other chosen carbohydrate sources;
- legumes;
- nuts or seeds.
What matters most isn't any single food, but your whole day's diet.
Which foods can add more fiber to dinner?
1. Vegetables
Vegetables are one of the simplest ways to add more plant-based food and fiber to dinner.
You can choose fresh, boiled, roasted or stewed vegetables and combine them with the rest of your meal.
2. Legumes
Beans, lentils, chickpeas and other legumes are fiber sources you can use in salads, soups, stews or other dishes.
If you don't usually eat many legumes, it's worth increasing the amount gradually.
3. Whole grains
Brown rice, buckwheat, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta and other grain products can be another fiber source.
When choosing packaged products, it's worth comparing the fiber content listed on the label.
4. Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds can be used as a small addition to salads, vegetables or other dinner dishes.
Different nuts and seeds contain different amounts of fiber, so it's useful to choose a variety of sources in your everyday diet.
Do you need to eat fiber in the evening?
No. Fiber isn't a nutrient that has to be eaten at a specific time of day.
If you eat fiber-rich foods at breakfast, lunch and other meals, there's no need to save a large share of it for dinner.
It's far more important to regularly include fiber-rich foods in your overall daily diet.
When is the best time to eat dinner?
There's no single dinner time that suits everyone. It can depend on your schedule, sleep time, physical activity and how you feel individually.
If a large dinner right before bed causes discomfort, you could try eating earlier or having a different portion size.
It's important to pay attention to how you feel, and not to explain recurring digestive issues by dinner timing or fiber amount alone.
Increase your fiber intake gradually
If your diet has had little fiber so far, you shouldn't suddenly increase the amount by a lot.
For some people, a sudden increase in fiber can cause bloating, gas or other digestive discomfort. That's why it's worth increasing fiber gradually and drinking enough fluids.
Read more about soluble and insoluble fiber, their sources and how to use them in our Fiber Guide.
How can "fruttberry +fiber" help supplement your daily fiber intake?
"fruttberry +fiber" is a plant-based fiber blend with strawberries and blackcurrants. It contains psyllium (Plantago ovata) seed husks, agave inulin, glucomannan, freeze-dried strawberries and blackcurrants.
100 g of the product contains 77 g of fiber, and one 5 g serving contains 3.86 g of fiber and 11 kcal.
Laboratory testing of the tested "fruttberry +fiber with berries" sample found 60.8% soluble and 23.6% insoluble fiber. Laboratory results apply to the specific sample tested.
"fruttberry +fiber" is meant to supplement your everyday diet with fiber. Use the product according to the instructions on the packaging and do not exceed the recommended daily dose.
View "fruttberry +fiber" fiber blends.
Key takeaways
You don't need to eat fiber at a specific time of day. Dinner can simply be one more chance to add more vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
What matters most is variety in your overall daily diet, gradually increasing your fiber intake, and drinking enough fluids.
