Foods High in Gluten-Free Fiber

Medically Reviewed by Mahammad Juber, MD on November 29, 2022
Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors
4 min read

You may be wondering if you’re giving up too many important nutrients when you avoid gluten in your diet.

Over the last two decades, many people have adopted a gluten-free diet, either because they have celiac disease, a diagnosable condition, or because they have gluten sensitivity, which causes symptoms but is not diagnosable. Maybe you even chose a gluten-free lifestyle because you believe it has other health benefits.

In fact, gluten-free eating has become so popular that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began regulating gluten-free products in 2013. The gluten-free food industry is expected to reach $4.7 billion by the end of 2020.

Let’s review the history of gluten intolerance, what else you might be giving up in the process, as well as look at other gluten-free, fiber-rich foods that might be important for you to include in your diet.

The gastrointestinal problems that result from eating wheat and other grains date as far back as the second century A.D.

Then, Greek physician Aretaeus of Cappodicia coined the term "coeliac," derived from the Greek word "koiliakos," which means "abdominal."

A physiological cause of gluten intolerance wasn't discovered until the 1950s. J.W. Pauley first discovered the pathological changes in the villa in the small intestine, and William Dicke found that this condition improved when people cut wheat, rye, and barley from their diets.

The fiber content in whole grains, including wheat, rye, and barley, place them on the list of foods that make up a healthy diet. Healthy adults should consume 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day. Consider how the fiber content of these grains contains per cup:

  • Wheat flour: 26 grams
  • Rye flour: 30 grams.
  • Barley flour: 15 grams.

Luckily, gluten-free fiber allows people with gluten intolerance to enjoy the following benefits associated with a high-fiber diet:

  • Regulating bowel movements
  • Lower risks of hemorrhoids (swollen veins in the anus) and small pouches in your colon
  • Lower risk of colorectal cancer
  • Control blood sugar levels
  • Promotes a healthy body weight
  • Lower cholesterol levels
  • Reduced inflammation and blood pressure

In addition, grains are rich in niacin (vitamin B-3), with wheat, rye and barley providing 10.7 mg, 5.5 mg, and 9.3 mg per cup, respectively. Niacin helps your body turn food into energy, keeping your nervous and digestive system as well as your skin healthy.

A gluten-free diet can be healthy if you include other fiber-rich sources.

Let’s review some gluten-free, fiber-rich foods you may want to incorporate into your meals.

1. Gluten-Free Flours

If you enjoy baking cakes and breads but are avoiding gluten, you can use these substitute flours that are both gluten-free and high in fiber:

  • Coconut flour (25 to 50 grams of fiber per cup, depending on brand)
  • Almond flour (13 grams of fiber per cup)
  • Whole grain sorghum flour (13 grams of fiber and 4.5 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Buckwheat flour (12 grams of fiber and 7 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Chickpea flour (10 grams of fiber and 1.6 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Yellow whole grain corn flour (8.5 grams of fiber and 2.2 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Gluten-free oat flour (7 grams of fiber and 1.5 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Brown rice flour (7 grams of fiber and 10 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Sunflower seed flour (3 grams of fiber and 4.7 mg of niacin per cup)

2. Legumes, Nuts, and Seeds

All legumes, nuts, and seeds are gluten-free, as well as good sources of dietary fiber. Here are some of the best choices:

  • Navy beans, cooked (19 grams of fiber and 1.2 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Black beans, cooked (15 grams of fiber and 0.9 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Flax seeds (45 grams of fiber and 5 mg of niacin per cup, equivalent to 3 grams of fiber per tablespoon)
  • Sunflower seeds kernels, dried (12 grams of fiber and 12 mg of niacin per cup, equivalent to 0.75 grams of fiber per tablespoon)
  • Almonds (15 grams of fiber and 5 mg of niacin per cup, equivalent to 0.9 grams of fiber per tablespoon)
  • Peanuts (12 grams of fiber and 18 mg of niacin per cup, equivalent to 0.8 grams of fiber per tablespoon)

3. Grains

There are several gluten-free grains that you can include in your diet to get your daily dose of fiber:

  • Quinoa, cooked (5 grams of fiber and 0.8 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Gluten-free oats or oatmeal, cooked (4 grams of fiber and 0.5 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Amaranth (5 grams of fiber and 0.6 mg of niacin per cup)
  • Wild rice, cooked (3 grams of fiber and 2 mg of niacin per cup)

4. Fruits and Berries

Fruits and berries are gluten-free and are an excellent source of fiber. Here are some of the most fiber-rich fruits:

  • 1 cup raspberries (8 grams of fiber)
  • 1 medium pear (5.5 grams of fiber)
  • 1 medium apple with skin (4.5 grams of fiber)
  • 1 medium bBanana (3 grams of fiber)
  • 1 medium orange (3 grams of fiber
  • 1 cup strawberries (3 grams of fiber)

5. Vegetables

Vegetables are another gluten-free source of fiber. Here are a few you can try:

  • 1 cup green peas, cooked (9 grams of fiber)
  • 1 cup broccoli, cooked (5 grams of fiber)
  • 1 medium potato with skin, baked (4 grams of fiber)
  • 1 cup cauliflower, raw (2 grams of fiber)
  • 1 medium carrot, raw (1.5 grams of fiber)