High Fiber Cereal Ultimate Guide for Athletes

High fiber cereal provides a great option for athletes to meet their daily fiber needs, especially when they’re looking for a nutritious and filling breakfast before a training, competition or game. 

Whether a high fiber cereal is eaten for a meal or healthy snacks, the high fiber content in breakfast cereals slows digestion and helps blood sugar stay steady, providing sustained energy. 

Because there are a variety of options available from hot cereals to granola to crunchy flakes, athletes can find a high fiber cereal that meets their nutrition needs and tastes good. 

Before you head to the grocery store, read below to learn more about the best high fiber cereal options for athletes and how to incorporate these into meals and snacks.

What are the benefits of high fiber cereals?

Overall, fiber has many important health benefits for athletes from improving general health to disease prevention to impacting performance.

Fiber plays a huge role in supporting digestive health, promoting regular bowel movements  and preventing the discomfort and bloating that can sometimes occur during intense exercise.

Benefits of high fiber cereals include: improved gut health, increased satiety, steady blood sugar and sustained energy. 

Research shows that those who eat breakfast cereals are more likely to have diets higher in vitamins and minerals. (1) Also, fiber has been shown to have an impact on calcium and bone health. (2)

Emerging research also suggests that consuming fiber rich diets can increase the diversity of the gut microbiome in athletes, and that the gut microbiome is connected to performance outcomes in athletes. (2)

Additionally, the microbiome has a role in preventing inflammation which can directly impact athletic performance.

Types of fiber found in cereal

High fiber cereal contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, and both have a number of health benefits.. 

Soluble fiber, like oat bran, dissolves in water and forms a gel like substance that slows digestion. Research shows that soluble fiber can help lower blood cholesterol and and help your body regulate its use of blood sugar. (3)

Insoluble fibers do not dissolve in water. These are found in plant foods and it’s what gives plants structure. Some people call insoluble fiber “nature’s broom” because it doesn’t absorb water and helps move food through your system.

How much fiber should an athlete eat?

Generally, the amount of fiber an athlete eats depends on the number of calories you eat each day. The US Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends about 14 grams per 1000 calories. (4)

Therefore, athletes requirements will be higher as they require more calories to fuel for sport. 

However athletes and the general population only eat about 15 grams per day, about half of the recommended amounts of fiber. (5)

General recommendations for daily fiber intake:

Age (years)	Fiber Recommendations (grams/day)
	Men	Women
4-8	25 g	25 g
9-13	31 g	26 g
14-18	38 g	26 g
19-30	38 g	25 g
31-50	38 g	25 g
51-70	21 g	30 g

What cereals have the most fiber?

Cereals with the most fiber will be those that list whole grains as their first ingredients. Look for words like:

• Whole grains
• Oats
• Millet
• Spelt
• Quinoa
• Whole wheat
• Wheat bran
• Amaranth
• Rice bran
• Corn bran

The ultimate list of 50 high fiber cereals

The following list contains cereals with high fiber contents. However, use this as a guide in combination with the serving size and calorie information to make the best choice for adding more fiber in your diet.

Cereal	Fiber (g/serving)	Serving Size	Sugar (g/serving)	Calories (per serving)
All-Bran Bran Buds	17 g	1/2 cup	12 g	110
Fiber One Original	17 g	2/3 cup	0 g	90
Kashi GO® Cereal Original	13 g	1 1/4 cup	8 g	180
Kashi GO® Lean Original	12 g	1 1/4 cup	8 g	200
Uncle Sam Original	10 g	3/4 cup	<1 g	220
Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal	9 g	2/3 cup	5 g	80
Kashi GO® Crunch	9 g	3/4 cup	13 g	190
Nature’s Path Organic Optimum Power	9 g	1 cup	9 g	210
General Mills Whole Wheat Chex	8 g	1 cup	6 g	210
Post Shredded Wheat Spoon Size	8 g	1 1/3 cup	0 g	210
Kashi GO® Honey Almond Flax Crunch	8 g	3/4 cup	12 g	200
Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Multibran Flakes	7 g	1 cup	5 g	150
Nature’s Path Heritage Flakes	7 g	1 cup	5 g	160
Post Grape-Nuts	7 g	1/2 cup	5 g	200
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran	7 g	1 cup	17 g	190
Barbara’s Shredded Wheat	7 g	2 biscuits	0 g	170
Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oat	6 g	1 cup	7 g	150
Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats	6 g	25 biscuits	12 g	210
Barbara’s Original Puffins	6 g	1 cup	6 g	130
Barbara’s Morning Oat Crunch	6 g	1 1/4 cup	10 g	210
Kirkland Signature Nature’s Path Organic Ancient Grains with Almonds	6 g	3/4 cup	9 g	250
Bob’s Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal	6 g	1/4 cup (dry)	0 g	150
Arrowhead Mills Organic Oat Bran Flakes	6 g	1 cup	6 g	170
Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat	5 g	1 cup	7 g	150
Quaker Oatmeal Squares	5 g	1 cup	9 g	210
Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Pumpkin Seed granola	5 g	1/2 cup	10 g	260
Great Grains Banana Nut Crunch	5 g	1 cup	10 g	230
Barbara’s Multigrain Spoonfuls	5 g	1 cup	7 g	140
Arrowhead Mills Organic Steel Cut Oats	5 g	1/3 cup	0 g	170
Arrowhead Mills Organic Spelt Flakes	5 g	1 cup	9 g	190
Cascadian Farm Organic Harvest Berry	5 g	1 cup	5 g	220
Cheerios	4 g	1 1/4 cup	4 g	140
Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs	4 g	1 1/2 cup	0 g	150
Bear Naked Granola, Peanut Butter	4 g	1/2 cup	11 g	260
KIND Healthy Grains Oats & Honey	4 g	1/2 cup	11 g	250
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats	4 g	1/2 cup (dry)	1 g	150
Cascadian Farm Organic Graham Crunch	4 g	1 cup	11 g	150
Barbara’s Multigrain Puffins	4 g	1 cup	7 g	130
KIND Healthy Grains Oats & Honey	4 g	1/2 cup	11 g	250
Bob’s Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli	4 g	1/4 cup	5 g	140
Arrowhead Mills Organic Amaranth Flakes	4 g	1 1/4 cup	6 g	210
Nature’s Path Organic Mesa Sunrise	4 g	1 cup	5 g	160
Nature’s Path Organic Gluten-Free Millet Rice Flakes	4 g	1 cup	5 g	160
Cascadian Farm Organic Simply O’s	4 g	1 1/2 cup	1 g	140
Annie’s™ Organic Frosted Oat Flakes Cereal	4 g	1 cup	10 g	160
Nature’s Path EnviroKidz Peanut Butter Panda Puffs	3 g	1 cup	9 g	170
Kellogg’s Special K Vanilla Almond Cereal	3 g	1 cup	11 g	150
Cascadian Farm Organic Cinnamon Harvest	3 g	1 cup	11 g	140
Arrowhead Mills Organic Gluten Free Maple Buckwheat Flakes	3 g	1 cup	14 g	190
Honey Nut Cheerios	3 g	1 cup	12 g	140

What are cereals are high in fiber and low in sugar?

Generally, guidelines for great options for cereals that are high in fiber have at least 4 grams of fiber per serving, and less than 7 g of sugar per serving.

Hot cereal, like oatmeal, and other cereals with no added sugar or sweeteners tend to be lower in sugar.

Instead of choosing a high sugar cereal, pick a cereal with less sugar and top with fresh fruit to add sweetness, if needed.

Cereal	Fiber (g/serving)	Serving Size	Sugar (g/serving)	Calories (per serving)
Barbara’s Original Puffins	6 g	1 cup	6 g	130
Arrowhead Mills Organic Oat Bran Flakes	6 g	1 cup	6 g	170
Arrowhead Mills Organic Amaranth Flakes	4 g	1 1/4 cup	6 g	210
General Mills Whole Wheat Chex	8 g	1 cup	6 g	210
Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal	9 g	2/3 cup	5 g	80
Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Multibran Flakes	7 g	1 cup	5 g	150
Nature’s Path Heritage Flakes	7 g	1 cup	5 g	160
Post Grape-Nuts	7 g	1/2 cup	5 g	200
Cascadian Farm Organic Harvest Berry	5 g	1 cup	5 g	220
Bob’s Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli	4 g	1/4 cup	5 g	140
Nature’s Path Organic Mesa Sunrise	4 g	1 cup	5 g	160
Nature’s Path Organic Gluten-Free Millet Rice Flakes	4 g	1 cup	5 g	160
Cheerios	4 g	1 1/4 cup	4 g	140
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats	4 g	1/2 cup (dry)	1 g	150
Cascadian Farm Organic Simply O’s	4 g	1 1/2 cup	1 g	140
Fiber One Original	17 g	2/3 cup	0 g	90
Post Shredded Wheat Spoon Size	8 g	1 1/3 cup	0 g	210
Barbara’s Shredded Wheat	7 g	2 biscuits	0 g	170
Bob’s Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal	6 g	1/4 cup (dry)	0 g	150
Arrowhead Mills Organic Steel Cut Oats	5 g	1/3 cup	0 g	170
Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs	4 g	1 1/2 cup	0 g	150
Uncle Sam Original	10 g	3/4 cup	<1 g	220

How to incorporate high fiber cereal into your diet

You can incorporate high fiber cereal into your diet in several ways. Although most often people choose to eat cereal at breakfast with milk, you can add these cereals into your diet many other ways.

Indeed, high fiber cereals can be eaten as a healthy snack or as part of another meal. 

If you don’t normally eat a lot of fiber, you should begin adding fiber slowly and also make sure you’re staying hydrated and drinking enough water. 

Consider these other suggestions for eating more high fiber cereal:

• Top your regular cereal with high fiber cereal, or mix half and half
• Sprinkle non-sweetened cereal on salads, grain bowls or casserole
• Add into low fat greek yogurt to make a fresh berry parfait
• Eat dry cereal as a healthy snack option
• Mix with dried fruit and nuts to make a trail mix
• Stir into pancake or waffle batter for added texture and taste
• Use as a topping for ice cream or frozen yogurt

Final thoughts

Eating high fiber cereal is an excellent way for athletes to incorporate more fiber and whole grains in their diet. Check out our blog post on 11 ways to add more whole grains to your diet.