Getting 10 grams of fiber at lunch doesn’t require a giant bowl of raw kale. You can hit your 10g fiber and 30g protein targets using chia seeds, chickpeas, beans, and artichoke hearts. Here are the simple rules and recipes to build a high-satiety lunch without salad.
Why 10g of Fiber at Lunch Is the Secret to Stopping Afternoon Cravings
High fiber foods make you feel full immediately after you stop eating which can prevent the urge to reach for some chocolate or a bag of chips. It works by stretching out the stomach which sends the signal to your brain that you’re full and need to stop eating.
Because this tool works by physically stretching the stomach, the amount of fiber matters. A small amount won’t stretch the stomach enough to get the message that you’re satisfied. Fiber researchers are finding that hitting a minimum of 10 grams of fiber per meal (30 to 50 grams per day) helps to fully activate this stretching effect and drastically reduce hunger.
The Satiety Equation: Combining 30g Protein, Healthy Fats, and 10g Fiber
But just eating a lot of fiber will only make you feel full as long as it’s physically in your stomach — about 1 hour, tops. To fully prevent mid-afternoon cravings you need to pair high fiber foods with protein and fat.
Protein and fat prevent hunger a different way — by raising satiety hormones like peptide YY, CCK, and GLP-1. These send a longer lasting signal to your brain that you’re full, so you end up not needing to eat for 4 hours instead of just 1 hour.
Learn how to structure your whole day around my core High-Protein, High-Fiber Framework.
5 Whole-Food Ingredients With 10g+ Fiber (No Greens Required)
Greens are actually surprisingly low in fiber. Two cups of kale only has 1.7 grams of fiber. To hit 10 grams from greens, you would need to munch 11 cups of kale. Yikes. If you really want to up your fiber without spending three hours eating lunch, below are the top whole-food ingredients you’ll want to choose instead.
1. Beans and Lentils (12–19g Fiber per 1 Cup)
Beans tend to skew higher in fiber than lentils. In fact, you can get 10 grams of fiber with just over 1/2 cup of black beans. But both are great low glycemic options to fill you up quickly. Just make sure you follow my tips to avoid bloating from beans later in this blog post.
2. Chia Seeds and Edible Basil Seeds (7–15g Fiber per 2 Tbsp)
Both chia seeds and edible basil seeds look, act and taste the same. The only main difference is that edible basil seeds has double the fiber — 15 grams per 2 tablespoons versus 7 grams in chia seeds. The caveat is that edible basil seeds also tend to be a bit more pricey. Regardless, both are great seeds to substantially up your fiber in things like smoothies and chia pudding bowls.
Learn specifically how to use chia seeds and flax seeds for weight loss (ratios & recipes).
3. Raspberries and Blackberries (10g Fiber per 1 1/4 Cup)
These low sugar fruits can be added to a greek yogurt bowl for a no-cook high protein high fiber lunch (or breakfast!). You can even buy frozen raspberries or blackberries and heat them up for 5 minutes on the stove top for a zero added sugar high fiber jam.
4. Artichoke Hearts (10g Fiber per 3 1/2 Hearts)
My favorite high fiber hack! You can buy plain canned artichoke hearts or artichoke hearts that have been marinated in herbs and garlic. Just chop them and toss in a baked chicken dish, mediterranean egg scramble, or Ploughman’s Lunch.
5. Chickpeas (11g Fiber per 3/4 Cup)
Chickpeas are high in fiber and incredibly versatile. One of my favorite ways to eat them is roasted with olive oil, paprika, cayenne and salt for a crunchy alternative to bread in a Ploughman’s Lunch.
4 Non-Salad Lunch Templates to Hit 10g Fiber & 30g Protein
When done right, a salad is a perfectly fine way to get fiber while also loading up on protein and fat, but it’s certainly not the only way. Plus, if you suffer from GI issues like IBS or bloating, a raw salad isn’t the best choice for lunch. So if you’re bored of a big ol’ bowl of greens, I’ve got you covered. Here are four high protein high fiber templates (plus recipes!) to hit 10 grams of fiber and 30 grams of protein, sans salad.
Template 1: High Protein Chia Pudding
The trick to chia pudding is making sure you’re adding in protein. This can be done with a combination of greek yogurt (or plant-based greek-style yogurt) and whey isolate protein powder for a creamy, rich, filling meal. This one’s also great for meal prep when you’re short on time.
Try my Tropical Lime Protein Chia Pudding Recipe for 12 grams of fiber and 37 grams of protein per serving.
Template 2: Hearty Bean Chilis And Curries
Throwing beans into a beef chili or chickpeas into chicken curry are simple and warming ways to combine a lot of protein with a lot fiber. Bonus: chili tastes better after sitting a few days in the fridge, so you can prep a big batch on Sunday for a weeks worth of easy lunches.
Try my Spicy Bone Broth Chili for 13 grams of fiber and 42 grams of protein per serving.
Template 3: High Protein Ploughman’s Lunch
Think of this as the healthy adult version of Lunchables. Traditional Ploughman’s Lunch is built around simple ingredients like cheese, crusty bread and pickles. You can take this and spin it into a high protein, high fiber version that’s equally as tasty (and easy!).
Combine 3/4 cup roasted chickpeas (for the crunch factor) with 2 to 3 ounces sliced deli meat, 1 ounce cheese, 2 tablespoons of whole nuts and some crunchy veggies. This is also a great opportunity to add some marinated artichoke hearts for another boost of fiber!
You can test out the original High Protein Ploughman’s Lunch recipe (pictured above) in my Body Recomposition Program.
Template 4: High Protein High Fiber Smoothie
To hit 10 grams of fiber and 30 grams of protein in a smoothie you need to add ingredients like chia seeds, cacao nibs, and whey isolate protein powder. Just blend up all your ingredients for 30 seconds and your high protein, high fiber lunch is ready to go. This is a great option if you need to eat your lunch while driving, walking or working.
I have over one hundred filling and delish high protein high fiber smoothie recipes that you can browse. Test them out and find your favorite!
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How to Increase Fiber at Lunch Without Digestive Bloat
Some bloating is natural when increasing fiber, but it typically goes away after a few days of upping your intake. That being said, there are a few main tricks to reducing bloat along the way:
- Rinse canned beans, lentils and chickpeas before eating. This removes the oligosaccharides that normally cause bloating.
- Cook beans from scratch. Soaking and cooking beans at home makes them even easier to digest. Try my method of cooking dried beans at home.
- Grind or soak chia and edible basil seeds: This helps to break them down and prevent bloating. You can easily do this in an herb grinder or by blending it up in a smoothie. You also naturally soak chia or edible basil seeds when making chia pudding.
The Water-to-Fiber Ratio: Why Hydration Matters
Fiber can slow down how fast food moves through the GI tract. This can leave more time for gut bacteria to ferment the fibers and turn it into gas — cue bloating. By drinking more water, you help to push fiber through the GI tract and reduce fermentation and gas.
Aim for at least half your body weight in ounces from water. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, aim for 75 ounces of water per day.
Frequently Asked Questions About High-Fiber Lunches
Very easily. Just add high fiber ingredients like 3 tablespoons chia seeds, 1 1/2 tablespoons edible basil seeds or 1 1/4 cup frozen raspberries for an instant hit of 10 grams of fiber.
Beans, lentils, artichoke hearts, and chickpeas are the easiest foods to literally throw into almost any meal. However, chia seeds and edible basil seeds are excellent options to build a lunch around — such as high protein chia pudding or high fiber protein smoothies.
You need to use two separate ingredients to hit both 30 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber. Choose one very high fiber food (such as artichoke hearts, black beans or chia seeds) and one high protein food (greek yogurt, chicken, fish, tempeh, beef, whey isolate protein powder) to build your meal around.
Final Thoughts
You can easily make a delicious high protein high fiber lunch that isn’t a salad. And often times, these meals are usually easier to prep than a big ol’ bowl of greens anyway.
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