How Much Fiber Is In Fruits?

Fiber is a carbohydrate byproduct and is currently defined as the indigestible remains of carbohydrates. Both types of fiber -- soluble and insoluble -- are valuable additions to your diet. Soluble fiber binds to fat, cholesterol and bile acid molecules in your small intestine, preventing them from being absorbed and carrying them out with fecal waste. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your waste, increasing the size and frequency of your bowel movements and reducing constipation. Fruit can be an excellent source of dietary fiber. Some fruits have as much as 8 g of fiber per cup, and some fruits have almost no fiber at all.

Peel

Fruit peels are usually indigestible and therefore almost completely fiber, increasing the fiber count for fruits with edible peel. Small fruits have even more fiber from their peel because there is a higher ratio of peel-to-flesh. For example, 1 cup of plums has a lower peel-to-flesh ratio than 1 cup of blueberries because the blueberries are so much smaller. In fact, plums only contain 2.6 g of fiber per cup compared with 3.6 g per cup of blueberries.

Pulp

The membranes and pulp dividing fruit flesh inside the peel are another source of fiber. Oranges and other citrus fruits are especially high in edible pulp, but other fruits contain pulp as well. Mangoes have nearly the fiber of navel oranges with 2.6 g of fiber compared with 3.1 g of fiber per cup. You don't eat the peel or the seeds of either fruit, so their fiber is primarily contributed by the pulp.

Seeds

Fruits with edible seeds are some of the highest-fiber fruits available. Take raspberries, for example. Each cup of raspberries contains 8 g of fiber. Blackberries follow close behind with 7.6 g of fiber, and strawberries -- which have a higher flesh-to-seed ratio -- contain 3.3 g of fiber per cup.

Juice

One of the two main reasons dietitians recommend that you eat your fruits instead of drinking them is that juices typically leave all of the fiber behind. Removing the fiber makes it easy for you to drink a lot of calories from fruit without getting full, which is the second reason dietitians recommend that you eat the whole fruit. Blended fruit drinks such as smoothies are sometimes made with the whole fruit so you don't miss out on the fiber, but if you aren't making your own smoothies at home, ask how they are made to be sure that your local cafe is blending the whole fruit into your smoothie.