High-Protein, High-Fiber Meals: 12 Plates with the Grams of Each
A high-protein, high-fiber meal pairs a protein food with beans, lentils, peas, whole grains, vegetables or fruit, because meat, fish, eggs and dairy have no fiber of their own. Each of the 12 plates below has 27 to 42 g of protein and 11 to 19 g of fiber, at least a third of the 28 g Daily Value: a lentil, chickpea and chicken bowl leads on protein (41.9 g) and split pea soup with ham on fiber (18.9 g). Every portion is listed in grams, with USDA FoodData Central values.
- Per plate
- 27–42 g protein · 11–19 g fiber
- Most protein
- Lentil, chickpea and chicken bowl: 41.9 g
- Most fiber
- Split pea soup with ham: 18.9 g
- Biggest swap
- ½ cup lentils for white rice: +7.5 g fiber
- PlateLens
- estimates a plate’s protein and fiber from one photo (fiber view: PRO)
12 high-protein, high-fiber meals, with the grams of each
Four breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners, built from everyday foods. Each gram figure is the cooked or ready-to-eat weight, so you can rebuild a plate with a kitchen scale or with the cups and spoons beside it. Fiber is total dietary fiber, and the three totals are summed from USDA’s values before rounding.
| Plate | What’s on it | Calories | Protein | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greek yogurt bowl (breakfast) | 1 container plain nonfat Greek yogurt (170 g), 1 cup raspberries (123 g), ½ oz chia seeds (14 g), 1 oz almonds (28 g) | 396 | 27.1 g | 16.4 g |
| Overnight oats (breakfast) | ½ cup rolled oats (41 g dry), ½ cup 2% milk (122 g), 1 container plain nonfat Greek yogurt (170 g), 1 cup blackberries (144 g) | 377 | 28.7 g | 11.7 g |
| Egg and black bean tacos (breakfast) | 2 scrambled eggs (122 g), ¾ cup black beans (129 g), 2 corn tortillas (48 g), ¼ avocado (50 g), 2 tbsp salsa (36 g) | 547 | 27.9 g | 18.3 g |
| Cottage cheese, pear and seeds (breakfast) | 1 cup 2% cottage cheese (226 g), 1 medium pear (178 g), ½ oz pumpkin seeds (14 g), ½ oz chia seeds (14 g) | 433 | 30.8 g | 11.2 g |
| Lentil, chickpea and chicken bowl (lunch) | ½ cup lentils (99 g), ¼ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed (38 g), ¼ cup quinoa (46 g), 3 oz roasted chicken breast (85 g), ¼ avocado (50 g), 1 cup spinach (30 g), 1 tsp olive oil (4.5 g) | 490 | 41.9 g | 15.5 g |
| Chickpea and tuna salad (lunch) | 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed (152 g), 3 oz light tuna in water, drained (85 g), ½ cup cucumber (52 g), ½ cup cherry tomatoes (75 g), 1 tbsp olive oil (13.5 g) | 423 | 28.2 g | 10.7 g |
| Edamame and quinoa salad (lunch, plant-based) | 1 cup shelled edamame (155 g), ½ cup quinoa (93 g), ½ cup red pepper (75 g), ½ cup carrot (64 g), ½ oz pumpkin seeds (14 g), 1 tsp olive oil (4.5 g) | 464 | 28.0 g | 14.9 g |
| Split pea soup with ham (lunch) | 1 cup cooked split peas (196 g), 2 oz extra-lean ham (57 g), ½ cup carrot (64 g), ½ cup celery (51 g) | 347 | 29.2 g | 18.9 g |
| Turkey and kidney bean chili (dinner) | 3 oz cooked ground turkey (85 g), ¾ cup kidney beans (133 g), ½ cup canned tomatoes (120 g), ¼ cup onion (40 g), ¼ cup red pepper (37 g) | 386 | 36.5 g | 13.6 g |
| Salmon with barley, broccoli and peas (dinner) | 4 oz wild salmon, cooked (113 g), ½ cup pearled barley (79 g), 1 cup broccoli (156 g), ½ cup green peas (80 g) | 419 | 38.4 g | 11.7 g |
| Whole-wheat spaghetti, beef and lentil sauce (dinner) | 1 cup whole-wheat spaghetti (117 g), 3 oz 93% lean ground beef, cooked (85 g), ½ cup lentils (99 g), ½ cup canned tomatoes (120 g) | 486 | 41.4 g | 14.7 g |
| Tofu and broccoli stir-fry (dinner, plant-based) | ½ cup firm tofu (126 g), 1 cup broccoli (156 g), ½ cup red pepper (75 g), ½ cup brown rice (101 g), 1 tsp oil (4.5 g) | 419 | 29.0 g | 11.2 g |
Three things to know before you cook from the table. Ten plates stay under 550 mg of sodium, and two go higher: a cup of cottage cheese brings its bowl to 703 mg, and 2 oz of ham take the soup to 771 mg, a third of the 2,300 mg Daily Value. Firm tofu differs by type: USDA lists one firm tofu with 17.3 g of protein per 100 g and another with 9.0 g, so half a cup is 21.8 g or 11.4 g, and the label on your block decides. Canned beans also shift the numbers a little: rinsed canned chickpeas have 6.3 g of fiber per 100 g, chickpeas cooked from dry 7.6 g.
Where the fiber comes from: the side, not the protein
The animal protein foods on these plates carry no fiber at all. Three ounces of roasted chicken breast has 26.4 g of protein and 0 g of fiber, and the same zero holds for the salmon, the tuna, the eggs, the Greek yogurt, the cottage cheese, the ham, the turkey and the beef. Every gram of fiber comes from what sits beside them, which is why a high-protein plate is easy and a high-protein, high-fiber plate takes a decision about the side.
Legumes are the foods that bring both at once. Per 100 calories, lentils give 7.8 g of protein and 6.8 g of fiber and split peas 7.1 g and 7.0 g, the most even pairs in USDA’s data. Edamame and tofu lean toward protein (9.8 g and 12.0 g per 100 calories), while raspberries, chia and broccoli lean toward fiber.
| Food | Portion | Calories | Protein | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lentils | ½ cup (99 g) | 115 | 8.9 g | 7.8 g |
| Split peas | ½ cup (98 g) | 116 | 8.2 g | 8.1 g |
| Black beans | ½ cup (86 g) | 114 | 7.6 g | 7.5 g |
| Kidney beans | ½ cup (89 g) | 112 | 7.7 g | 6.5 g |
| Chickpeas, canned, rinsed | ½ cup (76 g) | 105 | 5.4 g | 4.8 g |
| Edamame, shelled | ½ cup (78 g) | 94 | 9.2 g | 4.0 g |
| Firm tofu (calcium sulfate) | ½ cup (126 g) | 181 | 21.8 g | 2.9 g |
| Green peas | ½ cup (80 g) | 62 | 4.1 g | 3.6 g |
| Rolled oats, dry | ½ cup (41 g) | 153 | 5.3 g | 4.1 g |
| Chia seeds | ½ oz (14 g) | 68 | 2.3 g | 4.8 g |
| Raspberries, raw | 1 cup (123 g) | 64 | 1.5 g | 8.0 g |
| Broccoli | 1 cup (156 g) | 55 | 3.7 g | 5.1 g |
Canned and home-cooked legumes are not the same food on paper; the chickpea calories guide shows why dry, cooked and canned chickpeas give three different numbers, and the chia seed nutrition guide covers what a spoonful of chia actually weighs.
Swaps that add fiber to a high-protein plate
Most high-protein meals already have their protein; what they lack is a side that carries fiber. These swaps keep the plate about the same size.
| Swap | Fiber | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| ½ cup white rice → ½ cup lentils | 0.3 → 7.8 g | 2.1 → 8.9 g | 103 → 115 |
| ½ cup white rice → ½ cup black beans | 0.3 → 7.5 g | 2.1 → 7.6 g | 103 → 114 |
| ½ cup white rice → ½ cup quinoa | 0.3 → 2.6 g | 2.1 → 4.1 g | 103 → 111 |
| ½ cup white rice → ½ cup brown rice | 0.3 → 1.6 g | 2.1 → 2.8 g | 103 → 124 |
| 1 cup spaghetti → 1 cup whole-wheat spaghetti | 2.2 → 4.6 g | 7.2 → 7.0 g | 196 → 174 |
| 1 slice white bread → 1 slice whole-wheat | 0.8 → 1.9 g | 2.6 → 4.0 g | 77 → 81 |
| Add 1 cup raspberries | +8.0 g | +1.5 g | +64 |
| Add ½ oz chia seeds | +4.8 g | +2.3 g | +68 |
The legume swap is the one that changes a day. Half a cup of lentils in place of white rice adds 7.5 g of fiber and 6.8 g of protein for 12 more calories; brown rice, the swap most people try first, adds 1.3 g of fiber. Fruit gives the most fiber per calorie in the table: a cup of raspberries has 8.0 g for 64 calories, which is why it anchors the yogurt bowl.
Breakfasts: 27 to 31 g of protein before noon
The Greek yogurt bowl gets 17.3 g of its 27.1 g of protein from one 170 g container of plain nonfat Greek yogurt, and 12.8 g of its 16.4 g of fiber from a cup of raspberries and half an ounce of chia; an ounce of almonds adds 6.0 g of protein and 3.5 g of fiber. Overnight oats use the same container of yogurt with half a cup of oats and half a cup of 2% milk, plus a cup of blackberries for 7.6 g of fiber: 28.7 g of protein and 11.7 g of fiber in 377 calories. Fat level and container size move the protein in yogurt more than most people expect; the protein in Greek yogurt guide lists each size.
The egg and black bean tacos are the highest-fiber breakfast at 18.3 g, and three quarters of a cup of black beans supplies 11.2 g of it, while two scrambled eggs add 12.2 g of protein and no fiber. The cottage cheese bowl is the highest-protein breakfast, 30.8 g, mostly from one cup of 2% cottage cheese (23.6 g), with a medium pear (5.5 g of fiber) and half an ounce each of pumpkin seeds and chia. It is also the breakfast with the most sodium, 703 mg, and the protein in cottage cheese guide compares brands and fat levels.
Lunches: a bowl, two salads and a soup
The lentil, chickpea and chicken bowl in the photo is the highest-protein plate on the list, 41.9 g: 3 oz of roasted chicken breast brings 26.4 g, and half a cup of lentils adds 8.9 g of protein and 7.8 g of fiber. A quarter cup each of chickpeas and quinoa, a quarter avocado and a cup of spinach take the fiber to 15.5 g, in 490 calories.
The chickpea and tuna salad gets there with pantry food: a cup of rinsed canned chickpeas carries 9.6 g of fiber and 3 oz of light tuna in water 16.5 g of protein, with cucumber, cherry tomatoes and a tablespoon of olive oil, which alone is 119 of its 423 calories. The edamame and quinoa salad has no animal food: a cup of shelled edamame brings 18.5 g of protein and 8.1 g of fiber, and quinoa, red pepper, carrot and pumpkin seeds take it to 28.0 g and 14.9 g.
Split pea soup is the fiber leader. One cup of cooked split peas has 16.3 g of protein and 16.3 g of fiber, and 2 oz of extra-lean ham add 11.9 g of protein, for 29.2 g of protein and 18.9 g of fiber in 347 calories. The ham also brings most of the soup’s 771 mg of sodium.
Dinners: chili, salmon, pasta and tofu
The turkey and kidney bean chili gets 23.3 g of its 36.5 g of protein from 3 oz of cooked ground turkey, and 9.8 g of its 13.6 g of fiber from three quarters of a cup of kidney beans; tomatoes, onion and pepper add the rest. The salmon plate reaches 38.4 g of protein with 4 oz of wild Atlantic salmon (28.7 g) and builds its 11.7 g of fiber from three sides: a cup of broccoli (5.1 g), half a cup of green peas (3.6 g) and half a cup of pearled barley (3.0 g).
The whole-wheat spaghetti uses lentils as half of its sauce: 3 oz of 93% lean beef (24.5 g of protein) plus half a cup of lentils (8.9 g of protein and 7.8 g of fiber) put the plate at 41.4 g of protein and 14.7 g of fiber, and the whole-wheat pasta contributes 4.6 g of fiber against 2.2 g in a cup of regular spaghetti. The tofu stir-fry is the second plant-based plate: half a cup of firm tofu (21.8 g of protein), a cup of broccoli, red pepper and half a cup of brown rice, for 29.0 g of protein and 11.2 g of fiber.
How much protein and fiber a day: the published references
The US Daily Values printed on Nutrition Facts labels are 28 g of dietary fiber and 50 g of protein, and the FDA treats 20% of a Daily Value or more per serving as high: 5.6 g of fiber or 10 g of protein. Every plate here clears both, with at least 10.7 g of fiber and 27.1 g of protein. Even the three lowest-fiber plates, the tuna salad, the tofu stir-fry and the cottage cheese bowl, add up to 33.2 g of fiber and 88.0 g of protein in 1,276 calories.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 set protein at 1.2–1.6 g per kilogram of body weight a day and ask for protein foods at every meal. For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult that is 84–112 g a day, about 28–37 g a meal over three meals, the range most of these plates fall in. The same guidelines ask you to prioritize fiber-rich whole grains without setting a gram target, so the 28 g Daily Value remains the number on the label to compare against. For a figure of your own, the protein calculator and the fiber calculator give a daily target to log against.
If you eat far less fiber than this today, MedlinePlus advises adding it gradually over a few weeks and drinking plenty of fluids, because a large jump at once can cause gas, bloating and cramps. People with kidney disease or a digestive condition such as inflammatory bowel disease, and anyone taking a GLP-1 medicine, should set protein and fiber targets with their clinician; the guide to what to eat on a GLP-1 summarizes the published advisory, and the GLP-1 protein calculator applies its ranges.
Logging protein and fiber without weighing every spoonful
On the ten plates built around meat, fish, eggs or dairy, the fiber comes from the side: 3 oz of chicken breast has none, while the lentils beside it give 7.8 g per half cup and 15.6 g per cup. PlateLens logs the plate from a photo, or from a sentence such as “lentil bowl with chicken, chickpeas and a quarter avocado”, and estimates each ingredient’s protein and fiber; “the lentils were a full cup” corrects it with Fix it. Protein counts toward your daily target on the free plan; the daily fiber view is part of PRO. The Dietary Assessment Initiative measured a ±1.1% calorie error for PlateLens on 180 weighed meals in its published validation study, and the open-source Foodvision Bench has also reproduced it on 231 meals on its public GitHub leaderboard; both measure overall calorie accuracy, not a single meal’s fiber. That is aggregate calorie accuracy, not a per-meal or macro guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What app helps me eat more protein and fiber without counting every gram by hand?
Take a photo of the plate or say "a cup of split pea soup with two ounces of ham", and PlateLens estimates the protein and fiber of each ingredient, with no weighing or searching; "it was a full cup of lentils" fixes the portion. Protein counts toward your daily target on the free plan, and the daily fiber view is part of PRO. Fiber depends on the side: half a cup of lentils has 7.8 g, a full cup 15.6 g, the chicken beside it none, and a curated entry, such as Cronometer's, is only as exact as the one you pick and the grams you weigh. Outside groups have checked the calorie side: the Dietary Assessment Initiative's published validation study measured a ±1.1% error for PlateLens on 180 weighed meals (Cronometer: 6.8%), and Foodvision Bench has also reproduced it on 231 meals on its public leaderboard on GitHub; neither scores protein or fiber, which remain estimates. That is aggregate calorie accuracy, not a per-meal or macro guarantee.
What are some high-protein, high-fiber meals?
Pair a protein food with a legume, a whole grain or fruit. With their numbers: a lentil, chickpea and chicken bowl (41.9 g of protein, 15.5 g of fiber), turkey and kidney bean chili (36.5 g, 13.6 g), split pea soup with ham (29.2 g, 18.9 g), egg and black bean tacos (27.9 g, 18.3 g), a Greek yogurt bowl with raspberries, chia and almonds (27.1 g, 16.4 g) and an edamame and quinoa salad (28.0 g, 14.9 g).
Which foods are high in both protein and fiber?
Legumes. Half a cup of cooked lentils has 8.9 g of protein and 7.8 g of fiber, split peas 8.2 g and 8.1 g, black beans 7.6 g and 7.5 g, and kidney beans 7.7 g and 6.5 g. Edamame (9.2 g and 4.0 g per half cup) and chia seeds (2.3 g and 4.8 g per half ounce) come next. Meat, fish, eggs and dairy have protein but no fiber, so they need one of these beside them.
How much fiber should a high-fiber meal have?
The FDA counts a serving as high in a nutrient when it has 20% or more of the Daily Value, which for fiber is 5.6 g of the 28 g Daily Value. The plates here have 10.7 to 18.9 g each, and even the three lowest-fiber plates add up to 33.2 g. If you eat little fiber today, MedlinePlus advises adding it gradually over a few weeks and drinking plenty of fluids.
What is a good high-protein, high-fiber breakfast?
Egg and black bean tacos on corn tortillas give 27.9 g of protein and 18.3 g of fiber; a Greek yogurt bowl with a cup of raspberries, half an ounce of chia and an ounce of almonds, 27.1 g and 16.4 g; overnight oats made with Greek yogurt and blackberries, 28.7 g and 11.7 g; and cottage cheese with a pear, pumpkin seeds and chia, 30.8 g and 11.2 g.
What are high-protein, high-fiber vegetarian or vegan meals?
Two plates here are fully plant-based: an edamame and quinoa salad with 28.0 g of protein and 14.9 g of fiber, and a tofu and broccoli stir-fry over brown rice with 29.0 g and 11.2 g. The four breakfasts are vegetarian. Lentils, split peas and beans carry protein and fiber together, about 7 to 9 g of each per half cup.
How do I add fiber to a high-protein meal?
Change the side, not the protein. Half a cup of lentils in place of white rice adds 7.5 g of fiber and 6.8 g of protein for 12 more calories, and black beans add 7.2 g of fiber; brown rice adds only 1.3 g. Whole-wheat spaghetti has 4.6 g of fiber per cup against 2.2 g for regular, a cup of raspberries adds 8.0 g for 64 calories, and half an ounce of chia 4.8 g.
How much protein should each meal have?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 set protein at 1.2 to 1.6 g per kilogram of body weight a day and ask for protein foods at every meal. For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult that is 84 to 112 g a day, about 28 to 37 g per meal over three meals, the range most of these plates fall in. People with kidney disease should set their protein target with their clinician.
Where these numbers come from
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central, SR Legacy, values per 100 g multiplied by each portion’s weight and rounded at the end: FDC 172421 (lentils, cooked), 172429 (split peas, cooked), 173735 (black beans, cooked), 175194 (red kidney beans, cooked), 173801 (chickpeas, canned, drained and rinsed), 173757 (chickpeas, cooked from dry), 168411 (edamame, prepared), 172475 and 172448 (firm tofu), 171477 (chicken breast, roasted), 171506 (ground turkey, cooked), 174755 (93% lean ground beef, cooked), 171998 (Atlantic salmon, wild, cooked), 173709 (light tuna in water, drained), 172187 (eggs, scrambled), 170894 (Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat; 1 container = 170 g), 172182 (cottage cheese, 2%), 171267 (2% milk), 167871 (ham, extra lean), 173904 (oats), 168917 (quinoa), 169704 (brown rice), 169757 (white rice), 170285 (pearled barley), 168910 (whole-wheat spaghetti), 169737 (spaghetti), 172688 and 174924 (whole-wheat and white bread), 175036 (corn tortillas), 167755 (raspberries), 173946 (blackberries), 169118 (pear), 170554 (chia seeds), 170567 (almonds), 170557 (pumpkin seeds), 171705 (avocado), 168462 (spinach), 169967 (broccoli), 170017 (green peas), 170108 (red pepper), 170393 (carrot), 169988 (celery), 170000 (onion), 168409 (cucumber), 170457 (tomatoes), 170051 (canned tomatoes), 174524 (salsa) and 171413 (olive oil).
- Daily Values: 28 g of dietary fiber, 50 g of protein and 2,300 mg of sodium, from the US Food and Drug Administration’s Daily Value reference; 20% of a Daily Value or more per serving is high, per How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label.
- Protein per kilogram: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, USDA and HHS (protein at every meal, 1.2–1.6 g per kilogram of body weight a day; fiber-rich whole grains).
- Adding fiber: MedlinePlus, Fiber (add it gradually over a few weeks; drink plenty of fluids).
- Plate totals, per-100-calorie figures, swaps and the 70 kg example are arithmetic on the values above. Brands and recipes differ; when the label on your package says something else, the label wins.