This Easy, Fruity Snack Gives You Half Your Daily Fiber In One Serving

The average American gets just half of the daily recommended intake of fiber. Perhaps more disturbingly, research from a 2016 paper in the America Journal of Lifestyle Medicine suggested that just 5% of the population reaches the targets set by the USDA. If you're lacking a bit of roughage, it's easy to up your fiber intake without adding piles of vegetables to your plate.

Enter chia seeds and raspberries. These foods are packed with fiber. Chia seeds have a very high amount per ounce, and among fruits, raspberries come third only to passion fruit and avocado for fiber content. Better yet, the two ingredients can be combined for a sweet treat to enjoy at any time of day.

For the base recipe, start by mashing half a cup of raspberries (fresh or defrosted from frozen), adding a little water, a squeeze of lemon juice, and stirring in 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. If you've ever made a recipe with chia seeds, you'll know what an incredible thickening agent they are.

After leaving this mix to sit in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, you'll have something like raspberry jam, but with much more fiber. The full portion contains a hefty 13 grams of fiber, which will get you well on the way to the recommend daily intake of 25 grams for women, and 38 grams for men.

For a smaller sweet treat that's big on fruit flavor, you might be happy tucking into this raspberry mix as is, but this recipe is only the start. With a texture somewhere between fruit compote and jello, it makes a great topping for Greek yogurt.

You can further build on this combination by layering with granola, another source of fiber. This gives you a yogurt parfait that's full of fiber, protein, and a satisfying crunch. If you're using unsweetened yogurt, you might want to add maple syrup, honey, or sugar when mashing the raspberries.

If you like the whole jello vibe this mix provides, but want a more complete breakfast, this can also be turned into a regular chia pudding. Add half a cup of milk and half a cup of yogurt, sweeten to taste and leave to sit.

For something a little more decadent, try raspberry chocolate bites. For this recipe, skip the lemon juice and water — we want raspberries without any extra liquid. Scoop spoonfuls of the raspberry chia mix onto a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then dip in melted dark chocolate for a fiver filled dessert.