Does your kid need more fiber?

Fiber is a nutritionist’s favorite nutrient. It’s critical for satiety, digestion, blood sugar balance, and gut health, which impacts the immune system, hormones, mental health, and more. And it comes from plants.

It’s estimated that 95% of Americans don’t meet their daily fiber needs. And that’s adults. Kids often struggle even more. Between picky eating, limited food variety, and busy schedules, meeting fiber needs through food alone can feel like a real challenge.

Fiber matters because it slows digestion, helps keep blood sugar steady, and supports a healthy gut microbiome. Prebiotic fibers in particular are important because they feed the good bacteria in your gut. Those microbes don’t just influence digestion, they play a role in immune health, hormone regulation, and even mood. When fiber (including prebiotics) are underconsumed, we tend to see more energy crashes, digestive issues, and less microbial diversity over time. Symptoms that are unfortunately fairly common with young kids.

Most people aren’t intentionally avoiding fiber, it just gets crowded out. Kids can be picky and particular, and most packaged snacks, and kid-friendly staples leave little room for plants or added fiber. 

Being a parent is hard enough without adding your kids fiber goals to your daily to do list. You don’t need to aim for perfection or a complete diet overhaul. If you want to add more fiber to your kids diet (or your own), here are some simple ideas:

• A side of berries with their breakfast.

• Include some roasted chickpeas or edamame beans with their lunch.

• Put a plate of veggies and fruit out after school. You don’t have to force it, but just let them munch as they are doing other things. 

• Add a side of avocado at dinner (or any meal really). 

• Have some sort of cooked bean dish (lentils, black beans, white beans) as part of your weekly meal prep and include it with your family meals. 

Over time, those choices can meaningfully impact their fiber intake, and might even influence your own. 

That said, I’m also a realist (and a mom). There are times when getting enough fiber (especially prebiotic fiber) from food alone is tough, and many kids struggle with digestive issues like constipation that additional fiber can help with. 

That’s where Hiya’s new Kids Daily Fiber comes in. It includes a blend of prebiotic fibers designed to support digestion and gut health, without added sugar or artificial ingredients. It’s not a replacement for fiber-rich foods, but it’s an easy way to help fill a very common gap, particularly for kids prone to GI distress, picky eaters who struggle with fruits and vegetables, and during busy weeks when meals aren’t perfect.

I think of fiber the same way I think about most nutrition foundations: food first, supplement where it makes sense. When we make it easier for kids (and adults) to meet their needs, we set them up for steadier energy, better digestion, and improved long-term health, without turning meals into a battle.