Psyllium Husk and Other Fiber Heroes: How to Get More Fiber

Our ancestors ate around 100 grams of fiber a day. Most Americans now eat about 15. Somewhere between milling our own grain and shopping the snack aisle, we lost one of the most important parts of a healthy diet, and most of us don't notice... until our bodies start telling us the hard way.

Psyllium husk is one of the ways we are bringing fiber back to the mainstream by incorporating it into our All Day Granola. This tiny seed coat, grown almost entirely in western India adds fiber to every bag! Read on to learn where psyllium comes from, why it's one of the most studied fibers for digestion, how our diets lost their fiber, what the research says about why it matters, the high-fiber foods you can grow in your own backyard, and eight easy recipes to help you get more.

Meet the plant

Psyllium husk comes from Plantago ovata, a short annual herb that grows only about a foot tall. In India, where it's been used for centuries, it's called isabgol. The plant produces tiny seeds wrapped in a thin, pale coating. That coating is the husk, and it's the part we use.

What makes the husk special is its soluble fiber. Add water and it swells into a soft gel, holding many times its weight in liquid. That's why it works as a natural binder in baking and in our granola, and why it's been used as a gentle bulk-forming fiber supplement for generations.

Its cousin in your yard: broadleaf plantain

If you have a lawn, you've almost certainly met psyllium's close relative, broadleaf plantain (Plantago major). It's the low rosette of wide, ribbed leaves that sends up skinny seed spikes along paths and driveways. (It's no relation to the banana-like plantain fruit.) Most lawn guides treat it as something to pull. Its history suggests a different view.

Broadleaf plantain is native to Europe and Asia and reportedly arrived in North America with European colonists. It spread so reliably wherever settlers went that some Native American peoples called it "white man's footprint." Indigenous healers soon adopted it into their own medicine, using it as a wound poultice and for digestive and respiratory complaints. In Scandinavia, its traditional name, groblad, means "healing leaves." The Greek physician Dioscorides recommended it for wounds in the first century.

Here's how people have used it:

• As food. The young leaves are edible in salads, pestos, and herb vinegars, or sautéed like spinach. Older leaves get tough and stringy. The seed heads are edible too, and like psyllium, the seeds turn slippery when wet.
• On the skin. The best-known folk remedy is the "spit poultice": chew a fresh leaf until it's mashed and press it onto a bee sting, bug bite, or small scrape. It's been a hiker's standby for generations.
• As a tea or infusion, traditionally used for coughs and an upset stomach.

Science has started to look at why. The leaves contain allantoin, a compound used in many skin-care products, along with aucubin and soothing mucilage. In lab and animal studies, plantain extracts have shown wound-healing and anti-inflammatory activity. Human research is still limited, so it's best thought of as a time-tested home remedy for minor scrapes and stings, not a replacement for medical care.

If you want to try it, pick from areas you know haven't been sprayed. Lawns, roadsides, and parks are often treated with herbicides, and that includes glyphosate.

Where it's grown

Psyllium needs exactly the right weather: cool, dry, and sunny as the seeds ripen, and even a light rain or heavy dew at harvest time can make the seeds drop. Those conditions line up almost perfectly in the dry winter season of western India.

As a result, India grows the large majority of the world's psyllium, mainly in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Indian agricultural researchers estimate India supplies about 80% of the psyllium husk on the world market, and exports 90 to 95% of what it grows, much of it to the United States and Europe.

Let's talk about constipation

It's one of the most common health complaints there is, and one of the least discussed. Constipation affects roughly 1 in 6 adults in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and it becomes more common with age. Among people over 65, more than a quarter of men and nearly a third of women report it.

We don't think it should be an awkward subject. Moving waste out of the body regularly is as basic to good health as eating and sleeping. When the body's plumbing backs up, people feel bloated, sluggish, and uncomfortable, and chronic straining can lead to problems like hemorrhoids.

It's also closely tied to the fiber story in this post. Low-fiber, highly processed diets, too little water, and too little movement are some of the most common reasons digestion slows down.

How psyllium helps

Psyllium is a bulk-forming fiber. In the gut, it soaks up water and forms a soft gel, which does two things at once: it adds moisture to hard, dry stools so they pass more easily, and it adds bulk to loose stools so they firm up. That's why the same fiber is used for both constipation and diarrhea, normalizing stool from either direction.

The research behind it is strong:

• A 2022 analysis of 16 clinical trials in adults with chronic constipation found that fiber supplements worked, and that psyllium was the most effective, adding about three bowel movements a week while improving stool consistency and reducing straining. Results were best at doses above 10 grams a day, taken for at least four weeks.
• In one trial of 170 people with chronic constipation, 10 grams of psyllium a day softened stools within three days, outperforming a common over-the-counter stool softener.
• For people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroenterology guidelines recommend soluble fiber such as psyllium as a first step.

A quick note on our granola: psyllium is in our All Day Granola mainly as a natural binder, in much smaller amounts than these studies used. If constipation is a real problem for you, the research points to dedicated psyllium supplements and an overall higher-fiber diet, ideally with guidance from your doctor.

Habits that keep things moving

• Add fiber gradually. Jumping from 15 grams to 35 overnight usually means gas and bloating. Increase over a few weeks.
• Drink more water as you add fiber. Fiber needs water to work, and psyllium especially must be taken with a full glass.
• Lean on whole foods. Beans, pears, berries, prunes, oats, and the other foods in this post all help.
• Move your body. Walking and regular activity help keep digestion on schedule.
• Don't ignore the urge. Putting off a trip to the bathroom can make stools harder and constipation worse over time.

When to see a doctor

Fiber isn't the answer for everyone. Some types of constipation, like those caused by pelvic floor problems or very slow transit, may not improve with fiber, and a few can even feel worse. See a doctor if constipation lasts more than a few weeks or is new for you, or if you notice blood in the stool, severe abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, or a lasting change in your bowel habits, whatever your age.

Why fiber matters: the benefits of fiber

Fiber is the part of plant foods our bodies can't digest. Because it passes through largely intact, it keeps digestion moving, helps us feel full, feeds the beneficial bacteria in our gut, and is linked in research to healthier hearts and steadier blood sugar.

Most of us don't get nearly enough. Adults are generally advised to aim for about 25 grams a day for women and 38 grams for men, but about 95% of Americans fall short, with most adults eating around 15 grams.

How we lost our fiber: a short history

For most of human history, food and fiber were the same thing. People ate wild roots, tubers, seeds, greens, and fruit, and plenty of all of it. Researchers estimate that our ancestors ate around 100 grams of fiber a day, based on studies of fossilized remains and of modern hunter-gatherers like the Hadza of Tanzania, who still eat roughly that much.

Farming kept fiber high. When agriculture began about 10,000 years ago, whole grains became the backbone of the human diet. For thousands of years, grain was ground between stones in gristmills that couldn't fully separate the bran and germ from the flour, so even everyday bread kept much of its fiber.

The roller mill stripped it out. In 1873, a new steel roller mill made it possible to strip out the bran and germ efficiently, leaving soft, white, shelf-stable flour. White bread became a sign of refinement and prosperity, and whole-grain consumption fell dramatically from about 1870 to 1970. One of the rare reversals came during World War II, when Britain, short on wheat, required a coarser, higher-fiber "National" flour from 1940 to 1954.

Doctors noticed the pattern. By the 1970s, physicians like Denis Burkitt and Hugh Trowell, who had spent years working in Africa, noticed that diseases common in Western countries were rare among people eating traditional high-fiber diets. Their "fiber hypothesis" launched decades of research (more on that below).

Ultra-processed food took it further. Today, ultra-processed foods make up about 55% of the calories Americans eat, and nearly 62% for kids, according to the CDC. These foods are typically low in fiber by design: refined flours, sugars, and fats are cheap, shelf-stable, and easy to eat quickly. Popular restrictive diets can push fiber even lower, since cutting out grains, beans, and fruit often cuts fiber too. From 2015 to 2018, only about 4% of men and 12% of women met fiber recommendations.

The same shift is happening worldwide. As incomes rise and cities grow, countries that once ate traditional, fiber-rich diets are moving toward refined grains and packaged foods, repeating the path the U.S. and Europe took a century ago. Between 2006 and 2019, sales of ultra-processed foods such as baked goods, desserts, and ready meals rose about 50% in Africa and more than 50% in South and Southeast Asia. From 2009 to 2019, India led the world in ultra-processed food sales growth at 7.8% a year, compared with 0.4% in the U.S., where the market was already saturated. Researchers describe a shift in sub-Saharan Africa that began in the 1980s, from barely processed food, to more refined milled grains, to ultra-processed food.

The trend may be starting to reverse. CDC data show the share of calories Americans get from ultra-processed foods has started to edge down, from about 56% to 53% for adults over the past decade. Interest in sourdough, whole grains, home gardens, and foods like psyllium suggests more people are looking for their way back to fiber.

Fiber and the rise in colon cancer in younger adults

Colorectal cancer used to be thought of as a disease of older age. That's changing. According to the American Cancer Society, it's now the deadliest common cancer in adults under 50, and rates in people 20 to 49 have been climbing even as they fall in older adults. Incidence in adults under 50 rose by more than 50% between 1994 and 2014.

No one knows exactly why. Doctors point to a mix of factors rather than a single cause, and about 20% of early-onset patients have a genetic link. National Cancer Institute researchers list poor diet, smoking, and alcohol among the lifestyle factors under investigation, along with obesity and inactivity. Low fiber intake keeps coming up. As one Texas physician put it, fiber intake tends to be low for Americans, which can raise colorectal cancer risk.

Denis Burkitt, the surgeon mentioned above, first proposed that fiber protects against colon cancer in 1971. Decades of research since have largely backed him up:

• A 2021 review of 45 meta-analyses found convincing evidence linking higher fiber intake to lower colorectal cancer risk, one of only a handful of dietary factors to reach that level. People eating the most fiber had about a 16% lower risk.
• An analysis for the World Cancer Research Fund found that each additional 10 grams of fiber a day was linked to about a 10% lower risk, with the strongest results for fiber from cereal grains and whole grains.
• The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research now rate the fiber connection as "convincing," upgraded from "probable".

Researchers think fiber helps in a few ways. It moves waste through the colon faster, and gut bacteria ferment it into compounds that nourish the cells lining the colon.

Two important caveats. These studies show associations: people who eat more fiber also tend to have other healthy habits, and no single food prevents cancer. And diet is no substitute for screening. Routine screening now starts at age 45 for people at average risk, and anyone with symptoms like blood in the stool, a lasting change in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, or ongoing abdominal pain should see a doctor, whatever their age.

Soluble vs insoluble fiber

What soluble fiber does for your body

• Steadies blood sugar. Its gel slows digestion, so sugars from a meal enter the bloodstream more gradually. That helps keep both hunger and blood sugar in check.
• Helps lower cholesterol. Soluble fiber binds to bile acids in the gut and carries them out of the body. Since the liver uses cholesterol to make new bile acids, it pulls more cholesterol from the blood to replace them. An analysis of 67 controlled trials found a modest drop in total and LDL cholesterol with more soluble fiber.
• Feeds your gut bacteria. Many soluble fibers are fermented by the beneficial bacteria in the colon, which turn them into short-chain fatty acids that help nourish the cells lining the gut.
• Keeps you full and stools soft. The gel adds moisture and volume, which helps with both fullness and comfortable digestion.

What insoluble fiber does for your body

• Adds bulk. Often called roughage, insoluble fiber absorbs water and adds bulk to stool, which helps prevent constipation.
• Keeps things moving. It speeds the passage of food and waste through the digestive tract, so waste spends less time in the colon.
• Comes packaged with whole grains. Bran and whole grains are major sources, and fiber from cereal grains is the type most strongly linked to lower colorectal cancer risk in the research covered above.

Why you want both

The two types work as a team. Soluble fiber softens and steadies; insoluble fiber adds structure and keeps things on schedule. Soluble fiber alone can leave digestion soft but slow, and insoluble fiber alone adds bulk without the moisture and blood sugar benefits. Together they cover digestion, heart health, blood sugar, and the gut microbiome.

You don't need to track the ratio. Most whole plant foods contain both, often in the same bite. An apple carries soluble pectin in its flesh and insoluble fiber in its skin, and beans are rich in both kinds. Eat a variety of beans, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, and you'll get plenty of each. Psyllium is the exception: it's mostly soluble, which is why it gels so dramatically, and why it works best alongside a diet full of whole foods.

Prebiotic fiber: food for your gut

Your colon is home to trillions of bacteria, and like any living thing, they need to eat. Prebiotics are their food. In 2017, an international panel of scientists defined a prebiotic as a substance that is selectively used by the beneficial microbes in your body and provides a health benefit. The term itself dates to 1995.

It helps to keep three terms straight:

• Probiotics are live, beneficial microbes, found in foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi.
• Prebiotics are the fibers and compounds that feed those microbes.
• Not all fiber is prebiotic. To count, a fiber has to feed the helpful bacteria specifically and have a demonstrated benefit.

Why prebiotic fiber matters

When gut bacteria ferment prebiotic fiber, they produce short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate. Butyrate is a main fuel for the cells lining the colon, and these compounds are linked to better gut motility and lower inflammation. A well-fed, diverse microbiome is also tied in research to immune health, metabolism, and more, though scientists are still working out exactly how. What's clear is that a low-fiber diet starves the very microbes that help keep the gut healthy.

Where to find prebiotic fiber

Several of these grow well in a North Idaho garden: onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, and sunchokes, a hardy perennial that's a well-known natural source of inulin.

Here's a useful kitchen trick: when potatoes, rice, or pasta are cooked and then chilled, some of their starch turns into resistant starch. Potato salad and leftover rice count. Resistant starch was historically the biggest source of prebiotics in the human diet; one study found people eating a traditional diet in Africa consumed about 38 grams of resistant starch a day.

Where psyllium fits

Psyllium is only lightly fermented by gut bacteria, so most of it passes through intact. That makes it an excellent bulking fiber and only a minor prebiotic, although some researchers see prebiotic potential. For the full benefit, pair it with prebiotic-rich foods like oats, beans, onions, and fruit.

Go slowly. Because prebiotic fibers are fermented, adding a lot at once can cause gas and bloating. Some of them, especially inulin, FOS, and GOS, are also known triggers for people with IBS. Start small, increase slowly, and if your gut is sensitive, talk with your doctor or a dietitian. Psyllium is often better tolerated.

A tip if you're adding more fiber: go slowly and drink plenty of water. Increasing fiber too fast can cause gas and bloating.

High-fiber foods from around the world

Psyllium is one of many traditional fiber foods. Almost every food culture has its own, often a seed, root, or gum that gels in water much like psyllium does.

What many of these have in common is that slippery, gel-forming quality, called mucilage. Plants in dry or harsh climates often make it to hold onto water, and it's the same property that makes these foods so useful in the kitchen.

High-fiber foods you can grow at home

You don't need imported seeds to eat more fiber. Some of the best sources grow in ordinary backyards and gardens, including ours here in North Idaho. Fiber amounts below are approximate, based on typical USDA values.

If you have fruit trees, here's a homestead habit worth adopting: dry or freeze the extras. Dried apple rings and pear slices keep all their fiber and make a sweet, crunchy winter snack.

One caution: only eat plants you've identified with certainty. Broadleaf plantain is easy to recognize and edible, but many other wild plants have toxic lookalikes, so stick with what you know or learn from a local expert.

High-fiber recipes, quickest first

Reaching 25 or 38 grams of fiber a day gets much simpler when meals are built around beans, whole grains, fruit, and seeds. These eight recipes are ordered by hands-on time, from quickest to most involved. Fiber estimates are approximate, based on typical USDA values, and will vary by brand and portion.

1. All Day Granola breakfast bowl

Hands-on: 3 minutes · Total: 3 minutes · Serves 1 · about 13 grams of fiber, or about 18 with a pear

This is how we eat our own granola most mornings: a big bowl, like cereal, often with berries, fruit, and milk. A 3-ounce serving of our All Day Granola has 9 grams of fiber on its own, and a few simple toppings bring the bowl to well over half a day's goal for many people. (We have a pear tree so a lt of our fiber recommendations might include a pear! Swap it out for other fruits to get similar fiber) 

• 3 ounces All Day Granola (about 9 grams of fiber)
• 1/2 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen (about 4 grams)
  
• 3/4 cup milk of your choice, or 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• Optional: a pear, sliced (about 5 grams)

1. Pour the granola into a bowl.
2. Top with raspberries, chia or flax, and pear if using.
3. Add milk or spoon on yogurt. Eat right away for maximum crunch, or let it sit a few minutes if you like it softer. 
   

Make it a parfait: Layer granola, Greek yogurt, and a spoonful of the raspberry chia jam from recipe #5 in a jar for an easy breakfast to go!

2. Raspberry chia overnight oats

Hands-on: 5 minutes · Ready: overnight · Serves 1 · about 12 grams of fiber

Five minutes the night before, and breakfast is waiting in the fridge.

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/2 cup milk of your choice
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)
• Pinch of Ceylon cinnamon

1. Stir the oats, chia, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, and cinnamon together in a jar.
2. Fold in the raspberries, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Stir in the morning, adding a splash of milk if it's too thick.

3. Roasted pears with oat and seed crumble

Hands-on: 10 minutes · Total: 35 minutes · Serves 4 · about 5 grams of fiber per serving

A warm, lightly sweet dessert or breakfast that makes good use of backyard pears.

• 2 ripe pears, halved and cored (skin on)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Place the pear halves cut side up in a small baking dish.
2. Mix the oats, flax, nuts, butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt, and pile the crumble onto the pears.
3. Bake 25 minutes, until the pears are tender and the topping is golden. Serve with yogurt.

4. White bean and garden greens skillet

Hands-on: 15 minutes · Total: 15 minutes · Serves 2 · about 10 grams of fiber per serving

A fast lunch or light dinner that uses up whatever greens you have.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch kale, chard, or spinach, chopped
• 1 can (15 ounces) white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup broth or water
• Salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes
• Squeeze of lemon and grated parmesan, to finish

1. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft, about 4 minutes, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
2. Add the greens and broth and cook until wilted, 2 to 4 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans, season, and heat through. Finish with lemon and parmesan, and serve with whole-grain toast.

5. Whole-grain toast with raspberry chia jam and eggs

Hands-on: 15 minutes · Total: 20 minutes · Serves 1 · about 6 to 7 grams of fiber, or about 12 with a pear

Toast with jam and a couple of eggs is a simple, filling breakfast. Two slices of 100% whole-grain bread provide about 4 grams of fiber, while eggs have none and most store-bought jams add less than a gram. A quick homemade raspberry chia jam brings the total to roughly 6 to 7 grams, and a sliced pear on the side adds about 5.5 more.

Raspberry chia jam (makes about 1 1/4 cups)

• 2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Warm the raspberries in a small saucepan over medium heat until they break down, about 5 minutes, mashing as they soften.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the chia seeds, sweetener if using, and lemon juice.
3. Let sit for 10 minutes to thicken, then transfer to a jar. It keeps thickening in the fridge and lasts about a week.

To serve: Toast two slices of whole-grain bread, spread with chia jam, and serve with two eggs cooked any way you like. If you buy jam instead, look for one with no added sugar and fruit listed first. Add a pear to the meal for even more fiber! 

6. Split Pea Soup

Hands-on: 15 minutes · Total: about 1 hour 15 minutes · Serves 6 · about 16 grams of fiber per serving

Cooked split peas have about 16 grams of fiber per cup, among the highest of any food, and they need no soaking.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 1 onion, 2 carrots, and 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound dried green split peas, rinsed
• 8 cups broth or water
• 1 bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Optional: a smoked ham hock or diced ham

1. Warm the oil in a large pot and cook the onion, carrots, and celery until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
2. Add the split peas, broth, bay leaf, thyme, and ham if using. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered for about 1 hour, stirring now and then, until the peas fall apart.
3. Remove the bay leaf (and ham hock, shredding any meat back in). Season, and blend partly for a creamier soup.

7. Crunchy psyllium seed crackers

Hands-on: 15 minutes · Total: about 1 hour 30 minutes · Makes about 30 crackers · about 8 grams of fiber per 5 crackers

These high-fiber, gluten-free seed crackers contain no flour at all. Psyllium soaks up the water and turns a bowl of loose seeds into a dough that bakes into crisp, sturdy crackers. They're great with cheese or soup, and easy to flavor however you like.

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/3 cup whole flaxseeds
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons psyllium husk (whole husk, not powder)
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup water
• Optional: 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, garlic powder, or everything bagel seasoning

1. Mix. Stir all the seeds, psyllium, salt, and seasonings together in a bowl. Add the water and stir well.
2. Rest. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes, until it thickens into a sticky, spreadable dough. This is the psyllium and chia doing their work.
3. Spread. Heat the oven to 325°F. Spread the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet as thin and even as you can, about 1/8 inch. A second sheet of parchment on top and a rolling pin make this easier.
4. Bake, then score. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cut into squares with a knife or pizza cutter, and flip the slab if you can.
5. Finish. Bake another 20 to 30 minutes, until golden and fully crisp. Thinner spots brown faster, so keep an eye on the edges.
6. Cool. Let cool completely on the pan. They crisp up more as they cool.

Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. If they soften, re-crisp in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes.

Tip: If you only have psyllium powder, use about half as much, since powder absorbs water more strongly.

8. Cheesy refried bean bowls

Hands-on: 20 minutes · Total: 20 minutes (with cooked rice) · Serves 4 · about 15 grams of fiber per serving

One of our favorite easy weeknight meals: creamy homemade refried beans with sharp cheddar, served with rice and a slice of whole-grain sourdough, mostly from pantry staples.

• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup water or broth
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• 2 cups cooked brown rice, or another whole grain like farro, barley, or quinoa
• 4 slices whole-grain sourdough, toasted

1. Soften the aromatics. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Mash the beans. Add the beans, cumin, salt, pepper, and water. Simmer for 5 minutes, then mash until mostly smooth, adding a splash more water if it gets too thick.
3. Add the cheese. Stir in half the cheddar until melted, and taste for salt.
4. Serve. Spoon the beans over rice, top with the remaining cheddar, and serve with toasted sourdough for scooping.

Make it yours: Add salsa, sliced avocado, pickled onions, or chopped greens. Leftover beans keep for 4 days in the fridge.

9. Black bean and Barley chili

Hands-on: 20 minutes · Total: 60 minutes · Serves 6 · about 19 grams of fiber per serving

Hearty, freezer-friendly, and even better the next day.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion and 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup barley, rinsed and drained 
• 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (we often add more spice to taste!)
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 ounces) pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed (we choose organic because there usually aren't any extra ingredients on the back, but check the brand you buy to be sure!)
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups broth or water
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• To serve: sharp cheddar, sour cream or yogurt, cilantro, lime

1. Warm the oil in a large pot. Cook the onion and pepper until soft, about 6 minutes, then add the garlic and spices for 1 minute.
2. Add the barley, beans, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened.
3. Season to taste and serve with your favorite toppings.

Looking for an easy place to start? Our All Day Granola is made in small batches with organic sprouted oats, unsweetened coconut flakes, and psyllium husk, three of the ingredients you've just read about. Pour it over yogurt with a handful of raspberries for a breakfast that puts what you just learned into practice.

Want to go deeper? Read our guides to glyphosate in oats and coconut from every angle, or join our email list for new ingredient stories and seasonal recipes from our North Idaho kitchen.