Fiber + Dairy & Alternatives with Fiber

Soy milk fiber ranges from 0 to about 2 grams per cup, depending on the brand and on who measured it. Its real strength is protein, with 7 to 9 grams per cup, which puts it level with dairy milk and well ahead of other plant drinks.

Oat milk fiber runs about 1 to 2 grams per cup, so it does carry a little of the grain’s fiber, unlike dairy milk. The twist is that the carton with the most fiber in our comparison also had added cane sugar, so the label matters more than the oat on the front.

Barely. A cup of unsweetened almond milk has about 0.5 grams of fiber, and many brands list 0 grams, compared with 3.5 grams in an ounce of whole almonds. Almond milk fiber stays low because so little of the nut ends up in the carton, so it’s a calcium and vitamin E drink rather than a fiber source.

Chocolate milk has a little fiber, about 1.75 to 2 grams per cup, all of it from the cocoa, while plain milk has none. Chocolate milk fiber can reach 3 grams in a chocolate oat milk, but most bottles also carry about 12 grams more sugar than plain milk, so it works best as a treat rather than a fiber source.

No. Whipped cream has 0 grams of fiber, whether it comes from a can, a tub of nondairy topping or a carton of heavy cream you whip yourself. Whipped cream fiber stays at zero even in coconut versions, but the berries, pumpkin or oats underneath it can bring 3 to 8 grams or more.

No. Regular and reduced fat sour cream both have 0 grams of fiber, since they’re made from cultured cream. The only sour cream fiber you’ll find comes from dairy free versions built on beans and oats, at about 1 gram per 2 tablespoons, so the fiber in a loaded potato or taco comes from what’s under the dollop.

Cream cheese has 0 grams of fiber in a 2 tablespoon serving, whether it’s regular, whipped or a plain cashew version. Cream cheese fiber stays at zero even when the tub lists plant gums, so the fiber in a bagel breakfast depends almost entirely on the bagel and what you pile on top.

No. Cheddar, mozzarella, feta and Parmesan all have 0 grams of fiber, because cheese is made from milk and fiber only comes from plants. The cheese fiber content stays at zero whatever the age or style, so the fiber on a cheese plate comes from the crackers, fruit and vegetables you serve with it.

Barely. Half a cup of vanilla ice cream has about 0.5 grams of fiber and chocolate about 0.8 grams, both rounded down to 0 or under 1 gram on many labels. Ice cream fiber only climbs to around 3 grams in light pints with added fiber or fruit sorbets, so the toppings matter more than the scoop.

Plain kefir has 0 grams of fiber per cup, and so does water kefir. The kefir fiber content only rises when a maker adds something like oat fiber, as in Lifeway’s Blueberry Maple with Oats at 3 grams per bottle, so kefir is a probiotic drink rather than a fiber source.