Fix Your Fiber Intake

Are You Eating Enough Fiber?

Lets find out if you incorporate enough fiber in your diet. If not, learn about foods that are high in this essential carbohydrate and check out the sample high fiber 1-day meal plan.

Why is Fiber Important?

As a country, we stink at eating enough fiber and our waistlines are suffering because of it. The American diet seriously lacks in dietary fiber intake leading to higher levels of obesity and chronic disease. With excess consumption of packaged and ultra-processed foods, many people do not leave enough room in their diet for fiber rich foods. It’s time to swap out those Cheetos for some more black bean burritos!

What is Fiber and What are the Benefits?

Fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate that is naturally found in plants like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. What makes fiber such a powerful compound is the fact that humans cannot digest it. Although it seems like that would make it relatively useless, that is not the case. How could something we can’t digest help so much with our digestion? Let’s take a magnified look at fiber!

There are 2 different types of dietary fiber, soluble and insoluble.

• Soluble fiber can be dissolved in water and forms a gel like consistency in our digestive tract. This process slows down digestion, leaving you feeling full for a longer period of time. Think of trying to run in a pool versus on land, you will be much slower in water! Slower digestion of carbohydrates will lead to fewer spikes in blood sugar which can lead to a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. The gel formed by soluble fiber also traps cholesterol molecules in your gut and helps you excrete them, leading to a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

  • Sources of soluble fiber: beans, lentils, edamame, oats, barley, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots, apples, avocado, pears, chia seeds and flax seeds

• Insoluble fiber is the opposite of soluble fiber and cannot be dissolved in water. This difference helps attract water into your bowel making digestion easier. This regularity can help lower your risk for gastrointestinal diseases such as diverticulosis and colorectal cancer.

  • Sources of insoluble fiber: whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts, beans, cauliflower, green beans and potatoes

In addition to decreasing the risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer, one study found that dietary fiber is inversely related to cardiometabolic risk factors, meaning the more fiber consumed the lower the risk for obesity and inflammation in the body (2). Another study found that individuals who consumed more fiber had a decreased risk for high blood pressure (1). Eating a diet high in fiber is great for overall gut health and can decrease risk of many preventable diseases.

Do you read food labels?

Dietary fiber is located right under total carbohydrates on the food label. Start counting how many grams of fiber you eat in one day to see if you reach the daily recommendation.

Men: 38 grams per day

Women: 25 grams per day

How Much Fiber Should You Eat?

            One study found that Americans eat around 14 grams of fiber per day, which is close to half of the daily recommended amount for adults (2). According to the USDA, the recommended daily fiber intake is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. In order to reach that goal, increasing fiber intake slowly will give the gut time to adjust without causing bloating, gas or discomfort. Familiarize yourself with high fiber foods and start to slowly incorporate them into your diet today!

Example High Fiber Meal Plan:

Breakfast:

Chobani plain Greek yogurt

½ cup raspberries (4 grams)

1/3 cup Kind cinnamon oat granola (4 grams)

Snack:

2 tbsp sabra hummus (1 gram)

2 medium carrots (3 grams)

Lunch:

Turkey and swiss cheese sandwich on

2 slices Dave’s Killer Bread with lettuce and tomato (10 grams)

Snack:

1 small apple (3 grams)

2 tbsp peanut butter (2 grams)

Dinner:

Black bean and shrimp bowl:

½ cup quinoa (3 grams)

1/3 cup black beans (5 grams)

½ cup sweet potato (2 grams)

Shrimp

Sour cream and lime crema

Total Fiber intake: 37 grams

References:

1.     Sun B, Shi X, Wang T, Zhang D. Exploration of the Association between Dietary Fiber Intake and Hypertension among U.S. Adults Using 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Blood Pressure Guidelines: NHANES 2007⁻2014. Nutrients. 2018;10(8). doi:10.3390/nu10081091

2.     Lie L, Brown L, Forrester TE, et al. The Association of Dietary Fiber Intake with Cardiometabolic Risk in Four Countries across the Epidemiologic Transition. Nutrients. 2018;10(5). doi:10.3390/nu10050628