I am sure that you have heard eating fiber is good for you at one point or another in your life. What I am also sure of is that you never truly heard of why it was good for you. If you did, it most likely stopped at it helping you poop. Yes, I said poop. Everybody poops. Stop cringing.
TL;DR
Fiber can help prevent diseases, aid in weight loss and management, and keep your gut healthy and happy.
Per the USDA, a high fiber diet goal is 14g of fiber per every 1,000 calories consumed. More specifically, 28g/day of fiber for women and 35g/day of fiber for men.
Make sure to drink enough water per day so the fiber can work its magic.
See below for why, examples of high fiber foods, and a full day worth of eating to hit the 28g/day goal!
Long version
Fiber is the part of plant foods that your body cannot digest or absorb. This means that it cannot be digested by the body like protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Fiber is a group of compounds that share similar characteristics and are generally classified as either soluble or insoluble.
Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel, and is associated with heart health benefits and glucose control. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, and is associated with promoting bowel regularity. Here is a summary of common sources of each and the health benefits it promotes:
You can check out these meta-analysis for dietary fiber and its role in reduced risk of colon cancer, lowering LDL, type 2 diabetes management, weight management, and digestive health.
To me, one of the most interesting aspects of dietary fiber on every day life is its impact on gut health. Many struggle with gastric distress. Gastric distress is a group of digestive disorders associated with pain, gas/bloat, altered defecation, and foregut symptoms. This is of course not something you will experience from not meeting your fiber intake one or two days, but overtime as you do not consume enough fiber you can increase your chance of gastric distress.
The image below from this study depicts how fiber protects the mucus layer of our gut by degrading gut microbiota. On the right, you can see how the typical western diet, which is low in fiber, causes an altered gut microbiota which leads to "severe deterioration of the mucus layer and can enhance the susceptibility to infections and the development of chronic inflammatory diseases."
When the mucus layer is deteriorated, that is when symptoms of gastric distress. The good news is that this can be reversed by consuming a high fiber diet.
Per the USDA, a high fiber diet goal is 14g of fiber per every 1,000 calories consumed. More specifically, 28g of fiber for women and 35g of fiber for men.
After reading all of the benefits of fiber above you might be thinking, "well, I will just double the daily USDA recommendation because I want to prevent diseases and have a healthy gut." Please do not do this. Just as consuming low fiber has negative effects, so does consuming too much fiber. Remember, fiber is not digestible by the body. This means that too much of it will also cause you to be constipated and have severe bloating.
Have you heard of "veggie bloat"? If you follow fitness and health accounts on Instagram there is a very good chance that you have seen pictures of flat bellies in the morning and bloated bellies at night time. The caption will claim that this is normal and it is what is supposed to happen when you consume vegetables.
No. Just no. There is nothing normal about going from flat to 6 months pregnant after a couple of meals. Want to know why they are SO bloated? Overconsumption of fibrous foods throughout that the day which leads to bloating and pelvic pain. Some bloating? Sure, that is normal. You went from an empty stomach in the morning to a full day's worth of food. Just please stop thinking that severe bloating from morning to night time is normal. This is a sign that you are consuming too much fiber. Stop the overconsumption of cauliflower rice and instead give your gut a break by just having some actual rice.
What about weight management? Fiber increases satiety which means it helps keep you fuller longer. Bonus. Who likes eating a meal, and then being hungry an hour later? Not me, and I am sure that you do not either. Make sure you eat some fiber in your meal to increase your satiety and stay fuller longer! Regular bowel movement will also help with your weight loss journey.
By now I hope that I have you sold on the importance of fiber. Also, you need to ensure you are hydrated in order to process the fiber. A good rule of thumb is half your bodyweight in water, plus 8oz for every 30 minutes of exercise performed on a daily basis. Example: a 200lb person who works out for an hour would consume 116oz of water that day.
Here are some excellent sources of fiber:
Here are some practical swaps in daily life to increase your daily fiber intake:
Here is what full day of eating would look like to meet the USDA's fiber recommendation of 28g for women:
This image is my actual daily food log! I took all of these pictures today other than the apple and protein shake. I completely forgot to take a picture but at least I found a good one royalty free.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and consider adding more fiber to your daily diet. Comment below or email me if you have any questions!
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