In this article
- What is dietary fiber?
- Why is everyone raving about fiber?
- What are the top fiber benefits?
- What are the signs that I’m not getting enough fiber?
- How can I add more fiber to my diet?
- Is there such a thing as too much fiber?
- Should I use fiber supplements?
- What are the best fiber supplements?
Key takeaways:
- Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate that feeds the good bacteria in our digestive tract, aka the gut microbiome.
- Fiber can help with weight loss, regular bowel movements, and curbing food cravings.
- It’s important to eat the right kind of fiber (soluble or insoluble) to suit your gut health needs.
- Fiber supplements are super convenient, but the best way to increase your fiber intake is by eating dietary fiber found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Those butterflies in your stomach when you just know something good is about to happen are all thanks to fiber, the unsexy superfood that often gets mistaken for a laxative. You’ve probably heard its name before, but weren’t really sure why fiber is important.
Fiber is the long cellular structure that allows plants and trees to grow tall and proud. When we eat fruits and veggies, fiber regulates our gut, affecting our digestive system and overall health. Besides wellness brands blasting your Instagram feed with new fiber bars and supplements, fiber is literally everywhere!
When you eat fruits and vegetables, fiber enters your body as indigestible carbohydrates. Fiber feeds the good bacteria in the gut, a.k.a. the gut microbiome. With a healthy gut microbiome, you digest food at a slower pace. Slower digestion means that you stay full for longer, and possibly curb unhealthy snack cravings.
The daily recommended fiber intake is 25 grams per day for people assigned female at birth (AFAB) and 38 grams per day for people assigned male at birth (AMAB). Most Americans only get a whopping 50% of their recommended fiber intake --- about 14g per day. No wonder 2.5 million Americans ask their doctors for constipation relief on a yearly basis.
Before you add those fiber supplements to your shopping cart, it’s important to know what kind of fiber you need and where to get it. As always, talk to your doctor if you have any questions about how fiber can interact with your current medications or health conditions.
In the meantime, here’s the nitty gritty on fiber --- the most underrated superfood.
What is dietary fiber?
Dietary fiber is fiber that enters your body through fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies can contain soluble fiber or insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber, like the kind found in chia seeds, avocados and sweet potatoes, dissolves in water. Think about the way chia seeds turn into pudding overnight when mixed with milk. Soluble fiber acts the same way in the digestive tract, trapping your food in a gel-like substance that allows the nutrients to be absorbed slowly into the body. This slow absorption process allows you to feel full for a longer period of time so that you’ll have less snack cravings throughout the day.
Insoluble fiber, like the kind found in kale, does not dissolve in water. Generally, you can find insoluble fiber in beans, chickpeas, almonds, and veggies with strong stalks like kale or celery. Insoluble fiber acts more like cement to give your bowel movements a more solid consistency, which comes in handy if you’re struggling with diarrhea or runny bowel movements.
If you don’t drink enough water while increasing your fiber intake, you’ll regret it later while pushing out the most laborious poop of your life. Fiber is an important part of a balanced diet, and hydration is key to making fiber work for you.
Why is everyone raving about fiber?
Let’s talk sh*t. No, literally. Let’s talk about your poop.
If you were awake during your high school health class, you probably remember fiber being described as a broom that sweeps away all of the toxins we ingest from processed foods. When you eat fibrous foods, your bowel movements generally become more regular.
“Regular bowel movements” are different for everybody. Some people need to go once in the morning and once at night, while others love a lengthy afternoon delight (one of the great perks of working from home). When you miss your nightly poop, for example, you might feel like your cheesy pasta food baby is squirming around in your digestive tract, causing poor sleep. An overly full, hungry or unsettled gut can negatively affect your mood, and pooping regularly is a big part of that.
Fiber also balances your blood sugar so that you can maintain a steady stream of energy throughout the day. A healthy fiber intake can help you stay cool, calm and collected during afternoon meetings instead of guzzling cups of coffee to beat a sleepy midday slump.
What are the top fiber benefits?
Detoxifying colon broom, gut bacteria regulator, bowel curator, blood sugar reducer --- fiber is a multihyphenate superfood that truly does it all.
Here are a few reasons to add more fiber to your diet:
- Fiber is good for your gut microbiome.
- Fiber can help you lose weight.
- Fiber can help with constipation.
- Fiber reduces sugar and cholesterol levels in your blood.
- Fiber reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Fiber provides an all-natural detox.
- Fiber can reduce the risk of colon cancer.
What are the signs that I’m not getting enough fiber?
These days, the abundance of microwave meals and fast food combined with the rising prices of healthy plant-based foods makes it really hard for the average person to get their daily recommended fiber intake. When you skimp on dietary fiber, you may develop a fiber deficiency.
Here are a few signs that your body needs more fiber:
- You’re constipated.
- You have high cholesterol.
- You continuously have food cravings.
- You have low energy throughout the day.
- You experience highs and lows in your energy levels due to blood sugar fluctuations.
- You’re gaining unwanted weight.
- You’re experiencing irritable bowel syndrome.
How can I add more fiber into my diet?
Thankfully, you don’t need to be a salad-chopping machine to add fiber to your diet. Adding more fiber into your diet can be as simple as adding an avocado to a chicken dinner. If you crave sugar-filled orange juice, which typically has little to no fiber in it, you can easily get 3.4g of fiber by switching to a real orange. That orange’s fiber content is likely to keep you fuller for longer, which is why fiber is so important to weight loss.
Start adding fiber to your diet gradually instead of making a big, dramatic change.
Here are a few ready-to-eat high-fiber snacks you can keep in your pantry or fridge:
- Pears
- Bananas
- Almonds, and other nuts
- Apples (Pro tip: Leave the skin on! It’s got tons of fiber.)
- Oranges
- Celery or carrot sticks with hummus
- Cucumber slices
- Popcorn
- Jicama slices
- Dark chocolate
- Raspberries, and other berries
- Dried fruits
Here are some snacks that require a little bit of prep, but pack a big punch of fiber:
- Roasted chickpeas
- Overnight chia seed pudding
- Peanut butter and oatmeal energy bites
Here are some ingredients you can add to your meals to boost your fiber intake:
- Avocados
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Lentils
- Sweet potatoes
- Flax seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Beans
Is there such a thing as too much fiber?
Don’t get too excited. Fiber is great, but increasing your intake very suddenly might actually work against you. Work on incorporating more fiber-rich foods into your diet little by little, or start with supplements that have a low fiber content.
Bonus points: Incremental diet changes can actually result in long-term maintenance of your preferred weight, as opposed to the short-lived effects of a sudden dietary overhaul like Whole 30 or Keto.
Here’s how you know you’ve taken too much fiber:
- You’re bloated.
- You’re farting a lot.
- Your stomach is cramping.
- You gain or lose weight too quickly.
- Your blood sugar levels decrease dramatically, which is important to note if you have diabetes.
- You feel nauseous, sometimes to the point of vomiting.
Should I use fiber supplements?
Experts claim that functional fiber, or fiber that is isolated and put into processed foods like fiber bars, may be less effective than eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Plus, plant-based foods contain so many nutrients and minerals that fiber supplements can’t give you.
Still getting used to adding fruits and vegetables to your diet? Too busy to cook or meal prep? Financially strained and unable to buy plant-based groceries? Still not reaping the fiber benefits you were promised after switching your diet? About to eat a heavy celebratory meal for a friend’s birthday? A fiber supplement can offer some much-needed support for a fiber-rich dietary change.
What are the best fiber supplements on the market?
When shopping for fiber supplements, it’s important to understand what you want to get out of it. Are you taking fiber to manage your weight or appetite? Are you looking to lower your cholesterol or blood sugar? Are you looking for a fiber supplement that can help every now and then after a large meal? How much money are you willing to spend on increasing your fiber intake? Verywellfit listed 7 of the best fiber supplements for each of these needs, as listed by dietitian Eliza Savage, MS, RD, CDN.
Fiber supplements come in two forms: powders or capsules. Powders like MetaMucil Sugar-Free Orange Powder or Psyllium Husk Powder from NOW Foods can be mixed into room temperature water. Some people complain that the mixture of fiber powder supplements and water results in a thick, phlegm-like consistency.
The main ingredient in the powders listed above is Psyllium derived from the husks of the ispaghula plant’s seeds. As long as you drink enough water, psyllium sucks up all the water in the gut and mixes it with constipated bowels, making it easier to let that sh*t go.
On the other hand, fiber capsule supplements are hyped up on every corner of the internet. Besides mainstay capsules like MetaMucil’s Psyllium Capsules, fiber capsules now come in trendy packaging from brands like Love Wellness, which was founded by reality TV personality Lo Bosworth of The Hills. Love Wellness’ Sparkle Fiber has been hyped to no end, despite only having 3g of fiber in each capsule.
Brands like Seed, Hum and The Nue Co created prebiotic powders that contain nutrients that nourish the gut microbiome specifically. At the time this article was written, Seed’s Daily Synbiotic capsules were sold out and available for pre-order. The Nue Co’s Prebiotic + Probiotic Capsules even have spore-forming probiotics, which adds more good bacteria to the gut microbiome in addition to prebiotic powders that feed those bacteria.
Overall, when it comes to adding more fiber to your diet, just listen to your gut. If anything, trying new supplements or making incremental changes to your diet can be a great opportunity to check in with how your gut feels. Any little change can make a huge difference in your overall mood and wellness.
