Do you eat the right types of fiber? It’s doubtful! Here’s what to do

You probably don’t eat enough high-fiber foods. And even if you are, it’s doubtful you get all the types of fiber you need for weight management, blood sugar control, cholesterol lowering and more.

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Here’s the 3-part bottom line right at the top.

1. You probably need to eat more high-fiber foods. Only 1 in 20 people eat enough fiber.
2. Not all fibers are the same.
3. We need to eat a large variety of fiber-containing foods to get the benefits related to preventing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, bowel disease and more!

 

8 Things to Know about Fiber and High Fiber Foods

1. You probably need fiber more than you get

A mere 5% of Americans consume the recommended amount of fiber. The Adequate Intake is 25 grams daily for women and 38 grams for men. Older women should aim for at least 21 grams, and older men should aim for 30 grams or more daily. Sadly, the average daily intake is only 16 grams. To meet your goal, choose high-fiber foods with every meal.

2. You probably need more variety of fibers

We say fiber, but we really mean fibers. Plural. We cannot refer to fiber as a single nutrient. That’s like talking about vitamins as if they all had the same function. Just like there are several types of vitamins, there are several types of fibers. And they are not interchangeable.

And it’s more complicated than classifying them as soluble and insoluble.

Some fibers are viscous and thicken the contents of our intestines, which can help people with diabetes or prediabetes. Viscous fibers slow the entry of glucose into the bloodstream, and they help lower cholesterol levels.

Not all soluble fibers have these superpowers.

Other fibers are fermented in the colon by the good bacteria living there. Some fibers are fermented a little. Some get fermented a lot, and some are very resistant to fermentation. Fermentable fibers fuel the bacteria in your gut. Fiber is their primary energy source, and these healthy bacteria need a steady supply of food to thrive. Thus, we need to eat a steady supply of fermentable fibers.

Just as an aside, the healthy bacteria have lots of functions. They produce vitamins, help us absorb minerals, detoxify cancer-causing compounds, and activate cancer-fighting compounds and other health-boosting compounds. Additionally, during the fermentation process, bacteria produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which have a host of benefits too, including protecting the colon cells and making you more sensitive to the effects of insulin. For lots more, check out How to throw a dinner part for your gut bacteria.

Still other fibers help in the bathroom by speeding up the the passage of stool and increasing the weight of the stool.

• bathroom helpers: bran fibers from various grains
• food for your gut bacteria: fibers in oats, barley, fruits and vegetables
• cholesterol and blood sugar helpers: viscous fibers in oats, barley, beans and lentils

3. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate

Only plants give us fiber. Get the various types in fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. This is one of the reasons my nutritionist heart breaks when I hear people fear-mongering carbohydrates. A diet very high in animal protein is typically – though not always – low in fiber. The fiber in carb-rich foods is just one reason that I say yes to eating carbs. Get answers to all your carbohydrate questions here.

4. High fiber diets are associated with better health

This feels like an under-statement! Here’s what we get:

• less type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke
• less obesity
• better blood pressure
• reduced risk of diverticular disease
• less colon cancer from fiber in grains
• less cancers of the lung, mouth, pharynx and larynx from fibers in fruits and vegetables

And if you have prediabetes, you may start to fear carbohydrates, but individuals with the highest fiber intakes are 29 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest intakes of fiber.

5. Some high fiber foods help manage hunger

I wish I could say it about every fiber, but it’s a myth that all fibers manage appetite. In a systematic review looking at the short-term effects of fiber on satiety and food intake, researchers identified only a handful of fibers that affected either increased satiety or decreased food intake at the next meal. And they studied 38 types of fiber.

A few that showed benefit:

• whole grain rye
• rye bran
• oats
• barley
• Fiber One cereal
• carrots
• resistant starch

6. High fiber diets are associated with slightly lower body weights

The effect on weight is small, but still meaningful.

Maybe it’s related to appetite and satiety (as discussed above). Or maybe filling the plate with high-fiber foods means that there’s less room for calorie-packed choices. Or maybe people who eat lots of high-fiber foods work harder at eating healthfully and managing their weight. Regardless, a high-fiber diet does the body good.

7. Fiber supplements and foods fortified with fiber are okay

But they don’t substitute for eating a host of foods with naturally-occurring fiber. Consumed in excess, some added fibers cause painful gas and bloating. While this can happen with foods naturally high in fiber too, the likelihood is less, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

More importantly, by getting the fiber you need from a variety of foods, you get more fiber types, more vitamins, more minerals, more cancer fighters and on and on.

After aiming to meet your needs with a variety of foods, fill in the fiber gaps with fiber-fortified cereal, cereal bars and supplements.

8. You can get to your fiber goal by eating a few foods very high in fiber and lots of foods with a little fiber.

Even brewed coffee has a bit of fiber!

Here are a few foods with their fiber counts.

FOOD	FIBER (g)
Baby carrots, 8	2.5
Broccoli, 1 cup	2.2
Raspberries, ½ cup	4.0
Pear, 1 medium	5.5
Prunes, 5	3.4
Raisin bran, 1 cup	7.4
Brown rice, cooked, 1 cup	3.5
Oatmeal, cooked, 1 cup	4.0
Kidney beans, 1 cup canned	11
Lentils, cooked, 1 cup	15.6
Almonds, ¼ cup	4.0

Source: Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Health Implications of Dietary Fiber

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How to Increase Your Fiber Intake

If you’re like most people, you’d benefit by at least doubling your fiber intake. But take it slowly and drink plenty of fluids to minimize gas, bloating and discomfort. Grab some inspiration from these smart trades. For lots of reasons – not just for the fiber –  it’s smart to eat fruits or vegetables or both at every meal and snack and to eat whole grains or pulses (beans, peas and lentils) at most meals.

INSTEAD OF THIS	TRADE UP TO THIS
Cornflakes	Oatmeal
Apple or orange juice	Apple or orange
Omelet	Vegetable omelet
Cold cereal	Cold cereal topped with fruit
Turkey and cheese sandwich	Turkey and cheese sandwich loaded with veggies
Spaghetti and meat sauce	Whole grain spaghetti with a lentil-based meatless sauce
Potato salad	Veggie-packed potato salad
Rice	Quinoa, barley or whole grain rice mixed with another whole grain
Pretzels	Popcorn
Yogurt	Yogurt topped with muesli
Frozen yogurt	Berries topped with frozen yogurt
Cereal bar	Fiber-fortified cereal bar

Just like vitamins work together to boost health, various fiber types do the same. It’s not enough to hit your goal of 25 or 38 grams. You need the entire spectrum of available fibers.

Cheers to fiber-filled eating!

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