What You Need to Know About Fiber
It’s 2024, and it’s time to start focusing on fiber, my friends! When it seems the world is *obsessed* with all things protein, I’ll be over here hyping fiber because it truly is a game changer when it comes to your overall nutrition and helping you to feel good! And here’s why:
In this blog post, I’ll be discussing what fiber is, the benefits of incorporating fiber in your meals and snacks, the amount of fiber you should be working towards, sources of fiber, and my top tips as a registered dietitian on how to increase your fiber intake.
What Is Fiber?
Fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate that contains all the parts of plant-based foods, meaning your body doesn’t digest the fiber like it does with other types of carbohydrates. Fiber is considered a complex carbohydrate, meaning that it will take your body a bit longer to break down, can aid in reducing blood sugar spikes, and will keep you feeling full for longer.
On the flip side, simple carbohydrates will break down with the body at a much quicker rate in the form of glucose (aka sugar molecules), which will then be absorbed and either sent to the bloodstream to be used for energy or sent to the liver to be stored as glycogen for later use.
Again, fiber will pass through your GI tract undigested. Fiber doesn’t provide you and your body with the necessary glucose or energy, but just because it doesn’t provide you with energy like other carbohydrates doesn’t mean it’s not beneficial to include fiber in your day.
Keep reading below to find out why!
How Much Fiber Do You Need?
The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend women receive 25–28 grams of fiber a day, while men should be getting around 38 grams. On average, around 90% of women aren’t meeting this recommendation and are only getting around 12–15 grams of fiber a day.
Following these guidelines precisely may not be where your body feels it’s best. So, finding the range of fiber that feels good for you and your body is important! Keep in mind that incorporating some amounts of fiber most of the time can be helpful.
Health Benefits of Fiber
Fiber is beneficial at improving digestion, cardiovascular health, and can help with keeping you full for longer!
Here are even more healthful benefits of fiber:
Improves total cholesterol levels
Lowers LDL (“bad” cholesterol)
Reduces risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Supports insulin sensitivity
Lowers blood pressure
Improves gut microbiota (feeds the good bacteria in your gut!)
Helps to maintain your feel good weight
Improves overall metabolism
Anti-inflammatory effects
Supports overall mental health
Types of Fiber
There are two main types of fiber: soluble and insoluble, and both play important roles in your overall health.
Soluble Fibers:
When soluble fibers enter your stomach and intestines, they will dissolve in the water and gastrointestinal fluids, transforming into a gel-like form (think about the consistency of jam or jelly), which can then be digested by bacteria in the large intestine (fermentable).
Can aid in lowering cholesterol levels by binding to the cholesterol in the body and removing excess amounts you and your body doesn’t need.
Are super beneficial for lowering your LDL or “bad” cholesterol.
Help to stabilize blood glucose (sugar) levels by slowing the digestion process of carbohydrates.
Are also beneficial at reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease because of its effects on cholesterol and blood glucose (sugar).
Feeds the good bacteria in your gut because it’s fermentable in the colon.
Food Sources: oats and oatmeal, chia seeds, nuts, beans, lentils, apples, and blueberries
Insoluble Fibers:
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and gastrointestinal fluids and will stay mostly intact when traveling through the digestive tract. Insoluble fibers have more of a thick, fibrous structure compared to soluble fibers (think about a celery stalk or the skin on a kernel of corn).
Promotes movement of material through your digestive system and increase stool bulk, benefiting those who struggle with constipation or irregular stools
Lower the risks of diverticulitis and colon cancers
Food Sources: whole wheat products, quinoa, brown rice, leafy greens, potatoes, almonds, walnuts, and fruits with edible skin
More Sources of Fiber
It’s best for you to include a variety of both soluble and insoluble fibers in your overall diet without stressing or hyper-fixating on each one, specifically! There are tons of different foods that contain fiber, but here are a few to get you started on incorporating more fiber-rich foods into your diet.
Side Note: You can always look at the Nutrition Facts Label to see if a food product is low or high in fiber! Looking at the dietary fiber column (under the carbohydrates), if the dietary fiber is:
5% DV or less, it’s considered low
20% DV or more, it’s considered high
OR
2.5-4.9 grams of fiber is considered a good source of fiber
5 or more grams of fiber is considered an excellent source of fiber
Okay, here’s a quick list to get you started!
cooked navy beans (1/2 cup contains 9.5 g)
100 percent ready-to-eat bran (1/2 cup contains 8.8 g)
canned kidney beans (1/2 cup contains 8.2 g)
cooked split peas (1/2 cup contains 8.1 g)
cooked lentils (1/2 cup contains 7.8 g)
cooked pinto/black beans (1/2 cup contains 7.8/7.5 g)
cooked artichoke (one whole artichoke contains 6.5 g)
cooked white beans/chickpeas/great northern beans (1/2 cup contains 6.3-6.2 g)
mature soybeans (1/2 cup cooked contains 5.2 g)
plain rye wafers or crackers (2 crackers contain 5.0 g)
baked sweet potato with the peel (1 medium potato contains 4.8 g)
raw pear or Asian pear (1 small pear contains 4.3-4.4 g)
cooked green peas (1/2 cup contains 4.4 g)
whole wheat English muffin/bread (1 muffin or 2 slices contains 4.4 g)
cooked bulgur wheat (1/2 cup contains 4.1 g)
raw raspberries (1/2 cup contains 4.0 g)
boiled sweet potato without the peel (1 medium potato contains 3.9 g)
baked potato with the peel (1 medium potato contains 3.8 g)
stewed prunes (1/2 cup contains 3.8 g)
dried figs or dates (1/2 cup contains 3.7-3.8 g)
raw oat bran (1/2 cup contains 3.6 g)
canned pumpkin (1/2 cup contains 3.6 g)
cooked spinach (1/2 cup contains 3.5 g)
shredded ready-to-eat wheat cereals (1 ounce contains 2.8-3.4 g)
raw almonds (1 oz. contains 3.3 g)
raw apple with the skin (1 medium apple includes 3.3 g)
cooked whole wheat spaghetti (1/2 cup contains 3.1 g)
raw banana or orange (1 fruit contains 3.1 g)
Here are even more foods listed from the Dietary Guidelines of Americans.
Simple Tips to Add Fiber
Adding Berries to your breakfast or in your snacks! Top off your yogurt, toast, or oatmeal with a handful of berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries) to instantly add in fiber.
Choose Whole Grain bread, tortillas, and pastas most of the time. This can easily add 4-5 grams of fiber when you’re enjoying a sandwich or a wrap or on spaghetti night!
Beans are your Friend when it comes to instantly adding in more fiber to meals you're already enjoying like soups, pastas, tacos or burritos, salads, casseroles, or avocado toast! I love using white cannellini beans, black beans, or chickpeas most of the time.
Sprinkle seeds into and onto anything! Whether you’re baking muffins, flipping pancakes, or simply topping your toast off, adding in 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds, hemp heart seeds, or flaxseeds can boost your fiber by 10 grams!
Snack on nuts like almonds or walnuts with a piece of fruit like an apple or a pear
Eat the Rainbow is an easy way to automatically add in fiber and just overall micronutrients. When you’re making a meal, ask yourself “what color of vegetables can you add?”
Slower is Better
Including more fiber into your meals and snacks is such a healthful goal, but here are a few important tips that you don’t want to miss!
Increase your fiber intake, SLOWLY rather than doing an overnight haul. A good start would be to mindfully add fiber into one meal or snack and build consistency around that and then keep adding from there. Adding fiber in slowly is giving your gut time to adjust and for you to build a sustainable habit
Drink plenty of water throughout your day, especially around the times you’re eating meals with fiber
Move your body by simply walking or stretching to help get things moving in your digestive system
Take This With You
Including sources of fiber in your meals and snacks is a healthful choice and can benefit you and your health in many ways. Adding fiber doesn’t have to be a rule, it can simply be a feel-good choice you make most of the time!
If you have questions, leave them below in the comments!
