How much dietary fiber do I REALLY need, and how do I get it?
July 29, 2022 8:54 AM Subscribe
A couple of doctors told me I need 30 grams of fiber per day. However, these same doctors told me it's almost impossible to get this much fiber on a normal diet. How is it possible my body needs something a normal diet can't provide? And if this is the case, what is the best way to get all this lovely fiber into my body?
My primary care physician recommended 30g of fiber per day in response to my cholesterol levels — not high enough to justify medication, but just above the "normal" range. Likewise, I went to a colorectal surgeon about some hemorrhoids, and he made the same 30g/day recommendation. So clearly fiber is a thing I need.
Here's the thing, though — how is it possible the human body evolved to require more fiber than a normal diet could possibly provide? According to one of the doctors, a normal bowl of salad only has 5g of dietary fiber. And I thought veggies were supposed to be high in fiber! I've also heard that fiber supplements might not be effective, or at least not as effective as eating high-fiber foods.
So what's going on here? Do I really need 30g of fiber a day? And if I do, how do I get this elusive 30g of fiber into my diet? Please no big horking hard-to-swallow tablets, I do very badly with those. Would also like to avoid grainy chalky yucky drinks that taste terrible and make me feel like an old man.
I've tried drinking 3 tablespoons of chia seed per day, mixed with 1/2 cup of lemonade. However this makes my throat feel not-so-great for most of the day — like I have something stuck in it. So maybe I should stop doing this.
Any help you could offer would be appreciated.
My primary care physician recommended 30g of fiber per day in response to my cholesterol levels — not high enough to justify medication, but just above the "normal" range. Likewise, I went to a colorectal surgeon about some hemorrhoids, and he made the same 30g/day recommendation. So clearly fiber is a thing I need.
Here's the thing, though — how is it possible the human body evolved to require more fiber than a normal diet could possibly provide? According to one of the doctors, a normal bowl of salad only has 5g of dietary fiber. And I thought veggies were supposed to be high in fiber! I've also heard that fiber supplements might not be effective, or at least not as effective as eating high-fiber foods.
So what's going on here? Do I really need 30g of fiber a day? And if I do, how do I get this elusive 30g of fiber into my diet? Please no big horking hard-to-swallow tablets, I do very badly with those. Would also like to avoid grainy chalky yucky drinks that taste terrible and make me feel like an old man.
I've tried drinking 3 tablespoons of chia seed per day, mixed with 1/2 cup of lemonade. However this makes my throat feel not-so-great for most of the day — like I have something stuck in it. So maybe I should stop doing this.
Any help you could offer would be appreciated.
One 15.5 oz/439 g can of cooked kidney beans contains 28 g of fiber. It’s the whole can, rather than a serving, so you’d have to get used to eating a full bowl of beans over the course of a day but that’s pretty easy to do with various recipes for soups, dal, bean salads, chili, etc. Legumes will take care of a lot of heavy lifting for you, fiber-wise. Just start out slow with some digestive enzymes and lots of water and you’ll be fine.
posted by corey flood at 9:10 AM on July 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by corey flood at 9:10 AM on July 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
By making good choices throughout the day e.g. NHS
posted by koahiatamadl at 9:10 AM on July 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by koahiatamadl at 9:10 AM on July 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
Benefiber (tasteless) dissolved in whatever drink you want (I do coffee) can work well. Or do it quick in a shot glass and follow up with more water. I cannot attest this won't make you feel old, however.
posted by tiny frying pan at 9:14 AM on July 29, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by tiny frying pan at 9:14 AM on July 29, 2022 [6 favorites]
Oh hi, I'm going through this too. My doc suggested supplements if I can't manage it in a day of eating. His list is: Psyllium Husk, Metamucil, Benefiber, Citrucel, Fiber gummies.
I've got some meds that are making me nauseated right now so eating is a chore, but I find that I can get close to making the fiber goal if I eat steel-cut oats for breakfast, and 2 pieces of Dave's Killer bread with my lunch & dinner.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:22 AM on July 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
I've got some meds that are making me nauseated right now so eating is a chore, but I find that I can get close to making the fiber goal if I eat steel-cut oats for breakfast, and 2 pieces of Dave's Killer bread with my lunch & dinner.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:22 AM on July 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
Something that often surprises people is that physicians (in the US at least) get very little nutrition training and know almost nothing about it unless they put deliberate effort into learning.
30g/day is completely doable but it certainly takes some doing for most people. My breakfast alone (steel cut oats cooked in soy milk, plus peanut butter, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and half an apple) easily gets me halfway there. Fruits and veggies are decent sources of fiber, but your real power houses are going to be beans, nuts/seeds, and whole grains. In particular for cholesterol reduction, you want to eat more soluble fiber, and great sources include oats (the more intact the better, so steel cut oats are more effective than cheerios), beans, and seeds.
posted by obfuscation at 9:42 AM on July 29, 2022 [17 favorites]
30g/day is completely doable but it certainly takes some doing for most people. My breakfast alone (steel cut oats cooked in soy milk, plus peanut butter, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and half an apple) easily gets me halfway there. Fruits and veggies are decent sources of fiber, but your real power houses are going to be beans, nuts/seeds, and whole grains. In particular for cholesterol reduction, you want to eat more soluble fiber, and great sources include oats (the more intact the better, so steel cut oats are more effective than cheerios), beans, and seeds.
posted by obfuscation at 9:42 AM on July 29, 2022 [17 favorites]
High-fiber tortillas are relatively easy option - look for "carb balance" or whole wheat. They typically have ~12g of fiber depending on the size. When I was in a similar situation I ate 2 wraps for lunch and made up the remainder elsewhere.
posted by matrixclown at 9:43 AM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by matrixclown at 9:43 AM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
High-fiber cereal! Join the Grape Nuts gang - 1/2 cup gives you 7g of fiber. Throw it on some yogurt, add some fruit, yum.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:46 AM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:46 AM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
These are actually two different types of fibre. Soluble fibre (beans, apples, oats, etc) will help reduce LDL cholesterol somewhat and insoluble fibre (wheat bran and whole wheat, nuts, potatoes) will help your colon. Some foods have both and some have mostly one or the other.
The other factor that is more important than fibre for LDL cholesterol is reducing saturated fat intake. But realistically, studies have shown you can bring your LDL cholesterol down by about 15% or so if you eat an ideal diet and probably half of that in the real world, so there is only so much you can do. Personally, I think it makes more sense to take a low-dose statin than it does to worry a lot about your diet in this context. Obviously, it's a good idea to eat a healthy diet, but trying to optimize fibre intake for a couple percentage point reduction in LDL seems like it isn't really worth it when you can cut 40% with a relatively low statin dose.
If you want to get a larger amount of fibre in your diet, beans and other legumes, certain fruits, potatoes with their skin, whole grain bread and pasta, and bran cereals are the big sources. Eat the skin of every fruit and vegetable — a lot of the fibre is found in the skin.
Here's the thing, though — how is it possible the human body evolved to require more fiber than a normal diet could possibly provide?
What is now our "normal diet" (processed foods, refined carbs, etc) has very little to do with what we would have eaten pre-agriculture. That's not an argument for any particular diet, but there's no question that our diet has changed much more rapidly than we have evolved.
posted by ssg at 9:49 AM on July 29, 2022 [11 favorites]
The other factor that is more important than fibre for LDL cholesterol is reducing saturated fat intake. But realistically, studies have shown you can bring your LDL cholesterol down by about 15% or so if you eat an ideal diet and probably half of that in the real world, so there is only so much you can do. Personally, I think it makes more sense to take a low-dose statin than it does to worry a lot about your diet in this context. Obviously, it's a good idea to eat a healthy diet, but trying to optimize fibre intake for a couple percentage point reduction in LDL seems like it isn't really worth it when you can cut 40% with a relatively low statin dose.
If you want to get a larger amount of fibre in your diet, beans and other legumes, certain fruits, potatoes with their skin, whole grain bread and pasta, and bran cereals are the big sources. Eat the skin of every fruit and vegetable — a lot of the fibre is found in the skin.
Here's the thing, though — how is it possible the human body evolved to require more fiber than a normal diet could possibly provide?
What is now our "normal diet" (processed foods, refined carbs, etc) has very little to do with what we would have eaten pre-agriculture. That's not an argument for any particular diet, but there's no question that our diet has changed much more rapidly than we have evolved.
posted by ssg at 9:49 AM on July 29, 2022 [11 favorites]
The original flavor Fiber One bran cereal has 18 grams per serving and is pretty low calorie. I rely on it and Metamucil to help keep my IBS under control.
posted by skycrashesdown at 10:32 AM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by skycrashesdown at 10:32 AM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Chia seed pudding Is divine, pair with something crunchy (nuts/granola/coconut flakes) it’s just a delight.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:42 AM on July 29, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:42 AM on July 29, 2022 [3 favorites]
Some of the Kashi cereals have 10+ grams of fiber per serving (e.g. cinnamon crips and original).
posted by loop at 10:59 AM on July 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by loop at 10:59 AM on July 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
Just adding some info to the recs of Benefiber - it is not only tasteless in my morning coffee, it is also completely texture-less. That is so, so important to me. I can't distinguish in any way a cup of coffee with Benefiber from a cup of coffee without it.
I can also recommend Kirkland brand protein bars, particularly the brownie or chocolate chip cookie dough varieties - they have 10 grams fiber per bar and 21 grams protein. I eat them for the protein, but the fiber helps me hit that target, too. I know these aren't natural sources of fiber, but I so seldom can convince myself to eat a vegetable - it really helps me get a lot of what I need.
Another alternative I like a lot is smoothies. Mine are very generic - A handful of spinach, half a frozen banana, water, ice if it's summer, and a handful of whatever berries I happen to have on hand. I don't get fancy - the point is it's delicious and it gets fruit/veg (fiber + vitamins!) into me, a person with many food aversions who doesn't often do what's good for her.
posted by invincible summer at 11:02 AM on July 29, 2022 [3 favorites]
I can also recommend Kirkland brand protein bars, particularly the brownie or chocolate chip cookie dough varieties - they have 10 grams fiber per bar and 21 grams protein. I eat them for the protein, but the fiber helps me hit that target, too. I know these aren't natural sources of fiber, but I so seldom can convince myself to eat a vegetable - it really helps me get a lot of what I need.
Another alternative I like a lot is smoothies. Mine are very generic - A handful of spinach, half a frozen banana, water, ice if it's summer, and a handful of whatever berries I happen to have on hand. I don't get fancy - the point is it's delicious and it gets fruit/veg (fiber + vitamins!) into me, a person with many food aversions who doesn't often do what's good for her.
posted by invincible summer at 11:02 AM on July 29, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: To start with possible solutions: Puy lentils contain an absurd amount of fiber, they are delicious, there are tons of recipes w/wo meat and you can just open a can and have dinner or lunch within 10-15 minutes. Obviously, if you ate them every day, you would probably tire of them, so I save them for those days where I just can't keep up the enthusiasm for fiber-rich foods, or for lunch if I know dinner will be almost fiber-less, like a steak dinner.
Peas and green beans also have a surprising amount of fiber and sometimes feel fresher and more fun to eat than the dried legumes. They are often as good frozen as fresh, so again, a solid serving of peas or beans as part of your meat and three will get you a long way.
But obviously, a chili with a lot of beans is good for you. As is hummus, or hummus-like spreads made with other legumes. And all the daals. Eat whole grain bread with your hummus or chili.
For a big party, I often make a wet stew with whatever meat, where I throw in a can of chickpeas for cheap protein, and also fiber. Serve with couscous or pasta or rice.
Now we are in season in the Northern Hemisphere, raspberries are great, with a much higher fiber content than most other berries. I like to mix berries and fruit though, because getting different fruit and vegetables is important too. So right now, my breakfast often contains a serving of yogurt with berries. In winter, I'm on the oatmeal-team, with apples and some dried fruit mixed in. I might also eat an egg and a good piece of whole grain bread, and then any fruit on the side.
Since ssg mentioned insoluble fibers, I have to mention that all of the starches create more insoluble fibers when they cool down. So a cold potato is better for your fiber count than a freshly cooked one (though the numbers I've found on the internet vary wildly), and sushi contains more fiber than a bowl of rice with fish on it. And a substantial amount of that increased fiber contents remains even if reheat the starch, as in a hash, or fried rice. A salade Nicoise with cold potatoes and green beans (and romaine lettuce, eggs, olives, tomatoes, tuna and anchovy) is a great seasonal source of healthy fiber and protein and happiness.
A classic Danish open sandwich is with cold sliced potatoes on whole grain rye bread, with mayo, and either raw and fried onions or anchovy. I promise, this does not feel like diet food, but it is a fiber bomb, and something I could actually eat every single day of the year.
Make it a habit to have nuts and seeds in your pantry, and use them as snacks or sprinkle on top of dishes. The same with dried fruit. A sprinkling of dried cranberries and pistachios on your salad or rice bowl or roast chicken will lift the fiber content, and make it more delicious.
Others have mentioned artichokes, and coincidentally, I just had a globe artichoke for dinner, and it was delicious at 10 grams of fiber. But I feel globe artichokes are a bit of a fuss to eat, so I don't do it often. The jarred little ones are great, though, and here they have fallen considerably in price recently, when all other prices are rising. If that isn't the case where you live, a good tip is to buy the cheap cans with artichokes in brine, and then do your own oil-based marinade with them. In season, and if you can get the ingredients, or blend brined artichokes or hearts with parmigiano and a bit of olive oil for a great creamy spread. this is glorious, and a fiber bomb. In some places, you can get all the ingredients frozen, so you can make it year round.
I have more, but this answer is getting too long. About the evolution thing: we evolved from a family of apes where our relatives are eating a lot more fiber than 30 grams every day. We have learnt to get more energy by cooking food and eating more meat than they do, though we were never carnivores as the cave-man caricature suggests. But we haven't as a species yet evolved to handle a Western diet, based on processed food, since we have only been eating that diet for the last 200 years, and then only a tiny minority of humans. Refined grains have only existed for about 150 years, and only accessible to most people for far less years. Foraging is still normal in a lot of cultures.
Humans are very good at adapting -- the Inuit traditionally ate very little fiber. But apart from the fact that they didn't live very long back in the day, their example also shows that processed food is more dangerous than lack of fiber.
posted by mumimor at 11:08 AM on July 29, 2022 [6 favorites]
Peas and green beans also have a surprising amount of fiber and sometimes feel fresher and more fun to eat than the dried legumes. They are often as good frozen as fresh, so again, a solid serving of peas or beans as part of your meat and three will get you a long way.
But obviously, a chili with a lot of beans is good for you. As is hummus, or hummus-like spreads made with other legumes. And all the daals. Eat whole grain bread with your hummus or chili.
For a big party, I often make a wet stew with whatever meat, where I throw in a can of chickpeas for cheap protein, and also fiber. Serve with couscous or pasta or rice.
Now we are in season in the Northern Hemisphere, raspberries are great, with a much higher fiber content than most other berries. I like to mix berries and fruit though, because getting different fruit and vegetables is important too. So right now, my breakfast often contains a serving of yogurt with berries. In winter, I'm on the oatmeal-team, with apples and some dried fruit mixed in. I might also eat an egg and a good piece of whole grain bread, and then any fruit on the side.
Since ssg mentioned insoluble fibers, I have to mention that all of the starches create more insoluble fibers when they cool down. So a cold potato is better for your fiber count than a freshly cooked one (though the numbers I've found on the internet vary wildly), and sushi contains more fiber than a bowl of rice with fish on it. And a substantial amount of that increased fiber contents remains even if reheat the starch, as in a hash, or fried rice. A salade Nicoise with cold potatoes and green beans (and romaine lettuce, eggs, olives, tomatoes, tuna and anchovy) is a great seasonal source of healthy fiber and protein and happiness.
A classic Danish open sandwich is with cold sliced potatoes on whole grain rye bread, with mayo, and either raw and fried onions or anchovy. I promise, this does not feel like diet food, but it is a fiber bomb, and something I could actually eat every single day of the year.
Make it a habit to have nuts and seeds in your pantry, and use them as snacks or sprinkle on top of dishes. The same with dried fruit. A sprinkling of dried cranberries and pistachios on your salad or rice bowl or roast chicken will lift the fiber content, and make it more delicious.
Others have mentioned artichokes, and coincidentally, I just had a globe artichoke for dinner, and it was delicious at 10 grams of fiber. But I feel globe artichokes are a bit of a fuss to eat, so I don't do it often. The jarred little ones are great, though, and here they have fallen considerably in price recently, when all other prices are rising. If that isn't the case where you live, a good tip is to buy the cheap cans with artichokes in brine, and then do your own oil-based marinade with them. In season, and if you can get the ingredients, or blend brined artichokes or hearts with parmigiano and a bit of olive oil for a great creamy spread. this is glorious, and a fiber bomb. In some places, you can get all the ingredients frozen, so you can make it year round.
I have more, but this answer is getting too long. About the evolution thing: we evolved from a family of apes where our relatives are eating a lot more fiber than 30 grams every day. We have learnt to get more energy by cooking food and eating more meat than they do, though we were never carnivores as the cave-man caricature suggests. But we haven't as a species yet evolved to handle a Western diet, based on processed food, since we have only been eating that diet for the last 200 years, and then only a tiny minority of humans. Refined grains have only existed for about 150 years, and only accessible to most people for far less years. Foraging is still normal in a lot of cultures.
Humans are very good at adapting -- the Inuit traditionally ate very little fiber. But apart from the fact that they didn't live very long back in the day, their example also shows that processed food is more dangerous than lack of fiber.
posted by mumimor at 11:08 AM on July 29, 2022 [6 favorites]
> I've tried drinking 3 tablespoons of chia seed per day, mixed with 1/2 cup of lemonade. However this makes my throat feel not-so-great for most of the day — like I have something stuck in it. So maybe I should stop doing this.
Try Greek yogurt, with 2 tablespoons chia seed, bit of jam, maybe nuts. Probably don't even wait for it to gel up.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:59 AM on July 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
Try Greek yogurt, with 2 tablespoons chia seed, bit of jam, maybe nuts. Probably don't even wait for it to gel up.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:59 AM on July 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
Pour some Oat Milk on your cereal for a few extra grams of fiber. And a banana for a couple more. Now you’re more than half way there.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 12:47 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 12:47 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Apart from apologizing about the abysmal spelling and grammar above, I'd also like to add that I've been at this for a little more than a year, and though I'm not yet at 25 grams of fiber (as a woman), and I was set back considerably by long covid, my blood sugar and other indicators have vastly improved. So it's worth trying even if you don't succeed right away.
Also, I've discovered that for most cultures, this amount of fiber was the norm until very recently, so there are lots of traditional recipes and meal plans out there that won't make you feel deprived.
posted by mumimor at 1:20 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also, I've discovered that for most cultures, this amount of fiber was the norm until very recently, so there are lots of traditional recipes and meal plans out there that won't make you feel deprived.
posted by mumimor at 1:20 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
I regularly get this much fibre without supplements. For reference, I eat around 2000 calories a day.
I try to eat 100g dry weight of lentils or beans most days. That gets you to 15 grams or so on its own. Have an apple every day. That gets you 4 grams. Hey, we're 2/3 of the way there and all we did was eat a bunch of beans and an apple. If you eat some vegetables and fruit on top of that, maybe some bulghur wheat or some brown rice or some oats, you'll blow past 30g no problem.
It's impossible to hit 30g if you have limited food availability or you have to eat what other people give you or reasons to avoid certain high fibre foods, but if you don't have those problems it's achievable.
SInce I told myself I was going to exceed the recommended amount for males in my country, I have noticed some improvements in the toilet department. Can't say if it's helping in other ways because I've had no reason to visit a doctor, but I doubt it's hurting.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:48 PM on July 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
I try to eat 100g dry weight of lentils or beans most days. That gets you to 15 grams or so on its own. Have an apple every day. That gets you 4 grams. Hey, we're 2/3 of the way there and all we did was eat a bunch of beans and an apple. If you eat some vegetables and fruit on top of that, maybe some bulghur wheat or some brown rice or some oats, you'll blow past 30g no problem.
It's impossible to hit 30g if you have limited food availability or you have to eat what other people give you or reasons to avoid certain high fibre foods, but if you don't have those problems it's achievable.
SInce I told myself I was going to exceed the recommended amount for males in my country, I have noticed some improvements in the toilet department. Can't say if it's helping in other ways because I've had no reason to visit a doctor, but I doubt it's hurting.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:48 PM on July 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: "Eaton and colleagues estimate fibre intake of 100–150 g/day for Palaeolithic populations, far greater than the ~20 g/day typical intake in the USA. Our assessments of the Hadza diet support this view. . . . we estimate daily fibre intakes of 80–150 g d−1 for Hadza adults."
So, 100-150 grams per day.
Note that does not mean that all palaeolithic populations at 100-150 g/day - humans are omnivores and diet varies widely. Nor does it mean that you should necessarily be aiming for 100-150 g of fiber per day - in fact if you just suddenly started eating that, you would likely be a very, very unhappy person for a long time, until your gut made the adjustment.
But for me, when I found out about this, it redefined the possible.
And it put my own diet - which came out right around the typical 20g/day, when analyzed by apps like MyFitnessPal - in a whole new light.
If some people are able to eat 100-150 grams of fiber day in and day out, I ought to be able to hit 40-60 grams without too much trouble.
People in the thread above have good advice. Here are my specific thoughts:
- Salads. The famous 7 grams-of-fiber salad is like a little salad bowl that is a minor side-dish to your dinner. It is like 1/10th of your dinner.
I try to make "a salad" one or (preferably) two of my meals every day.
That is to say, "salad" is the main part of the meal with a little meat, cheese, bread, etc added to it. Rather than the other way around - mainly meat, white bread, etc with a little salad on the side.
It usually includes things like cabbage, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and the like, plus some beans and/or lentils, maybe a scoop of brown rice, and nuts.
Bulk-wise, the "salad" ingredients are maybe 80% of the meal.
Just ran the numbers, a salad like this is something like 17 grams fiber. Add a little fruit or berries and you're over 20 grams fiber for that meal.
3X that for the day and you're in the ballpark of 60-75 grams of fiber daily.
Now, when I say "salad": Sometimes it's an actual salad, sometimes it's the same basic ingredients stir-fried, sometimes same ingredients made into a soup, sometimes made into a smoothie (see below), etc etc etc.
But the same basic ingredients prepared in different ways, and they always total 20+ grams of fiber per meal.
- Beans & lentils. As mentioned above, these are filled with fiber and one of the best things you can add to your diet. I try to make them part of nearly every meal.
FWIW adding in beans and lentils made the single biggest improvement for me.
Also FYI: I found I had to gradually ease into eating beans, due to GI issues. I started by adding a small spoonful, then a larger spoonful, and so on up. Now I'll sometimes each a whole can at a single meal. It took a while to get there, though.
- Whole grains vs refined grains. Refined grains remove the fiber plus some micronutrients and oils. That is what makes refined grains shelf-stable for years. Just for example, brown rice has 5-6X the fiber of white rice. Whole wheat flour has roughly 4X the fiber of white flour. Etc.
I make a "rule" to always eat whole grains, never eat refined grainsl.
(Like all such rules, sometimes I break it. Still, it's the rule, and I follow it the vast majority of the time.)
- Refined foods. The defining characteristic of refined foods is that all or nearly all of the fiber has been removed.
Similarly with fast food: A Whopper Value Meal has about 7g fiber (mostly from the french fries, FYI) and about 1120 calories.
Compare that with the salad meal I mentioned above: Even with added meat, cheese, and salad dressing that still comes in at 25 g fiber with just 810 calories.
Point is, it's not impossible to reach even 60 or 80 g daily fiber without straining too hard, if you choose the foods that will help you get there.
If you always choose refined and prepared foods, designed to minimize fiber, then yeah - it's hard or impossible.
- Nuts. Nuts = protein with tons of fiber. Whereas meat = protein with zero fiber.
- Fiber supplements. Like others, I like Benefiber or similar generics with the same active ingredient, because it has no taste and no texture when mixed with water. There are few other types that have no taste/no texture.
But here is the thing: An adult serving of Benefiber is 2 tsp mixed with water, which yields 3 grams fiber.
So hunter-gatherer diets had 100-150 grams of fiber whereas a serving of Benefiber adds 3 grams fiber.
You can see why the impact of that on your health and wellbeing is pretty minimal.
Still, you can take that Benefiber (or similar) 3X a daily for a total of 9-10 grams of extra fiber. If you can remember to take it faithfully three times a day, it does indeed help a little.
Just remember that it would take literally THIRTY TO FIFTY servings of Benefiber each day to equal the fiber in a hunter-gatherer diet.
That's why it makes more sense to change the fundamentals of what you eat to get the bulk of the fiber you need - and then that fiber supplement is just a little cherry on top of that.
- Smoothie. This has helped me a lot. It is basically a "salad meal" as I outlined above, but you put it in a blender, grind it up, and drink it.
When I did this every morning for breakfast for a while, it upped my fiber intake like nothing doing.
Basic recipe:
- Blender 3/4 full of kale, and/or cabbage, chinese cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnip greens, collards, spinach, and similar, or a mixture of several of the above
- Small handful of chia seeds & small handful of flax seeds (or use other seeds/nuts, whatever you have on hand)
- 1/4-1/2 cup frozen berries (or other fruit - apply, banana, orange, etc)
Fill blender with water (or you can use a liquid like almond milk, rice milk, or even regular milk if you prefer), blend, and drink.
Drink plenty of water along with it - a good basic trick when upping your fiber intake. Fiber absorbs water; an under-hydrated blob of fiber trying to make its way through your digestive system is no fun.
posted by flug at 1:58 PM on July 29, 2022 [11 favorites]
So, 100-150 grams per day.
Note that does not mean that all palaeolithic populations at 100-150 g/day - humans are omnivores and diet varies widely. Nor does it mean that you should necessarily be aiming for 100-150 g of fiber per day - in fact if you just suddenly started eating that, you would likely be a very, very unhappy person for a long time, until your gut made the adjustment.
But for me, when I found out about this, it redefined the possible.
And it put my own diet - which came out right around the typical 20g/day, when analyzed by apps like MyFitnessPal - in a whole new light.
If some people are able to eat 100-150 grams of fiber day in and day out, I ought to be able to hit 40-60 grams without too much trouble.
People in the thread above have good advice. Here are my specific thoughts:
- Salads. The famous 7 grams-of-fiber salad is like a little salad bowl that is a minor side-dish to your dinner. It is like 1/10th of your dinner.
I try to make "a salad" one or (preferably) two of my meals every day.
That is to say, "salad" is the main part of the meal with a little meat, cheese, bread, etc added to it. Rather than the other way around - mainly meat, white bread, etc with a little salad on the side.
It usually includes things like cabbage, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and the like, plus some beans and/or lentils, maybe a scoop of brown rice, and nuts.
Bulk-wise, the "salad" ingredients are maybe 80% of the meal.
Just ran the numbers, a salad like this is something like 17 grams fiber. Add a little fruit or berries and you're over 20 grams fiber for that meal.
3X that for the day and you're in the ballpark of 60-75 grams of fiber daily.
Now, when I say "salad": Sometimes it's an actual salad, sometimes it's the same basic ingredients stir-fried, sometimes same ingredients made into a soup, sometimes made into a smoothie (see below), etc etc etc.
But the same basic ingredients prepared in different ways, and they always total 20+ grams of fiber per meal.
- Beans & lentils. As mentioned above, these are filled with fiber and one of the best things you can add to your diet. I try to make them part of nearly every meal.
FWIW adding in beans and lentils made the single biggest improvement for me.
Also FYI: I found I had to gradually ease into eating beans, due to GI issues. I started by adding a small spoonful, then a larger spoonful, and so on up. Now I'll sometimes each a whole can at a single meal. It took a while to get there, though.
- Whole grains vs refined grains. Refined grains remove the fiber plus some micronutrients and oils. That is what makes refined grains shelf-stable for years. Just for example, brown rice has 5-6X the fiber of white rice. Whole wheat flour has roughly 4X the fiber of white flour. Etc.
I make a "rule" to always eat whole grains, never eat refined grainsl.
(Like all such rules, sometimes I break it. Still, it's the rule, and I follow it the vast majority of the time.)
- Refined foods. The defining characteristic of refined foods is that all or nearly all of the fiber has been removed.
Similarly with fast food: A Whopper Value Meal has about 7g fiber (mostly from the french fries, FYI) and about 1120 calories.
Compare that with the salad meal I mentioned above: Even with added meat, cheese, and salad dressing that still comes in at 25 g fiber with just 810 calories.
Point is, it's not impossible to reach even 60 or 80 g daily fiber without straining too hard, if you choose the foods that will help you get there.
If you always choose refined and prepared foods, designed to minimize fiber, then yeah - it's hard or impossible.
- Nuts. Nuts = protein with tons of fiber. Whereas meat = protein with zero fiber.
- Fiber supplements. Like others, I like Benefiber or similar generics with the same active ingredient, because it has no taste and no texture when mixed with water. There are few other types that have no taste/no texture.
But here is the thing: An adult serving of Benefiber is 2 tsp mixed with water, which yields 3 grams fiber.
So hunter-gatherer diets had 100-150 grams of fiber whereas a serving of Benefiber adds 3 grams fiber.
You can see why the impact of that on your health and wellbeing is pretty minimal.
Still, you can take that Benefiber (or similar) 3X a daily for a total of 9-10 grams of extra fiber. If you can remember to take it faithfully three times a day, it does indeed help a little.
Just remember that it would take literally THIRTY TO FIFTY servings of Benefiber each day to equal the fiber in a hunter-gatherer diet.
That's why it makes more sense to change the fundamentals of what you eat to get the bulk of the fiber you need - and then that fiber supplement is just a little cherry on top of that.
- Smoothie. This has helped me a lot. It is basically a "salad meal" as I outlined above, but you put it in a blender, grind it up, and drink it.
When I did this every morning for breakfast for a while, it upped my fiber intake like nothing doing.
Basic recipe:
- Blender 3/4 full of kale, and/or cabbage, chinese cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnip greens, collards, spinach, and similar, or a mixture of several of the above
- Small handful of chia seeds & small handful of flax seeds (or use other seeds/nuts, whatever you have on hand)
- 1/4-1/2 cup frozen berries (or other fruit - apply, banana, orange, etc)
Fill blender with water (or you can use a liquid like almond milk, rice milk, or even regular milk if you prefer), blend, and drink.
Drink plenty of water along with it - a good basic trick when upping your fiber intake. Fiber absorbs water; an under-hydrated blob of fiber trying to make its way through your digestive system is no fun.
posted by flug at 1:58 PM on July 29, 2022 [11 favorites]
I will just mention: I came down with a really terrible hemorrhoid last year. While trying to schedule appointments to get it removed - which now in Covid times takes months longer than it took before - I just happened to start in with this ~60 gram daily fiber diet outlined above. Not because of the hemorrhoid, but for completely unrelated reasons.
By the time I got in to see the proctologist to talk about scheduling the procedure, the hemorrhoid was gone.
When I explained what I'd been eating lately, the penny dropped.
See, when you come in with hemorrhoids or similar conditions, they'll send you home with a bunch of generic advice, including "increase your fiber."
Everyone goes home and adds a tablespoon of Benefiber to their daily diet and SURPRISE! nothing at all happens.
Nobody goes home and raises their fiber from like 20g/day to 60g.
But if you do, that's what happens.
posted by flug at 2:11 PM on July 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
By the time I got in to see the proctologist to talk about scheduling the procedure, the hemorrhoid was gone.
When I explained what I'd been eating lately, the penny dropped.
See, when you come in with hemorrhoids or similar conditions, they'll send you home with a bunch of generic advice, including "increase your fiber."
Everyone goes home and adds a tablespoon of Benefiber to their daily diet and SURPRISE! nothing at all happens.
Nobody goes home and raises their fiber from like 20g/day to 60g.
But if you do, that's what happens.
posted by flug at 2:11 PM on July 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
"how is it possible the human body evolved to require more fiber than a normal diet could possibly provide"
So normal the way these doctors use the word means typical, and making some assumptions about where you live, that probably means some fast food and restaurant meals and processed food that comes in a box or a bag making most of your food intake, with not that much fruit and veg or legumes or whole grains. But you're not evolved for that. Humans do fine on a wide range of things, but by and large, not heavily processed foods with fat and sugar added and fibre removed.
Also "evolved for" is a tricky phrase because really, we are whatever is necessary to achieve reproductive success. A diet that gets you to say 60, long enough to see grandkids and give them a start in life 10000 years ago, is not guaranteed to be an optimal diet for good health into your 70s. Beware of naturalistic fallacies and arguments about evolution...
I don't blame your doctors for saying this, because they are probably well aware that people like eating what they like and also, your doctors aren't dieticians and aren't tooled up to provided ongoing diet advice, that's not a thing they learn in medical school. So they're all about the supplements layered on to what you already eat. You don't have to go down that road though. You can eat all the things people suggest above instead. You'll get a lot of other nutrients as a bonus too.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:25 PM on July 29, 2022 [3 favorites]
So normal the way these doctors use the word means typical, and making some assumptions about where you live, that probably means some fast food and restaurant meals and processed food that comes in a box or a bag making most of your food intake, with not that much fruit and veg or legumes or whole grains. But you're not evolved for that. Humans do fine on a wide range of things, but by and large, not heavily processed foods with fat and sugar added and fibre removed.
Also "evolved for" is a tricky phrase because really, we are whatever is necessary to achieve reproductive success. A diet that gets you to say 60, long enough to see grandkids and give them a start in life 10000 years ago, is not guaranteed to be an optimal diet for good health into your 70s. Beware of naturalistic fallacies and arguments about evolution...
I don't blame your doctors for saying this, because they are probably well aware that people like eating what they like and also, your doctors aren't dieticians and aren't tooled up to provided ongoing diet advice, that's not a thing they learn in medical school. So they're all about the supplements layered on to what you already eat. You don't have to go down that road though. You can eat all the things people suggest above instead. You'll get a lot of other nutrients as a bonus too.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:25 PM on July 29, 2022 [3 favorites]
I get way more than this a day - I regularly get that much from breakfast and lunch! The only thing I do that's intentional is eat a tablespoon or two of ground flax with my breakfast - for breast cancer prevention - the rest comes from normal eating, mostly from fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. You can do it!
posted by beyond_pink at 2:40 PM on July 29, 2022
posted by beyond_pink at 2:40 PM on July 29, 2022
This is totally doable, and let me tell you - this much fiber is MAGICAL. I have never been so regular and never had such nice poops. (This has to to be a new low on the internet, but well).
Recent days and their fiber counts, just to give you some more ideas:
- cup of ripple milk, 3 tbs of flax seeds, half a cup of mango; 11 oz of tofu, cup of broccoli, half a cup of white rice, a banana; turkey/zucchini/mushroom/spinach fried spring rolls; a bunch of 3D Doritos: 32 grams of fiber
banana, cup and a half of mango, couple of tbsp of hemp protein powder with added fiber,
OJ smoothie; taco soup with corn and beyond burger and some strawberries and tangerines; a metric ton of sushi and seaweed salad and mixed nuts: 38 grams
2/3 tbsp basil seeds and 2/3 cup of coconut milk and a half cup of mango slices; half a cup of oat milk; lettuce wraps with white rice and bulgogi sauce and romaine and beyond burger; argulua and halumi and peach and pistachio salad; some boba tea; 4 tbs of the hemp powder and a banana and strawberries and some lemonade in a smoothie; some potato chips: 39 grams
So you can totally get your fiber in, still eat some "junk" food, and enjoy what you're eating. I hate beans (bad southerner), so no reliance on lentils etc for me. It can be done. :)
posted by joycehealy at 3:14 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Recent days and their fiber counts, just to give you some more ideas:
- cup of ripple milk, 3 tbs of flax seeds, half a cup of mango; 11 oz of tofu, cup of broccoli, half a cup of white rice, a banana; turkey/zucchini/mushroom/spinach fried spring rolls; a bunch of 3D Doritos: 32 grams of fiber
banana, cup and a half of mango, couple of tbsp of hemp protein powder with added fiber,
OJ smoothie; taco soup with corn and beyond burger and some strawberries and tangerines; a metric ton of sushi and seaweed salad and mixed nuts: 38 grams
2/3 tbsp basil seeds and 2/3 cup of coconut milk and a half cup of mango slices; half a cup of oat milk; lettuce wraps with white rice and bulgogi sauce and romaine and beyond burger; argulua and halumi and peach and pistachio salad; some boba tea; 4 tbs of the hemp powder and a banana and strawberries and some lemonade in a smoothie; some potato chips: 39 grams
So you can totally get your fiber in, still eat some "junk" food, and enjoy what you're eating. I hate beans (bad southerner), so no reliance on lentils etc for me. It can be done. :)
posted by joycehealy at 3:14 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Make your breakfast a bowl of muesli and chuck in 10g-15g each of ground flax seeds and inulin and you’re about halfway there without even having thought about lunch and dinner.
Inulin is really useful for increasing fibre intake - it’s a white powder with a slightly sweet taste that comes from chicory root and is also a prebiotic so supposedly generally good for your gut.
BUT for some people it causes gastrointestinal distress so you really do have to start with the tiniest of sprinkles and build up gradually to check that’s not you. I get on fine with it and can have 10-15g no problem but if I’ve been off it for a bit do best to start with 5g and increase gradually.
posted by penguin pie at 3:26 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Inulin is really useful for increasing fibre intake - it’s a white powder with a slightly sweet taste that comes from chicory root and is also a prebiotic so supposedly generally good for your gut.
BUT for some people it causes gastrointestinal distress so you really do have to start with the tiniest of sprinkles and build up gradually to check that’s not you. I get on fine with it and can have 10-15g no problem but if I’ve been off it for a bit do best to start with 5g and increase gradually.
posted by penguin pie at 3:26 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Search for “high fibre low calorie foods” and you’ll get stuff like this
https://achs.edu/blog/2012/11/16/10-high-fiber-low-calorie-foods/
Raspberries, greens, peas, and barley are good ones to go for.
posted by cotton dress sock at 5:51 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
https://achs.edu/blog/2012/11/16/10-high-fiber-low-calorie-foods/
Raspberries, greens, peas, and barley are good ones to go for.
posted by cotton dress sock at 5:51 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Don't blindly pick beans and nuts though, there's a wide variation of fiber content. For example, chia seeds are 33% fiber while chestnuts are only 5% by weight.
posted by flimflam at 8:30 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by flimflam at 8:30 PM on July 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Sorry, I can't stop. I thought of this post right now when I was down on the street, because I saw the falafel shop, and remembered that absolutely everything on their menu gets me my full daily fiber amount in one serving. So if you are looking for take-out options, Middle Eastern is a good choice. It's the same with Mexican. Not only are beans good for you, so is avocado, and the spices are an extra health benefit.
posted by mumimor at 4:02 AM on July 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 4:02 AM on July 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
A food is high in fiber if at least 20-25% of its total carbohydrates come from fiber.
This is fun! You can look at the food in your kitchen or the store and confirm that what everyone is saying about beans vs processed foods is true! "This bag of candy is not high in fiber."
posted by aniola at 8:39 AM on July 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
This is fun! You can look at the food in your kitchen or the store and confirm that what everyone is saying about beans vs processed foods is true! "This bag of candy is not high in fiber."
posted by aniola at 8:39 AM on July 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you all for all the advice and ideas! Please do keep them coming.
posted by Sloop John B at 11:02 AM on July 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Sloop John B at 11:02 AM on July 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Smart Bran cereal is expensive but like 18g in a cup. Definitely the highest fiber cereal I could find. I order it from Amazon. I’m fucking tiresome.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 12:00 PM on July 30, 2022
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 12:00 PM on July 30, 2022
For breakfast, try rolled oats, prepped just with boiling water. Ideally with, you guessed it, chia seeds in it and jam or fruit on top. Maybe chopped walnuts or almonds.
There's other modes like overnight muesli, but rolled oats in a bowl + boiling water is about as simple as it gets.
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:22 PM on July 30, 2022
There's other modes like overnight muesli, but rolled oats in a bowl + boiling water is about as simple as it gets.
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:22 PM on July 30, 2022
Fiber in some common foods:
Apple, large is 5g.
Oatmeal, dry, 1/3cup is 2.7g
Healthy bread (dense multigrain) is 5–10g per slice.
Cooked brown rice is 3.5g per cup.
Cooked black beans are 15g per cup
Cooked Pinto beans are 15.5g per cup
Cooked Lentils are 15.6 g per cup
Cooked Fava beans are 14g per cup
Good information on fiber from the Linus Pauling Institute.
posted by conrad53 at 10:22 PM on July 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Apple, large is 5g.
Oatmeal, dry, 1/3cup is 2.7g
Healthy bread (dense multigrain) is 5–10g per slice.
Cooked brown rice is 3.5g per cup.
Cooked black beans are 15g per cup
Cooked Pinto beans are 15.5g per cup
Cooked Lentils are 15.6 g per cup
Cooked Fava beans are 14g per cup
Good information on fiber from the Linus Pauling Institute.
posted by conrad53 at 10:22 PM on July 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you like/are fine with salads, mixing in artichoke hearts (7g / ½cup) would work well — they're delicious although somewhat expensive. Seems like mixing in half a cup of artichoke hearts to your salad would ~double the fiber content.
Prunes seem to also be somewhat high-fiber (12g / cup), and IMO are a pretty nice snack food.
posted by wesleyac at 9:08 AM on July 29, 2022 [3 favorites]