Everything You Should Know About Fiber
It’s only been in recent diet culture that fiber has become a bad word. As people focus on protein, sometimes exclusively, our intestinal broom has gotten the broom. But fiber has a lot of benefits. And most of us aren’t getting nearly enough.
"There are many health benefits of fiber. It helps with weight loss, helps with constipation, it reduces your risk of colorectal cancer, and it reduces your risk of diverticulitis. So basically, we all are not getting enough fiber in the current American diet," says Traci Hedrick, MD, a colon and rectal surgeon at UVA Health.
So, what makes fiber so beneficial? And how much should you be eating?
What Is Fiber?
Plants are made of fibers that can’t be digested.
- Soluble fiber is fiber that dissolves in liquid.
- Insoluble fiber does not dissolve, and actually makes it through the GI tract more-or-less intact.
Pretty much all plants (vegetables and fruits) have both.
Despite these fibers themselves not being digested, they aid in digestion. This helps us get more nutrients from the rest of our diet and improves bowel movements.
One of the things you’ll hear the most often in favor of fiber is that it keeps you regular. In this context “regular” means pooping at least once a day, without pain. No constipation. No diarrhea.
How Fiber Helps You Stay Healthy
Fiber helps feed the good bacteria in your gut. While you can’t digest fiber, your gut bacteria love it. And when they consume it, a byproduct is produced that inhibits cancer cells. Having more regular bowel movements also prevents any carcinogens from hanging out in your gut for too long.
Both types of fiber help with bowel regularity.
Other Health Benefits of Fiber:
- Better nutrient absorption
- Lowering bad cholesterol
- Lower rate of heart disease
- Managing blood sugar
- Lower risk of colorectal cancer
- Healthy gut microbiome
- Reduced inflammation
Soluble Fiber Benefits
Soluble fiber absorbs water and turns into a gel. This improves your blood sugar by slowing down the digestion process. It also helps you feel full for longer.
Insoluble Fiber Benefits
Insoluble fiber is what really helps with constipation. This can help with preventing hemorrhoids and diverticulitis. It also just helps with the general discomfort of constipation.
In children, constipation is one of the leading causes of stomachaches. "It can cause abdominal pain/discomfort, cramping, fullness," says Zeeshan Javaid, MD, a family medicine physician at UVA Health Bristow.
How Much Fiber Should I Eat?
Population | Amount of fiber |
Children ages 1-3 | 19 g |
Children ages 4-8 | 25 g |
Boys ages 9-13 | 31 g |
Girls ages 9-13 | 26 g |
Boys ages 14-18 | 38 g |
Girls ages 14-18 | 26 g |
Women ages 18-50 | 25 g |
Men ages 18-50 | 38 g |
Women ages 50 and up | 21 g |
Men ages 50 and up | 30 g |
These numbers are based on averages around gender and diet. If you’re a man who is eating fewer calories, you may not need as much fiber. If you’re a woman who is focused on muscle development, you may need more.
The easiest way to tell if you’re getting enough is if you’re a regular pooper. If you’re going every day, like clockwork, then you’re probably getting the right fiber content.
What are some of the foods with the highest soluble fiber?
Food | Serving size | Soluble fiber |
Apple | 1 medium | 4.2 g |
Cooked black beans | ½ cup | 3.8 g |
Cooked artichoke | 1 medium | 4.7 g |
Wheat brain | ½ cup | 11.3 g |
Whole-grain pasta | 1 cup | 4.1 g |
Air-popped popcorn | 3 cups | 3.2 g |
Oatmeal cooked | 1 cup | 2.4 g |
Grapefruit | 1 large | 4.8 g |
Kiwi | 1 large | 2.1 g |
Banana | 1 medium | 2.1 g |
What are some of the foods with the highest insoluble fiber?
Food | Serving Size | Insoluble Fiber |
Pear | 1 medium | 3.2 g |
Strawberries | 1 cup | 2.6 g |
Almonds | 1 ounce | 3.5 g |
Lentils | ½ cup | 3.8 g |
Kale | 1 cup | 5.1 g |
Potato (with skin) | 1 medium | 2.4 g |
Quinoa | ½ cup | 2.5 g |
How to Add Fiber Easily
Eating fruit and veggies whole, skins and all, is an easy way to add fiber to your diet. While a peeled apple only has 2.1 grams of fiber, for example, the same apple with its skin has 4.4 grams.
Most of your favorite meals can be adjusted to include vegetables and fruits. If you like to wake up to a bowl of scrambled eggs, just adding beans and spinach can round that out while adding easy fiber.
Likewise, a bowl of oatmeal becomes more fiber-dense with bananas and almonds.
Chia seeds are great because you can add them to a variety of foods for a healthy fat and fiber bump.
If you find that you're still not getting enough fiber, Hedrick is sympathetic. "With most people's diets, it's very difficult." If you need to supplement, there are a variety of good options. But Hedrick would urge people to pay attention to what they're actually getting. "People like the fiber gummies, and they are full of sugar, and they don't actually have that much fiber in them. So we tend to discourage the gummies."
If you can't get enough fiber from your diet, psyllium husk is a more tried-and-true fiber supplement.
Add Fiber Slowly
If you haven’t been on the fiber-train, make sure you board slowly. Your gut bacteria need a little time to adjust to your dietary changes. Otherwise, you’re likely to cause some of the very problems you’re hoping to avoid.
Bloating and constipation are two of the biggest problems caused by adding fiber too quickly. But on the other hand, it can sometimes also cause excessive gas and loose stool.
Add fiber slowly, and make sure you’re adding a lot of water at the same time.
Get Regular with Regular Fiber
Fiber is one of the most important things you can add to your diet, despite not being a nutrient in the traditional sense. But by improving your digestion and blood sugar, it can aid in your overall digestive health.
But just like with all aspects of a balanced diet, you want to aim for an amount that’s just right, not too much or too little.
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