Dietary fiber, it helps us poop and keep us feel full. Most everyone has heard about fiber, and it gets mentioned a lot by healthcare professionals and food companies. But what is fiber, how much do we need, and where do we get it from? 

What is fiber?

Dietary fiber is a starch that our body is unable to break down. It is found in all plant food sources in different amounts and types. Since our body can not break fiber down, we never get the calories from it. Instead it gets sent to our colon where it feeds healthy gut bacteria and the rest ends up in the toilet. 

There are many different types of fiber but the majority of them will be either water soluble or insoluble fibers. Soluble fibers can be dissolved in water (think Metamucil) and insoluble fibers can not (think apple skin). In addition to these two types of fiber, there are also resistant starches.

There are four different types of resistant starches but they all are considered a source of fiber and can reduce the calories available to our body in a given food. A good example is an unripe (green) banana. As the banana ripens, the resistant starches breakdown and become simple sugars.

So, a greener banana won’t be as sweet as a yellow banana but will also have less calories. There is a lot more about resistant starches to go over so make sure to sign up for the weekly blog email to not miss the future blog on them! 

What does fiber do?

Both types of fiber help us go to the bathroom and stay regular but there is more they offer us. Soluble fibers become gel-like in the body after being dissolved. Think of what happens when you cook oatmeal.

This gel-like material can help slow digestion making us feel fuller for longer and prevent blood sugar spikes. That’s the advantage of eating a piece of fruit versus a piece of candy. This gel-like material can also reduce cholesterol from being reabsorbed in your colon by picking it up along the way to it’s final destination.

Speaking of bathrooms, soluble fiber also adds bulk to your stool and helps soften hard stool making it easier to poop. It can also be useful in reversing diarrhea since it absorbs water from the colon into the stool.  

Insoluble fiber keeps the stool moving in our colon and keeps us on a regular schedule. It also adds bulk to the stool but does not pull in water like soluble fiber does. More importantly, besides keeping things moving, insoluble fiber is a source of food for the millions of gut bacteria living in our colon.

These bacteria have many different roles in our health and even may have some connections to our emotions and food cravings. Make sure to sign up for the weekly blog email to not miss the future blog on gut bacteria! For now, just remember the gut bacteria keep our body healthy and rely on insoluble fiber for energy. 

Resistant starches are also a great source of food for our gut bacteria but do not impact bowel movements like soluble and insoluble fibers do. 

How much do we need?

The current recommendations for men is 38g per day and women 25g per day. Most Americans consume an average of 10g per day or less. So there is a very good chance that you yourself are not getting enough fiber! 

How do I get more fiber?

Most plant foods will have a combination of soluble and insoluble fibers. So the first step you can take to increase fiber in your diet is to increase your intake of fruits, veggies, beans and unprocessed grains.

When grains such as wheat are processed, the fiber is  removed. This helps make the bread softer but takes away from the health benefits of the food. Think of white bread vs. whole wheat bread or white rice vs. brown rice. 

Although all plant foods will contain both types of fiber some will have more of one type than the other. Check out this food list from North Ottawa Wellness Foundation. It’s a great resource for the type and amounts of each fiber found in popular foods. You may be surprised by which foods may have more fiber!

The second step would be to add a fiber supplement to your daily routine. These come in gummies, capsules, drink powders, bars, cereals, etc. I myself use a psyllium fiber powder in the morning but my wife prefers the capsules. 

Be careful increasing your fiber intake in your diet too quickly though! Increasing your fiber too quickly can cause you to become gassy and bloated. Although everyone will have a different sensitivity to fiber, it’s best to increase your intake gradually over time. High fiber products like fiber bars or fiber rich cereal may sound like great options but can leave you feeling like a balloon after! 

To ensure that your body and gut bacteria adjust to an increase in fiber, aim for adding only one fiber rich food to one meal per day. Wait to see how this affected you and adjust as needed. If you did not have any issues then you can add another fiber rich item to a different meal and repeat.

If you want help on increasing your fiber intake in your diet, schedule a free consultation today and leave the guesswork out of it! 

Written by: Adam Skowyra MPPD, RDN, LD