When focusing on improving your diet an important factor to consider is fiber. But what is it?
Fiber is counted in the category of carbohydrates, so it is a sub-macro of sorts. “Fiber” describes the indigestible carbohydrates that we consume. Portions of plants, like their cell walls, that our body is unable to breakdown. So, if we can’t digest it what’s important about that? LOTS. Fiber is what is essential to keeping things moving in the gastrointestinal tract, i.e. helping your poop to stay soft, and much of the fiber we eat is essential to keeping a happy gut microbiome. Our gut microbiome is comprised of many good bacteria that help break down the foods we eat and make the nutrients in that food available to us. You and your gut microbiome are essentially in a partner workout where you work together to process the food you eat and use it to provide you both need energy to live.
How much fiber do I need? 25 grams per day is a great goal. (And totally fine if you get more!) The best sources for fiber are whole fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. You frequently find added fiber in cereals, breads and bars. Many processed foods are lacking fiber that was initially removed to make the food more palatable. However, after fiber was shown to be an important part of a healthy diet, the food industry started adding fiber back into these processed foods to make them “healthy.”
Fiber is useful when you are trying to lose weight, as it helps you feel full at meal time. It helps regulate blood sugar by slowing absorption of sugar into your bloodstream. That’s why we say eat a whole orange, don’t drink the juice! High fiber diets are connected to a myriad of potential health benefits, including a decreased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.
I find fiber to be a reliable metric to help me gauge if I got enough whole fruits and vegetables in the day. If you prioritize them in your diet, you’ll find it pretty easy to hit your 25g fiber per day goal. Conversely, if you find you are way under the mark, try to make sure whole fruits and vegetables are a part of every meal and snack. (Also make sure the app you are using to track food has fiber noted in what you’ve selected, this is frequently an issue with many apps as people don’t know that tracking fiber is important.) It’s also ok to use a fiber supplement on days where you’re a little low with minimally processed item like psyllium husk. Just check the label for added sugar.
Finally, having a high fiber diet can help prevent painful conditions like diverticulosis, constipation and hemorrhoids! So go get some raspberries and happy pooping!
Coach Sarah, FNP-BC, MSN