Maybe You’re Not Eating Enough Fiber. Here’s How To Tell, including… You know.

Social media tells us to do a lot of things – from eating more protein (which you probably already eat enough of, if you eat meat) to taking supplements of colostrum to help boost your metabolism (there is no evidence that colostrum does this. ). It can be difficult to know what to do and what not to do for your health. But while many of the recommendations on social media aren’t true, there is one current health fad: eating more fiber.

People on TikTok and Instagram regularly share ways to add fiber to your diet, while explaining why it’s important to do so. And experts say they are right. As a nation, Americans do not consume enough fiber, which is not good.

Fiber is important for your gut health, a healthy bowel system, blood sugar control and much more. Eating enough of it can even help reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

So, how much fiber do you need in a healthy diet? “Women, between the ages of 19 and 50, are recommended to get 25 grams of fiber [per day]and after age 50, about 21 grams,” said Veronica Mullins, an assistant professor in the School of Nutrition and Health at the University of Arizona. “And men … need 38 grams from ages 19 to 50, and that drops to about 30 grams after age 50.”

Elderly people need less fiber because they often don’t work well and lose muscle, “so their metabolism is lower, so their calorie intake decreases and the amount of fiber needed dies,” said Sara Elnakib, chairwoman of the Family Department. and Public Health Sciences at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

And how much fiber does the average person get? Between 10 and 15 grams per day. So, once again, it’s not enough.

Fiber comes from whole fruits and vegetables, which most people eat less of, Mullins said. In addition, many people are turning to white flour, white bread and white rice instead of other types of grains, and the fiber is removed when companies make these versions of white flour. white, said Elnakib.

“Fiber is a part of food that we don’t normally digest, so people can’t digest this part of food, and it’s usually found in plant foods,” Elnakib said.

There are two types of fiber, he explained. Soluble fiber can dissolve in water, “and basically that part of the fiber forms a kind of gel-like substance when you eat and it’s in your gut,” Elnakib said. This pulls all the cholesterol, fat and sugar from your intestines out of your bloodstream.”

Another type of fiber is insoluble fiber, which is “that part of the food that we can’t digest… Think apple skin or blueberry skin,” Elnakib said. “What they do is create bulk in our stools and soften our stools so we have easier bowel movements.”

So it’s important to eat enough fiber every day – and you may not be getting the recommended amount. Below, experts share the signs that you are not eating enough fiber and explain how to increase your intake.

Lon Ben-Asher, a registered dietitian at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Florida, said: “The first sign that a person has insufficient fiber is constipation.”

“Insufficient fiber intake makes it more difficult for stool to pass through the GI tract, causing irregular bowel movements,” she said.

As mentioned above, fiber helps add bulk to the stool, which “helps food pass through the stomach more easily,” Ben-Asher said.

“One of the signs that you may not be getting enough fiber is that you feel hungry shortly after eating,” Mullins said.

This is because you eat foods like sugar and refined carbs, which are absorbed quickly, he said. “One of the big benefits of fiber … is that it really helps to make you feel full and feel fuller for longer.”

“Because fiber is indigestible, it can stay in our stomach for a while and slow down the absorption of other nutrients, which is one of the ways it helps control blood sugar,” Mullins noted. But what it also does is help us feel full and feel satisfied for longer.

Another sign that you’re not eating enough fiber? Uncomfortable digestive symptoms like cramping, bloating and gas can be a red flag, Ben-Asher said.

“Dietary fiber helps maintain a very healthy digestive system,” he said.

“Since you get fiber from plants, [you] I ate a lot of plant foods, and [you] they can eat plant foods that they can identify as plants,” said Mullins.

• Whole fruits
• All vegetables
• Seeds
• Nuts
• Whole grains
• Beans and legumes

Just for reference: 2 tablespoons of chia seeds has 10 grams of fiber, 1 cup of lentils has 18 grams of fiber, 1 cup of broccoli has 5 grams of fiber, one cup of whole wheat pasta contains 7 grams of fiber, and 1 cup. Blackberries contain 7.5 grams, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

“I think it’s really important for people who don’t consume enough fiber … to go slow and steady,” Ben-Asher said. “You want to gradually increase your fiber intake, because if you go from a very low-fiber diet to a high-fiber diet, the gut and body don’t get used to it, so it has to getting used to it takes time.”

People who indulge too quickly may notice issues such as gas, bloating, upset stomach, constipation and more, Ben-Asher added.

“A gradual increase in fiber can help your body adapt to it and reduce the risk of those side effects,” he said. “So, what we recommend people do is try to increase your fiber intake by adding one serving of vegetables a day, [and] try to increase fruit consumption, maybe even have one more fruit a day. ”

Additionally, consider the carbohydrates you eat. Instead of eating more processed carbs, choose things you can pick from the garden, such as potatoes and beans.

And instead of eating white bread or white rice, choose whole-grain breads and cereals, Elnakib said. But be careful not to just choose brown-dyed bread or cereal, he said.

“When you look at grain products, look at the back and make sure they are made from different grains and brown products because they are not always the same,” Elnakib explained. Make sure you “look at the back and keep checking to see if it says ‘whole grain sorghum wheat’ or pasta or whatever you’re using… Multi-grain is it’s good, too, because you get a variety of grains. ”

Although it may be convenient to take a pill or a dietary powder, it is not necessarily as effective as eating fiber from a plant source, Ben-Asher said.

“I think that in some cases, taking a supplement can be beneficial and help certain people,” he said. “But the science and evidence-based research and literature do not support that getting fiber from a supplemental source has the same effect on our health as eating fiber from real plant foods.”

Instead of going to the store to pick up a fiber supplement, spend that time looking for fiber-rich recipes like bean salad, chili, split pea soup, whole-wheat pasta, and more.

“I think it’s important for people to try to focus more on their diet and increase fiber from food, rather than from a lot of supplements that people take,” Ben-Asher he said.

If you’re used to eating low-fiber foods, it can feel overwhelming to make the switch. A registered dietitian can help you develop recipes and determine how much fiber you eat regularly.

“They may ask you to keep a food log of everything you eat for anywhere from three to seven days,” Mullins said. From there, they can “measure how much fiber you’re consuming.”

Gradually adding fiber to your day can help with gut and bowel health, and even reduce the risk of cancer. So it’s a win-win all around.