Can you have too much fiber from fruits and veggies?

janessad1988

Hey! I just started tracking my eating habits last week because I was having constipation problems and I thought I wasn't getting enough fiber. Turns out I'm getting too much fiber.. and it is almost completely from fruits and veggies. I've been reading all about it and a lot of people do say they have the same problems but I can't find any information about if all the extra fiber is mostly from vegetables and fruits. I can't wrap my mind around the idea that I need to eat less of them..

Also I'm over like 10-15g of fiber a day over. Is that a lot? Or not too crazy?

This is also how I have been eating for a long time and I've always had some problem with constipation, but just thought that was how my body was..

Thank you!!!

DX2JX2

I'm absolutely not informed on the topic but if it's not bothering you then I can't see it being a problem (unless an excess of fiber is preventing you from hitting your other macro goals)?

If anything, the only problems I tend to see with extra fiber tend to involve the unintentional/undesired release of bodily gases.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, excess fiber should be causing the opposite of constipation?

JaydedMiss

10-15g fiber is basically nothing. I get between 40-75g a day of fiber. Drink lots of water and keep eating lots of fruits and veg itl work itself out hopefully. Water is important.

mutantspicy

I'm always over on fiber intentionally. But I have the opposite problem, severe diarrhea. Fiber solidifies things so yes it can cause constipation. Anyway, I know this may sound crazy, but if you can fit it into your calorie goals try a beer or two or increase your fat intake a bit.

edit. But yeah 15g is not enough to worry about at all. You might need a stool softener.

concordancia

Are you drinking plenty of water and getting fats in your diet?

Fiber recommendations are generally a minimum. Vegetarians and vegans generally have very high fiber diets, without it being a problem.

janessad1988

I drink tons of water only because I'm thirsty all the time so I'm covered there. Interestingly things always get moving after I've had a couple dinks the night before.. so the beer comment makes sense to me. Do you now why that is??

janessad1988

And I'll take a look at my fat intake

mutantspicy

janessad1988 wrote: »

I drink tons of water only because I'm thirsty all the time so I'm covered there. Interestingly things always get moving after I've had a couple dinks the night before.. so the beer comment makes sense to me. Do you now why that is??

Not sure really. It works for me as well. Must be a natural stool softener.

seltzermint555

Pure anecdotes with no "real" info...but when I first got started on MFP, I was eating several cups of raw baby spinach each day with my lunch, because it tasted good and helped fill me up/fill up my plate. I had some MAJOR constipation issues that stopped immediately when I cut out the baby spinach.

A friend used to eat a whole raw apple every night before bed so she would "poo like a goose" each morning. I tried that a couple of times and it just made my stomach hurt a little bit, but didn't bring on any mega poos.

Aside from these 2 things I have always just strived to eat plenty of veggies, drink plenty of water, and have a daily BM with no issues. This leads me to think some people have problems (either way) from fiber overload.

cwolfman13

janessad1988 wrote: »

Hey! I just started tracking my eating habits last week because I was having constipation problems and I thought I wasn't getting enough fiber. Turns out I'm getting too much fiber.. and it is almost completely from fruits and veggies. I've been reading all about it and a lot of people do say they have the same problems but I can't find any information about if all the extra fiber is mostly from vegetables and fruits. I can't wrap my mind around the idea that I need to eat less of them..

Also I'm over like 10-15g of fiber a day over. Is that a lot? Or not too crazy?

This is also how I have been eating for a long time and I've always had some problem with constipation, but just thought that was how my body was..

Thank you!!!

Not all recommendations are maximums...many are minimum recommendations for good health. The recommendation for fiber is a minimum.

If you're having problems with constipation it may be due to not getting enough dietary fat.