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How much Fiber?

FocusKimFocus
FocusKimFocus Posts: 124 Member
in Social Groups
I know Paleo/Primal doesn't concern itself too much with fiber, but with logging on MFP, how much fiber are you able to get? I do eat lots o veggies, but not getting near as much fiber as I *think* (or MFP thinks) I should get.

Replies

  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    Continue to eat lots of vegetables and worry not at all about the fibre. Like many things we have been told, the info on fibre has been misrepresented or exaggerated. Fibre has not been proven to prevent cancer. Some people, like me, even get health problems when we consume too much insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre is great stuff, but insoluble really doesn't matter. I log fibre only to see what my net carbs are.

    I think I have my fibre setting lower than MFP default and I still don't meet it and I don't care. I know I eat enough veggies to be healthy, and honestly, even without many veggies humans can be healthy if they eat like the Inuit (used to). :wink:

    My dad died of cancer (colon initially) and he ate very many vegetables and high fibre whole grains all of his life. Yup, just one example but still. His diet would have been considered very healthy by Food Pyramid standards and the fibre was off the charts.
  • shuki_cotren
    shuki_cotren Posts: 328 Member
    This has been a big issue for me lately! I am not having any symptoms, but I am not regular if I don't get enough fiber (at least 20 g). On my paleo diet I am only getting 10-15. It can be days before I go... I am considering water kefir, kombacha, fermented veggies, but I can't decide whether to do them myself or find a place to buy. I want a healthy gut, but I'm only helping my gut 50% instead of 100% by eating paleo- I need to add probiotics I think.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    This has been a big issue for me lately! I am not having any symptoms, but I am not regular if I don't get enough fiber (at least 20 g). On my paleo diet I am only getting 10-15. It can be days before I go... I am considering water kefir, kombacha, fermented veggies, but I can't decide whether to do them myself or find a place to buy. I want a healthy gut, but I'm only helping my gut 50% instead of 100% by eating paleo- I need to add probiotics I think.

    That's about how much fibre I get. You don't need more but you are correct in deciding to increase fermented foods. Ideally, do them yourself. Kefir and fermented veggies are VERY easy. There are decent starters to buy. You can never be 100% sure about a commercial product and whether the critters are still alive in it.
  • rulestobreak
    rulestobreak Posts: 2
    I'm new to MFP, I'd be interested in tracking fiber for net carbs...is there a way on the site to do that?
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    I'm new to MFP, I'd be interested in tracking fiber for net carbs...is there a way on the site to do that?

    Go into "Settings" at the top and choose "Diary Settings". Spend some time exploring things because there's many ways to modify your diary, goals, etc. I actually walked away from MFP for a few months at first because I didn't know I could modify macros. The defaults are completely stupid imo.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    This has been a big issue for me lately! I am not having any symptoms, but I am not regular if I don't get enough fiber (at least 20 g). On my paleo diet I am only getting 10-15. It can be days before I go... I am considering water kefir, kombacha, fermented veggies, but I can't decide whether to do them myself or find a place to buy. I want a healthy gut, but I'm only helping my gut 50% instead of 100% by eating paleo- I need to add probiotics I think.

    That's about how much fibre I get. You don't need more but you are correct in deciding to increase fermented foods. Ideally, do them yourself. Kefir and fermented veggies are VERY easy. There are decent starters to buy. You can never be 100% sure about a commercial product and whether the critters are still alive in it.

    Alternatively, find local Paleo groups and see if anyone does kombucha or kefir already. We have a few local kombucha microbreweries, one of which is owned/run by a guy who's Paleo, himself, which is awesome. If nothing else, you can buy/barter some starter, and get some tips, from them. As an added bonus, you can support other Paleo people and local micro-businesses.

    Also, don't forget about bone broth. It's great for healing the gut and promoting proper digestion.

    As for the fiber, I still love the description Mark Sisson used in a recent blog post - "insoluble fiber-induced fecal hypertrophy." In other words, pretty much the only purpose of insoluble fiber is to add mass to your *kitten*.

    Also, the normal range for passing stool is as little as 3 a week, and up to 3 times a day. So not having one every day isn't necessarily cause for concern. Just make sure you're getting a good amount of fat and plenty of water, and you should be okay.

    Here's a Mercola article that goes into great detail about that - http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/02/14/normal-stool.aspx

    Chris Kresser has an article on fiber's myths and truths - http://chriskresser.com/myths-and-truths-about-fiber

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