Too much fibre?

paleojamie

I am taking in 45g daily

But am still under my calorie goal .. so need more food i.e pasta (wholemeal) which will take me over the 50g mark!

paleojamie

anyone?

ElizabethRoad

It's not a limit, it's just a suggestion.

ImaSongbird

um... WHY exactly are you trying to get 45g of fiber into your diet?

And also, if you want more fiber, eat more veggies; not pasta! Pasta is basically empty calories.

lizard053

Too much fiber? No such thing! Just be sure to drink plenty of water with it.

BigPapaGato

Fiber is awesome in my opinion there really is no such thing as too much of it.

paleojamie

um... WHY exactly are you trying to get 45g of fiber into your diet?

And also, if you want more fiber, eat more veggies; not pasta! Pasta is basically empty calories.

i'm not trying to, I am just gettung 45g through my diet

marquesajen

I don't *think* that's a problem, but I don't really know. What about adding in a banana to boost your calories? I'm not sure if you have any restrictions otherwise, but judging by what you have eaten in the last couple of days (looks great!) a little pasta would be fine or some more fruit maybe.

ImaSongbird

Too much fiber? No such thing! Just be sure to drink plenty of water with it.

...too much fiber and not enough liquid can cause abdominal distention, cramps, and flatulence.

paleojamie

I don't *think* that's a problem, but I don't really know. What about adding in a banana to boost your calories? I'm not sure if you have any restrictions otherwise, but judging by what you have eaten in the last couple of days (looks great!) a little pasta would be fine or some more fruit maybe.

just not sure really .. I hear too much fibre isn't good for you

ImaSongbird

I am taking in 45g daily

But am still under my calorie goal .. so need more food i.e pasta (wholemeal) which will take me over the 50g mark!

Still don't know why you're aiming for 50 g of fiber, which is 2X most recommendations. But if you are not getting sufficient calories, you would be better off getting them from nutrient-dense foods, rather than calorie-dense foods.

For example, raw nuts, avocado, seeds, sardines, anchovies, coconut are all high in calories and excellent sources of healthy fats.

paleojamie

Too much fiber? No such thing! Just be sure to drink plenty of water with it.

...too much fiber and not enough liquid can cause abdominal distention, cramps, and flatulence.

think i'm experiencing a bit of that distention to be honest

paleojamie

I am taking in 45g daily

But am still under my calorie goal .. so need more food i.e pasta (wholemeal) which will take me over the 50g mark!

Still don't know why you're aiming for 50 g of fiber, which is 2X most recommendations. But if you are not getting sufficient calories, you would be better off getting them from nutrient-dense foods, rather than calorie-dense foods.

For example, raw nuts, avocado, seeds, sardines, anchovies, coconut are all high in calories and excellent sources of healthy fats.

lol please .. I said i'm not AIMING for it .. just what my daily foods add up to

melissa_e

It looks like you get a lot of fiber from two sources daily - your breakfast oats and sandwich bread. If you feel like you're getting too much fiber and it's uncomfortable, you could try swapping out a couple of those sources - a smaller portion of oats with nuts mixed in to help you feel full, maybe.

byHISstrength

"And also, if you want more fiber, eat more veggies; not pasta! Pasta is basically empty calories."
[/quote]

Maybe with white pasta, but whole wheat pasta has a good amount of fiber and protein. :bigsmile:

ImaSongbird

lol please .. I said i'm not AIMING for it .. just what my daily foods add up to

OOOOooooh! When you said " .. so need more food i.e pasta (wholemeal) which will take me over the 50g mark" I thought you meant that you were TRYING to get 50 g in your diet!! oops.

Still, I think you will be better served to add nutrient-dense foods, rather than foods like pasta, which are basically emply calories. Get your calories from single-ingredient foods like nuts, avocado, oily fish, etc.

SkinnyShadow

The daily recommendation is what you need to just function properly. Dr.Oz said you should actually be having 56 grams of fiber daily.. and if you're eating whole grains, and all the fruits and veggies you're SUPPOSED to eat in a day, I'd say that's about right!
It's like that with all the "daily recommendations", you generally should be taking more - ie vitamin C - 500 a day is nothing.. if you have a cold you should be taking 1000-2000 every few hours.
My mother was an RN for years and then was a nutritionist and got into homeopathy, so I'm not just talking out of my rear here :P
..you think I'd be healthier with all this ingrained knowledge?? Bah, I'm a rebel it seems lol

Honestly, In My Opinion, I would just focus on eating healthy food, and not worry about the "recommended" anything.

katharos3

I think your fiber amounts look fine, and your diary overall seems great (full of fruits & veggies). So if you need to up your calories, I'd suggest adding a bit more protein. As long as you are drinking enough water, you aren't going to eat too much fiber. And I personally think the "experts's" recommendations for 25-30g per day is way too low. I aim for 40-50g myself.

hpsnickers1

Yes, there is such a thing as too much fiber. And the insoluble fiber from grains scrapes at your intestinal walls - damaging the walls and creating lots of mucus - not a good thing.

When I went Primal and ditched the grains I also backed off the fiber (I get very little and what I do get comes from fibrous veggies and the occasional berry and coconut and my Lindt 85% dark cocoa bars - 6g per serving!) my IBS, hiatal hernia, indigestion, flatulence, bloating (my belly went flat for the first time in my life!!)

I find that getting plenty of fat in my diet (I get probably around 60%-70% of my calories from fat and mainly saturated fat) is what keeps my insides moving along.

The whole fiber thing is crap (excuse the pun). I don't want my poop to be big and bulky and heavy. I want it to be light and fluffy and easy to move along. A high-fat diet does this.

http://www.gutsense.org/fibermenace/about_fm.html
The site is very gimmicky. I have no interest in buying the book. But the site is full of information. And just ditching the grains has done wonders for healing my gut. I had a doctor tell me to eat more whole grains and take this pill for my Fibromyalgia and my IBS would regulate within a year. Going Primal - it took about a month - lost 4" off the belly in about 6 weeks and this was with less exercise. the healing wasn't immediate and all the protein and fat stopped me up at first. But digestive enzymes and probiotics will help the body digest proteins/fats while the gut heals.

I function just fine on a few grams (more or less) a day. In fact, my digestive system functions better than ever (I've had digestive issues pretty much my whole life).

paleojamie

lol please .. I said i'm not AIMING for it .. just what my daily foods add up to

OOOOooooh! When you said " .. so need more food i.e pasta (wholemeal) which will take me over the 50g mark" I thought you meant that you were TRYING to get 50 g in your diet!! oops.

Still, I think you will be better served to add nutrient-dense foods, rather than foods like pasta, which are basically emply calories. Get your calories from single-ingredient foods like nuts, avocado, oily fish, etc.

basically meaning I need more food and only have the healthy options

katharos3

Yes, there is such a thing as too much fiber. And the insoluble fiber from grains scrapes at your intestinal walls - damaging the walls and creating lots of mucus - not a good thing.

When I went Primal and ditched the grains I also backed off the fiber (I get very little and what I do get comes from fibrous veggies and the occasional berry and coconut and my Lindt 85% dark cocoa bars - 6g per serving!) my IBS, hiatal hernia, indigestion, flatulence, bloating (my belly went flat for the first time in my life!!)

I find that getting plenty of fat in my diet (I get probably around 60%-70% of my calories from fat and mainly saturated fat) is what keeps my insides moving along.

The whole fiber thing is crap (excuse the pun). I don't want my poop to be big and bulky and heavy. I want it to be light and fluffy and easy to move along. A high-fat diet does this.

http://www.gutsense.org/fibermenace/about_fm.html
The site is very gimmicky. I have no interest in buying the book. But the site is full of information. And just ditching the grains has done wonders for healing my gut. I had a doctor tell me to eat more whole grains and take this pill for my Fibromyalgia and my IBS would regulate within a year. Going Primal - it took about a month - lost 4" off the belly in about 6 weeks and this was with less exercise. the healing wasn't immediate and all the protein and fat stopped me up at first. But digestive enzymes and probiotics will help the body digest proteins/fats while the gut heals.

I function just fine on a few grams (more or less) a day. In fact, my digestive system functions better than ever (I've had digestive issues pretty much my whole life).

This is a great example of how different people need different diets. I was wrong in assuming OP couldn't eat too much fiber. The reason I aim to eat 40-50g of fiber per day is because I was diagnosed with diverticulosis last year. I have always had a very slow digestive system, and it was normal to go 3 days without a BM. Since changing my diet, my digestive system has improved dramatically, and I can now go everyday. And it's not big, bulky and heavy, but light and fluffy now. lol But that's just me. My husband has similar problems to what you've described, and if he eats even close to the amount of fiber I eat, he's backed up for days.

For the OP, if eating that much fiber is causing you digestive issues, try tweaking your diet to increase fat and lower grains. Or drink more water. But there are healthy foods that aren't high in fiber. It's all about finding the best balance for your body.