Fiber - How much is needed? Are you getting enough?

mommyeggers
mommyeggers Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Are you getting enough fiber? Dietary fiber is often overlooked when it comes to watching our nutrition/diet. Having a diet rich in fiber has many benefits:

* Helps normalize bowel movements - keeping your system nice and regular
* Lowers risk of developing diverticular disease or developing hemorrhoids
* Lowers cholesterol levels
* Helps regular blood sugars
* Helps with maintaining a healthy body weight

For men, 30-38 grams of fiber per day is what is recommended. For women, 21-25 grams per day.

Use your food log to see how your fiber intake adds up!

Replies

  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    I average over 30g a day, sometimes closer to 40g (I'm a female). Here's a good article that goes into what fiber is, what its role is in our bodies etc
    https://www.vox.com/2019/3/20/18214505/fiber-diet-weight-loss
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    I average over 30g a day, sometimes closer to 40g (I'm a female). Here's a good article that goes into what fiber is, what its role is in our bodies etc
    https://www.vox.com/2019/3/20/18214505/fiber-diet-weight-loss

    Like zeejane, I typically have gotten around 35, and am currently on a mission to increase that (easy when I'm including beans and lentils in my diet most days). I think fiber is important for most people (a smaller number may find that they have issues with certain kinds of fiber).
  • nocgirl72
    nocgirl72 Posts: 139 Member
    I have IBS and need fiber. I get 25-30g a day in
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Hitting my fiber (and protein) goals helps me stay within my calorie budget.
  • anthocyanina
    anthocyanina Posts: 86 Member
    I often get 60+ grams of fiber a day.
    Did you know that coffee contains around 1.5 grams soluble fiber per cup?
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,185 Member
    edited March 2019
    Most of the time around 25 g. More than that for several days, forces me to stay near a bathroom all day long :# . I seem to be very sensitive to fiber. Getting 60g a day would be a big stinky mess for me.

    Edited to add that I have been in maintenance for 9 years, my cholesterol is good and so are my fasting glucose and Ac1, and I am, regular. I already have diverticulitis (for 30 years and counting), and having a lot of fiber makes my problem worse. Go figure!
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    The recommendation I work with is 15g/1000 cal so for my 2800cal days I aim for 42g
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,168 Member
    Varies. Usually 30 to 50g range.
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    I average around 35, but today I ate 52g.
  • reversemigration
    reversemigration Posts: 168 Member
    I'm generally in the 35-50g range, and try to make a reasonable fraction of that soluble.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    anthocyanina wrote: »
    I often get 60+ grams of fiber a day.
    Did you know that coffee contains around 1.5 grams soluble fiber per cup?

    Interesting. Coffee is the one thing I never log!
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,330 Member
    Not enough...😑

    Drink benifiber as supplement..
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited March 2019
    The only fibre I get is coffee. So I would guess around 6 grams.

    I eat pretty close to a carnivorous diet, and have been for about a year. Prior to that I ate less than 30g of carbs a day for a few years.

    Fibre is helpful when eating carbs, but without them it isn't very helpful, imo. I just eat my SCFAs rather than let bacteria in my gut create it for me, and make BHB instead. ;) Less gas and less stomach upset - it works for me. I don't think my gut microbiome is dead, just different than that of someone who relies on fibre.

    Interesting discussions:

    http://www.ketotic.org/2017/11/does-ketogenic-diet-confer-benefits-of.html

    http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/food/fiber/
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I don't need any but the sweet spot for me is around 10g. That allows for enough food variety (fruit, nuts, vegetables, etc.) to make me happy. I also really like not taking massive kittens twice a day. I can eat a high fiber diet without distress but I prefer not overdoing it on the plant foods these days -- it just feels better not to have gas or that rock feeling in my stomach after eating.
  • jlynnm70
    jlynnm70 Posts: 460 Member
    I need MORE fiber in my diet - it's something I have just started watching and find that I am not getting nearly enough. I have even bought benefiber to mix into my drinks to start slowly increasing it.

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