Fiber

ashsmile78
ashsmile78 Posts: 3,528 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I’m a little late to the fiber party aka I have been trying to drop lbs for while but haven’t realized how important it is or so I read. I wanted to ask what people do or maybe recipes you use to increase fiber in your diet. I’ve been trying to improve what I eat. I would appreciate any and all help pointing me in the right direction. Thank you!!

Replies

  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    Fiber by itself does not do anything to help a person lose weight. The only thing that makes a person lose weight is eating less calories than their body burns. That is what matters no matter how much or how little fiber you eat.

    That being said, some people do find that eating fiber is filling for them, so if they eat higher fiber foods, they are less likely to go over their calorie goal. In that case, it can assist in weight loss. But that is not always the case for everyone.

    As far as foods that are high in fiber: seeds (such as chia seeds), beans, and most fruits (especially avocados) are high in fiber. As are whole wheat breads and pastas. There are plenty of foods out there fortified with fiber as well.

    Just a word of caution: different people's digestive systems react differently to fiber. Eating too much fiber can cause gastrointestinal distress in some people.
  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    edited September 2019
    An obnoxious amount of raspberries.

    Fiber added protein shake mixes.

    Nutrisystem double chocolate muffins.

    Some like the Fiber One products. My gastrointestinal tract bacteria really don't care for FOs chicory root sourced inulin as a fiber source so I avoid anything containing it now since learning this factoid about myself. YMMV.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    If you drink enough water, fiber shouldn’t cause gastrointestinal distress. Fiber is very important to your overall health, especially colon health. MikePTY is right that it won’t help you lose weight and may or may not help you feel full longer.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    whmscll wrote: »
    If you drink enough water, fiber shouldn’t cause gastrointestinal distress. Fiber is very important to your overall health, especially colon health. MikePTY is right that it won’t help you lose weight and may or may not help you feel full longer.

    I have IBS and too much fiber and I do not get along.
  • ashsmile78
    ashsmile78 Posts: 3,528 Member
    Thx everyone for the info!
  • msweezybear66
    msweezybear66 Posts: 7 Member
    I have IBS and diverticulosis and find that I need about 25g of fiber daily in order to stay regular. I’ve also discovered, with the help of this app, foods such as fruit and beans/peas have almost all the fiber I need daily so I do try to eat certain foods every day. I like to mix in one dose of mirilax just to make sure I meet my daily quota of fiber. And, for me, a daily intake of 64 Oz of water is crucial. I love those Fiber One bars but they don’t love me so I try to steer clear of those.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    ashsmile78 wrote: »
    So I’m a little late to the fiber party aka I have been trying to drop lbs for while but haven’t realized how important it is or so I read. I wanted to ask what people do or maybe recipes you use to increase fiber in your diet. I’ve been trying to improve what I eat. I would appreciate any and all help pointing me in the right direction. Thank you!!

    Beans and lentils have lots of fiber. I'm almost always well over anyway from veg and some fruit, as well as misc other sources like getting some in nuts and so on, but days I have beans are my highest fiber days.
  • squiffiegirl
    squiffiegirl Posts: 14 Member
    Everyone's system is different.

    More than 15 grams of fiber daily and I am in agony. I never knew why until I read THE FIBER MENACE.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    edited September 2019
    It does take your body time to get used to eating more fiber if you’re not accustomed to it.

    Plant based protein shakes have fiber.

    Chia seeds, green veggies, berries, leaving the skins on things like potatoes, legumes, whole grains as opposed to refined ones.

    Those are things I do. My goal is 35g a day. Sometimes I am up to 45g, and at 30g on a low day.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    ashsmile78 wrote: »
    So I’m a little late to the fiber party aka I have been trying to drop lbs for while but haven’t realized how important it is or so I read. I wanted to ask what people do or maybe recipes you use to increase fiber in your diet. I’ve been trying to improve what I eat. I would appreciate any and all help pointing me in the right direction. Thank you!!

    Beans and lentils have lots of fiber. I'm almost always well over anyway from veg and some fruit, as well as misc other sources like getting some in nuts and so on, but days I have beans are my highest fiber days.

    I routinely hit above 70 on bean days. Yesterday was only a partial bean day (I made spicy bean fritters) and I hit 60. I am usually right around 40 on normal days.
  • ashsmile78
    ashsmile78 Posts: 3,528 Member
    I read on a mfp blog for women to get 25 g of fiber and men 30 g. I haven’t paid attention to how much I’m getting. I’ve mostly been trying to keep under my calorie goal but I feel like I need to look at the quality of what I’m eating too. I know people say CICO but it seems like there’s more to it than that. I am trying to learn more about nutrition. Any sharing of knowledge or tips would be appreciated.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited September 2019
    Lots of tips above. I think fiber is important for health (except for some with medical conditions making fiber problematic). IME, if I get in the amount of veg I think is important, plus some fruit and maybe nuts or whole grains I tend to over my goal (I like to get at least 30 and usually get more). Avocado has a lot, raspberries have a lot.

    However, as noted above, beans tend to be tops for getting fiber way up there!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited September 2019
    ashsmile78 wrote: »
    I read on a mfp blog for women to get 25 g of fiber and men 30 g. I haven’t paid attention to how much I’m getting. I’ve mostly been trying to keep under my calorie goal but I feel like I need to look at the quality of what I’m eating too. I know people say CICO but it seems like there’s more to it than that. I am trying to learn more about nutrition. Any sharing of knowledge or tips would be appreciated.

    There's more to health than CICO, there's not more to weight loss. For some people, fiber can be filling, so it can make it easier for you to stick to your calorie goal. I don't mean to talk out of school, but the MFP blog can play a little fast and loose with the "facts" :wink:

    I get most of my fiber from fruit, beans, lentils, and oats (and to a lesser extent other whole grains). The days I hit that 25g goal almost always include either beans or lentils.

    As others have said, it's not a bad idea to increase fiber gradually to give your digestive system time to get used to it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    ashsmile78 wrote: »
    I read on a mfp blog for women to get 25 g of fiber and men 30 g. I haven’t paid attention to how much I’m getting. I’ve mostly been trying to keep under my calorie goal but I feel like I need to look at the quality of what I’m eating too. I know people say CICO but it seems like there’s more to it than that. I am trying to learn more about nutrition. Any sharing of knowledge or tips would be appreciated.

    I had no reason to track Sugar and Sodium, so I swapped them out for Fiber and Iron (I'm anemic.)

    You can do that here in desktop (unsure about mobile): https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    When I hit my fiber and protein goals, I do stay full on less calories, so I work on that.

    I don't go for one big fiber food or meal, but lots of little ones. To that end, I use chia seeds, raspberries, etc.

    I should eat more beans. I do like them in pasta dishes. It's coming up on Pasta e Fagioli season! Also, my winter breakfast is rice & beans with a fried egg.

    The following recipe is one of my favorite summer dishes. The original has pesto, pasta, green beans, and potatoes, but I now sub white beans for the potatoes. I get the green beans and basil from my garden. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10686125/pasta-green-beans-and-potatoes-with-pesto
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    ashsmile78 wrote: »
    I read on a mfp blog for women to get 25 g of fiber and men 30 g. I haven’t paid attention to how much I’m getting. I’ve mostly been trying to keep under my calorie goal but I feel like I need to look at the quality of what I’m eating too. I know people say CICO but it seems like there’s more to it than that. I am trying to learn more about nutrition. Any sharing of knowledge or tips would be appreciated.

    I totally agree that there's way more to nutrition than CICO. Sometimes this point gets lost on MFP devotees, who are, by definition, calorie counters (including me). Still, you're not going to feel well if your diet is way off in terms of macros, micros, vitamins, fiber, and palatibility.

    No one has mentioned the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber. You really only need a few grams of soluble fiber per day. A serving of oatmeal has 2g, which is a pretty good start. You can certainly eat more, but I've had problems when I've gone too high. It seems like you can go much higher with insoluble fiber.

    A few grams of soluble fiber is really helpful when dieting to maintain regularity. (Water helps, too.)
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    Porridge or overnight oats for breakfast.
    I really feel the difference when I don't have them.
  • braves3134
    braves3134 Posts: 64 Member
    Lots of good tips on here. I personally like to get mine from strawberries, blackberries and fiber one honey and oats cereal among other foods. I would definitely stress the above suggestions of slowly increasing the amount of fiber and making sure to drink plenty of water. Fiber can do wonders for digestion!

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