Fiber Question

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MoreThanMommie
MoreThanMommie Posts: 597 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just wondering if it was a bad thing to go over on your fiber? The past 2 days I've gone over. Is this bad?

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  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Not at all but make sure you're drinking enough water. (If you were getting more fibre than your body is accustomed to or can handle you'd feel bloated and gassy. )
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 Member
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    I think MFP has fiber set too low. I increased my goal to 25 grams per day. Sometimes I go over that (lots of veggies).
  • MoreThanMommie
    MoreThanMommie Posts: 597 Member
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    Oh thank you both so much!! I was starting to get worried I was messing up big time.
  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
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    Just increase slowly, it's completely fine to be over but you may notice some GI distress as your body adjusts. As said earlier, water is key as well :D
  • lilojoke
    lilojoke Posts: 427 Member
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    I can not eat a lot of fiber even if its slowly increased I get terrible pains for weeks on end.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    I can not eat a lot of fiber even if its slowly increased I get terrible pains for weeks on end.
    You should probably not do that then.
  • BLy82
    BLy82 Posts: 33 Member
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    So long as you feel all right, more fiber is fine.

    I've heard estimates as high as 100g of fiber a day for how much humans might be expected to eat if they were consuming a completely wild and unprocessed diet (which is what we would have evolved to be able to handle).

    That's not to say that you necessarily need 100g, just that it's something we ought to be able to handle if given a chance to adjust.

    The chance to adjust is important, though. Your body does things like set the rate of muscle action in your gut to move along the materials that its digesting based on how much fiber normally comes through and how quickly the food needs to move out to make space. If you normally eat a typical amount of fiber at something like 10g a day, and you jump up to 30g, you're probably going to be feeling pretty awful.

    20g is typically recommended as the bare minimum you should be getting. 25g and up is better. So long as you're not going wildly overboard and consuming tons of fiber supplements and fiber fortified foods, more fiber is almost always going to be better in the long run than less (though it's tough to say 100% how much effect is due to the fiber and how much is due to the fact that the highest fiber foods are also typically the healthiest foods anyway, such as green leafy veggies).
  • Leiki
    Leiki Posts: 526 Member
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    You should make sure you have soluble fiber in your diet, enough water, and increase the amount gradually. Most sources recommend about 20 g minimum for a healthy diet. If you increase your fiber intake too quickly, don't hydrate properly, or don't have enough soluble fiber, you may have a tummy ache.
  • Amaiaa
    Amaiaa Posts: 1
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    I eat a lot of fiber, too - probably because I eat an entirely plant-based diet, which includes a lot of whole grains and fruits and veggies.

    I was wondering if I should increase the fiber in my settings, and if I do, if I should make any other adjustments to my diet goals. I am generally coming in on target with carbs, fat, and protein without much planning. If anything, I have slightly more protein and slightly less carbs than recommended.

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