Written by Tara Karr MS, RD, LDN, CDCES & Taylor Berggren MS, RDN
Fiber is all the rage these days. Between fibermaxxing and rumors that fiber is the new protein, you may be wondering how to boost your fiber intake. Read on for 5 tips for adding fiber into your diet to maximize benefits to your microbiome. Hint: get as much as you can from different types of foods for strong fiber variety!
Is fiber intake something I really need to worry about?
The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily target of:
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25 grams of fiber for women, and
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38 grams of fiber for men
Only 5% of people get that.
This Grand Canyon-sized gap between fiber recommendations and total fiber intake led the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to identify fiber as a “nutrient of concern.”
Furthermore, the continuing low levels of fiber intake may be considered a public-health concern in light of the health benefits related to adequate fiber intake.
Fiber has so many benefits to your health including:
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Helping to maintain healthy blood sugar levels
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Supporting healthy cholesterol levels
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Reducing hunger and helping you feel fuller longer
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Improving gut health
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Promoting healthy stool consistency and regularity (making it easy to go when you need to go!)
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Boosting beneficial bacterial strains in your gut microbiome, including Akkermansia and strains that produce butyrate
5 Tips to Keep in Mind as You Add Fiber into Your Diet
1) Know the difference between soluble and insoluble fibers!
You may want to focus on adding soluble fiber, which specifically has many benefits:
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Soluble fiber helps slow digestion and the rate at which carbohydrates and other nutrients are absorbed in your body
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Soluble fiber can add form to your stool and make it less loose or watery
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Soluble fiber can also help control your blood sugar by preventing rapid rises or spikes
You can get soluble fiber from foods like:
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Oats
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Beans
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Peas
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Fruits
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Nuts
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Vegetables
You may also want to focus on adding insoluble fiber, which is a fiber that helps move things through your body and provides “bulk,” which helps to prevent constipation and keep you regular.
You can get insoluble fiber from foods like:
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Fruits
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Vegetables
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Nuts
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Seeds
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Whole grains
2) Include resistant starches in your diet
Certain foods contain starches that are resistant to digestion. These "resistant starches" go on to be fermented in your large intestine. These fibers serve as a fuel source for our gut-microbiome’s bacteria.3 The bacteria are then able to produce things like short-chain fatty acids—including butyrate.
There's no official recommendation on how much resistant starch to eat in a day, but studies have shown eating resistant starches can have benefits to blood-sugar responses and insulin sensitivity.4
To start, try including these resistant starch containing foods into your diet
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Cooked and cooled potatoes
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Cooked and cooled rice
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Green bananas
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Lentils
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Cashews
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Plantains
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Oats
3) Have a fiber (grams) goal!
If you struggle with gut issues, it would be beneficial to think about slowly adding fiber to your eating plan.
When adding fiber into your diet, you may experience a temporary period of:
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Abdominal bloating
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Discomfort, and
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Change in the bowel habits
For that reason, it’s wise to start slowly adding fiber when increasing toward your personal goals.
Aim for increasing your daily fiber intake by roughly 5 grams each week!
4) Think about your gut microbiome
Recent studies have demonstrated that an imbalance in gut bacteria—also known as dysbiosis—may lead to gut-health issues.
Although there is still much to learn, eating in a way to promote a healthy gut microbiome includes a diet full of probiotics and prebiotics!
5) Focus on where you can add more fiber into foods you already love
It can be challenging to adopt new habits when they require changing your lifestyle significantly. Instead of switching to a plant-based diet, try incorporating fiber-rich foods into your daily meals. Sprinkle flax seed on your morning yogurt or add a diverse mix of fibers into your afternoon smoothie. You don’t have to overhaul your life to improve your health or increase your fiber! You can do it one meal at a time.
