Dietary Fibre (or Fiber) is a Good Thing
January 21, 2019 2:41 AM Subscribe
People who eat higher levels of dietary fibre and whole grains have lower rates of non-communicable diseases compared with people who eat lesser amounts, while links for low glycaemic load and low glycaemic index diets are less clear. Observational studies and clinical trials conducted over nearly 40 years reveal the health benefits of eating at least 25g to 29g or more of dietary fibre a day, according to a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in The Lancet.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the dietary fiber found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes is probably best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation. But foods containing fiber can provide other health benefits as well. The results of the reviews published in The Lancet January 10, 2019 "suggest a 15-30% decrease in all-cause and cardiovascular related mortality when comparing people who eat the highest amount of fibre to those who eat the least. Eating fibre-rich foods also reduced incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer by 16-24%. Per 1,000 participants, the impact translates into 13 fewer deaths and six fewer cases of coronary heart disease."
Our ancestors ate a lot more fiber and a lot less of other things compared to modern diets. "The ultimate factor underlying diseases of civilization is the collision of our ancient genome with the new conditions of life in affluent nations, including the nutritional qualities of recently introduced foods," according to Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
If you are new to the concept of dietary fiber, you might understandably wonder what it is, if you can eat too much, and how to add more fiber to your diet more or less painlessly. Briefly, dietary fibers are indigestible components in plant-based foods.
"There are two types of fiber – soluble and insoluble – each with their own distinct health benefits. Soluble fiber is the pectin found in fruits, vegetables, and legumes. It binds with cholesterol and toxins, preventing the body from absorbing them. It slows digestion so blood sugars are released more slowly into the body. Insoluble fiber is found on the outside skin of potatoes and apples or bran and wheat. It is not digestible and acts like a toothbrush on our intestines, cleaning and moving waste out of the body. These fibers help prevent constipation and keep you regular."
If an internal toothbrush for your intestines sounds like an unpleasant idea, do not fret. Tasty treats such as avocados are among the foods that contain significant amounts of fiber. Some foods, such as dairy, contain no natural fiber whatsoever. So after enjoying a lovely cheese plate, say, consider snacking on a pear or other high-fibre food to help out your digestive system.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the dietary fiber found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes is probably best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation. But foods containing fiber can provide other health benefits as well. The results of the reviews published in The Lancet January 10, 2019 "suggest a 15-30% decrease in all-cause and cardiovascular related mortality when comparing people who eat the highest amount of fibre to those who eat the least. Eating fibre-rich foods also reduced incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer by 16-24%. Per 1,000 participants, the impact translates into 13 fewer deaths and six fewer cases of coronary heart disease."
Our ancestors ate a lot more fiber and a lot less of other things compared to modern diets. "The ultimate factor underlying diseases of civilization is the collision of our ancient genome with the new conditions of life in affluent nations, including the nutritional qualities of recently introduced foods," according to Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
If you are new to the concept of dietary fiber, you might understandably wonder what it is, if you can eat too much, and how to add more fiber to your diet more or less painlessly. Briefly, dietary fibers are indigestible components in plant-based foods.
"There are two types of fiber – soluble and insoluble – each with their own distinct health benefits. Soluble fiber is the pectin found in fruits, vegetables, and legumes. It binds with cholesterol and toxins, preventing the body from absorbing them. It slows digestion so blood sugars are released more slowly into the body. Insoluble fiber is found on the outside skin of potatoes and apples or bran and wheat. It is not digestible and acts like a toothbrush on our intestines, cleaning and moving waste out of the body. These fibers help prevent constipation and keep you regular."
If an internal toothbrush for your intestines sounds like an unpleasant idea, do not fret. Tasty treats such as avocados are among the foods that contain significant amounts of fiber. Some foods, such as dairy, contain no natural fiber whatsoever. So after enjoying a lovely cheese plate, say, consider snacking on a pear or other high-fibre food to help out your digestive system.
Those are excellent questions. I will be honest, I do not have the cognitive bandwidth to worry about soluble versus insoluble fiber intake. Also, different things seem to have different amounts as a serving, which drove me crazy when I was trying to figure out how to improve my own diet.
Like, I eat low fat cottage cheese every single day because I do not have the resources to do much cooking. I like cottage cheese so it is an easy and fast way to get a lot of protein. I always add fruit and nuts if I want sweet or other things if I want savory. But clearly that’s not the only thing I should be eating.
At some point I realized that usually a piece of fruit is a serving. And that half a cup is often a serving of vegetables. I found mixed frozen cut up vegetables that I like and I just try to eat 2 cups of that or a cup and a half every day with some added leftovers from my daughter to make my main meal. I also eat some fruit. And I figure I’m done.
I expect some nutritionist here will come by and offer some actual answers eventually. My big challenge is limiting my natural perfectionism so it doesn’t prevent me from eating relatively nutritious meals. Because it’s all relative. And my poop is a glorious thing, I will just say, since I have introduced the one and a half to 2 cups of vegetables nearly every day into my diet, along with nuts every day and fruit I already liked. Pears, kiwi, pomegranate, etc. Pumpkin seeds are also high in fiber. I really think the most important thing for me has been not eating food like medicine but finding things that I already liked and just eating more of it and less of the other things.
I am super lucky in that I often get really tasty leftovers from my kid, things like lentil lasagna with feta cheese. That’s super tasty and I don’t need much of that on top of my veggies to feel like I’m eating really well. That could be a placebo thing but again, my poop says otherwise. After a lifetime of either struggling with constipation or struggling with the more fluid side of things, I am enjoying a more balanced bowel movement. If this happens to be TMI, dear readers, blame Wordshore. Good luck, Anticipation!
posted by Bella Donna at 3:54 AM on January 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
Like, I eat low fat cottage cheese every single day because I do not have the resources to do much cooking. I like cottage cheese so it is an easy and fast way to get a lot of protein. I always add fruit and nuts if I want sweet or other things if I want savory. But clearly that’s not the only thing I should be eating.
At some point I realized that usually a piece of fruit is a serving. And that half a cup is often a serving of vegetables. I found mixed frozen cut up vegetables that I like and I just try to eat 2 cups of that or a cup and a half every day with some added leftovers from my daughter to make my main meal. I also eat some fruit. And I figure I’m done.
I expect some nutritionist here will come by and offer some actual answers eventually. My big challenge is limiting my natural perfectionism so it doesn’t prevent me from eating relatively nutritious meals. Because it’s all relative. And my poop is a glorious thing, I will just say, since I have introduced the one and a half to 2 cups of vegetables nearly every day into my diet, along with nuts every day and fruit I already liked. Pears, kiwi, pomegranate, etc. Pumpkin seeds are also high in fiber. I really think the most important thing for me has been not eating food like medicine but finding things that I already liked and just eating more of it and less of the other things.
I am super lucky in that I often get really tasty leftovers from my kid, things like lentil lasagna with feta cheese. That’s super tasty and I don’t need much of that on top of my veggies to feel like I’m eating really well. That could be a placebo thing but again, my poop says otherwise. After a lifetime of either struggling with constipation or struggling with the more fluid side of things, I am enjoying a more balanced bowel movement. If this happens to be TMI, dear readers, blame Wordshore. Good luck, Anticipation!
posted by Bella Donna at 3:54 AM on January 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
What does a diet with 25g or more of fiber look like?
I think your basic 'five a day' would cover it - ie five portions of fruit and vegetables.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:55 AM on January 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
I think your basic 'five a day' would cover it - ie five portions of fruit and vegetables.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:55 AM on January 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
it would be nice to know a little more about what they're getting at and what some relatively easy dietary adjustments would look like.
Start by adding the good stuff: more fruit and veggies (without peeling or processing them if possible), more bran, more beans. Then decide what you can reduce or eliminate to balance out your meals: probably meat and dairy and bread. If you added a bowl of bran cereal in the morning, maybe you could eliminate something else (toast or muffins or whatever). If you added a decent portion of beans to your dinner, you could probably reduce or eliminate the meat portion.
I am already the Creature from the Black Legume, but I'm glad to have more evidence to support my evil ways.
posted by pracowity at 4:04 AM on January 21, 2019 [24 favorites]
Start by adding the good stuff: more fruit and veggies (without peeling or processing them if possible), more bran, more beans. Then decide what you can reduce or eliminate to balance out your meals: probably meat and dairy and bread. If you added a bowl of bran cereal in the morning, maybe you could eliminate something else (toast or muffins or whatever). If you added a decent portion of beans to your dinner, you could probably reduce or eliminate the meat portion.
I am already the Creature from the Black Legume, but I'm glad to have more evidence to support my evil ways.
posted by pracowity at 4:04 AM on January 21, 2019 [24 favorites]
Also: by all means avoid stuff stuffed with fiber that does not normally have fiber. When I was researching this post I discovered that fiber-plus cottage cheese apparently exists (the horror), as does "opportunity assessment" reports for the whole grain & high fiber foods market. In addition to failing to hyphenate high-fibre foods, one report notes things like, "the use of whole grain & high fiber foods in the bakery segment is likely to result in lucrative market opportunities for the producers of whole grain & high fiber foods targeting this segment." Moreover, when I was searching on "high fiber" a website run by Nestle popped up. Nestle is not generally the go-to resource for independent nutrition information.
Finally, some medical conditions require that people avoid fiber so, as usual, there is no such thing as a universal good.
posted by Bella Donna at 4:12 AM on January 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
Finally, some medical conditions require that people avoid fiber so, as usual, there is no such thing as a universal good.
posted by Bella Donna at 4:12 AM on January 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
Me & my SO have been talking fibre recently, we were quite surprised to find yesterday that white pasta with added fibre has way more fibre than wholewheat pasta, as well as not tasting like crap. It looks to me like cutting back on meat and eating more veg based meals has probably ticked the box for fibre for me on most days, though I need to be careful on buying the meltier loaves. I suspect I would be better worrying about fat and sugar than fibre, but maybe most of you have that nailed down already, I tend to overcake.
posted by biffa at 5:17 AM on January 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by biffa at 5:17 AM on January 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
My health depends on avoiding grains and legumes of all varieties. I feel my best eating meat, vegetables, fruit and dairy and I am much leaner and mentally clear. I've experienced this improvement over the past 15 years since being introduced to Atkins. Also looking into the benefits of supporting a healthy gut microbiome biome with fiber and resistant starch. These days I'm looking toward reducing meat but continuing with the rest of it. I'm substituting meat with sweet potatoes and plantains with lots of saturated fats and vegetables. I won't cut imeat out completely but I can't ignore animal cruelty and impact on the environment. It's how I'm balancing out a serious and complex dilemma.
posted by waving at 5:35 AM on January 21, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by waving at 5:35 AM on January 21, 2019 [7 favorites]
Not to be THAT VEGAN, but a vegan diet has astronomically more fiber than a standard, western diet, which is like alarm-beeping-lights-flashing levels of critically low. When I first became vegan I ignored the advice to add fiber slowly, because I was changing my diet in so many ways. I could only calculate so much at a time. My insides were really wobbly for a couple weeks! I was glad I had read up it, because it would have been easy to go “oh yeah this isn’t working, never mind” instead of recognizing it as a symptom of a dietary change that would pass (pun not intended).
I eat loads of fiber now and it is SO GREAT for my digestive system from start to finish. I’m not one of those touchy-feely types who is in tune with my body when I eat different things, but it’s been crystal clear to me that I function much better on a ton of fiber, and when I inadvertently miss it for a few days it’s noticeable.
posted by missmary6 at 6:03 AM on January 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
I eat loads of fiber now and it is SO GREAT for my digestive system from start to finish. I’m not one of those touchy-feely types who is in tune with my body when I eat different things, but it’s been crystal clear to me that I function much better on a ton of fiber, and when I inadvertently miss it for a few days it’s noticeable.
posted by missmary6 at 6:03 AM on January 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
Sigh. This can be a great way for food manufacturers to peddle packaged carbs, which are dietary disease vectors, so.... look to veggies first (including starchy veggies like yucca and taro). Then look to whole grains that aren't wheat, corn, or soy. Finally, fruit.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 6:10 AM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Sheydem-tants at 6:10 AM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Most meals are great served on top of a bed of arugula, spinach, or chard. I even eat soup this way: just pour it on top of greens. Nearly anything savory can be a salad! (Now I want some lentil lasagna served on top of spinach. I love how the heat wilts the greens.)
posted by sockermom at 6:21 AM on January 21, 2019 [16 favorites]
posted by sockermom at 6:21 AM on January 21, 2019 [16 favorites]
Hello! This is something that I pay attention to, food-wise. Let's say that you would like to add fiber to your diet. Here are some easy ways to do so:
Dried figs - 4-5 grams of fiber per serving, roughly split soluble/insoluble
A pear - about five grams of fiber for a medium-sized one, ditto
Black beans - about 7.5 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup serving, ditto (other beans are similar but have slightly less soluble fiber)
Avocado - average Hass/medium - about 10 grams, three of which are soluble
Dried apricots - 3-4 grams per 1/4 cup serving
That german rye bread that gets sold in the square plastic packages - about six grams per slice, mostly insoluble
Apples, carrots, peanuts, other legumes, whole grains (wheat berries, farro, whole grain cornmeal, etc) and broccoli are all particularly good sources of fiber. Green peas are also.
The best way to get over 25 grams of fiber is to integrate a couple of servings of high-fiber foods as a default and then eat a normal, reasonably healthy diet. So for instance, if you plan to eat a pear, a serving of dried figs and a serving of beans, you're pretty much set unless the rest of your diet is just cheese. You can easily have the pear at lunch, the figs as a snack and the beans as a side at dinner. It is okay to have, eg, a little side plate of roasted chickpeas or refriend black beans or green peas.
Grean peas, in fact, are a great side because you can just buy them frozen, cook them in the microwave and top with a little butter, salt and pepper, and you have a nutritious, fibrous and protein-y dish.
In any case, if you have three fibrous foods you've already eaten ~15 grams, and any reasonably sensible diet should provide at least another ten. (However, not all vegetables have a lot of fiber - many of them are around 2-3 grams per serving.)
posted by Frowner at 6:31 AM on January 21, 2019 [23 favorites]
Dried figs - 4-5 grams of fiber per serving, roughly split soluble/insoluble
A pear - about five grams of fiber for a medium-sized one, ditto
Black beans - about 7.5 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup serving, ditto (other beans are similar but have slightly less soluble fiber)
Avocado - average Hass/medium - about 10 grams, three of which are soluble
Dried apricots - 3-4 grams per 1/4 cup serving
That german rye bread that gets sold in the square plastic packages - about six grams per slice, mostly insoluble
Apples, carrots, peanuts, other legumes, whole grains (wheat berries, farro, whole grain cornmeal, etc) and broccoli are all particularly good sources of fiber. Green peas are also.
The best way to get over 25 grams of fiber is to integrate a couple of servings of high-fiber foods as a default and then eat a normal, reasonably healthy diet. So for instance, if you plan to eat a pear, a serving of dried figs and a serving of beans, you're pretty much set unless the rest of your diet is just cheese. You can easily have the pear at lunch, the figs as a snack and the beans as a side at dinner. It is okay to have, eg, a little side plate of roasted chickpeas or refriend black beans or green peas.
Grean peas, in fact, are a great side because you can just buy them frozen, cook them in the microwave and top with a little butter, salt and pepper, and you have a nutritious, fibrous and protein-y dish.
In any case, if you have three fibrous foods you've already eaten ~15 grams, and any reasonably sensible diet should provide at least another ten. (However, not all vegetables have a lot of fiber - many of them are around 2-3 grams per serving.)
posted by Frowner at 6:31 AM on January 21, 2019 [23 favorites]
Thank you for sharing this. A new medication has made this really relevant to my interests and I am huddled up at home today lamenting the side effects of a supremely crummy stomach ache :(
posted by Hermione Granger at 6:35 AM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Hermione Granger at 6:35 AM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Food is so fraught. I have a keto follower (diabetic as well) in the household and I've eliminated most cow products from my diet with a vegetarian leaning for the environment...and I have kids who are immersed in our current food culture. Planning is fun.
I came in to say about what Frowner said, although dried fruit for me is too sugary/caloric for the volume. For me personally, I tried the more ketogenic diet to be supportive and...my body loves fibre. I am happiest eating beans.
So...I'll add to the above, chickpeas and roasted chickpeas (pricey but easy in the store, way cheap and easy at home when time permits) as a simple way to add fibre.
I will share this amazing salad which we tried for the first time this weekend (goat milk feta).
posted by warriorqueen at 6:44 AM on January 21, 2019 [6 favorites]
I came in to say about what Frowner said, although dried fruit for me is too sugary/caloric for the volume. For me personally, I tried the more ketogenic diet to be supportive and...my body loves fibre. I am happiest eating beans.
So...I'll add to the above, chickpeas and roasted chickpeas (pricey but easy in the store, way cheap and easy at home when time permits) as a simple way to add fibre.
I will share this amazing salad which we tried for the first time this weekend (goat milk feta).
posted by warriorqueen at 6:44 AM on January 21, 2019 [6 favorites]
What does a diet with 25g or more of fiber look like?
Just last week I started aiming for 25g (and also started using MyFitnessPal). I haven't been making it to 25g every day, but then I haven't really been trying that hard or making big changes. I'm trying to reduce sugar in my diet at the same time.
I found that I can get 7g just from a small/quick/easy breakfast if I eat Cheerios and add a little granola. I use two kinds of packaged granola -- peanut butter and cocoa/chia. (I add milk, but that adds 0 fiber.) There's 3g in the Cheerios and 4g in the granola. Another breakfast I have is two Kashi 7-Grain waffles -- with strawberries, I get 9g of fiber, and without, I get 7g.
I'm trying to make easy substitutions, too. I like to have an egg & cheese muffin for lunch sometimes, and now I use a whole-wheat English muffin rather than white (which I always used to use without thinking), which instead of "less than 1g" of fiber has 3g. (I haven't tried whole-wheat pasta yet, or pastas made from veggies, chickpeas, etc., but I probably will.)
And you can get 5g from just one apple!
Interestingly, even on the days I don't make it to 25g, I've noticed I've become a lot more ... er, regular.
posted by trillian at 6:58 AM on January 21, 2019
Just last week I started aiming for 25g (and also started using MyFitnessPal). I haven't been making it to 25g every day, but then I haven't really been trying that hard or making big changes. I'm trying to reduce sugar in my diet at the same time.
I found that I can get 7g just from a small/quick/easy breakfast if I eat Cheerios and add a little granola. I use two kinds of packaged granola -- peanut butter and cocoa/chia. (I add milk, but that adds 0 fiber.) There's 3g in the Cheerios and 4g in the granola. Another breakfast I have is two Kashi 7-Grain waffles -- with strawberries, I get 9g of fiber, and without, I get 7g.
I'm trying to make easy substitutions, too. I like to have an egg & cheese muffin for lunch sometimes, and now I use a whole-wheat English muffin rather than white (which I always used to use without thinking), which instead of "less than 1g" of fiber has 3g. (I haven't tried whole-wheat pasta yet, or pastas made from veggies, chickpeas, etc., but I probably will.)
And you can get 5g from just one apple!
Interestingly, even on the days I don't make it to 25g, I've noticed I've become a lot more ... er, regular.
posted by trillian at 6:58 AM on January 21, 2019
I really like raspberries/blackberries, and 6 oz of those are between 9 and 11 grams of fiber. Of course, II put whipped cream on them, so....
posted by worldswalker at 7:07 AM on January 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by worldswalker at 7:07 AM on January 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
Can't eat beans. Can't eat most grains. Most tree fruits are right out. Frozen berries, figs, and dates during the winter. It's either that or crap boulders, and irritate the piles. But when stone fruit season comes around BOY HOWDY, let me just say WOOOOOSHHHHHH
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:22 AM on January 21, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:22 AM on January 21, 2019 [5 favorites]
Hello I am here to sing the praises of Benefiber, the modern fiber supplement. Remember your friend's grandpa and his Metamucil, a vaguely orange gritty slurry he'd drink to "stay regular"? Benefiber is the discreet, invisible, modern engineered equivalent.
It's magic. You stir a spoon of it in your coffee, or water, or gin martini(*) and it just disappears. Like totally disappears. 30 seconds later you don't even know it's there. Gin martini recommended by 1 out of 20 doctors
There's also a very similar product in Europe called Optifibre. It takes a little longer to dissolve but also does the trick pretty well.
posted by Nelson at 8:28 AM on January 21, 2019 [10 favorites]
It's magic. You stir a spoon of it in your coffee, or water, or gin martini(*) and it just disappears. Like totally disappears. 30 seconds later you don't even know it's there. Gin martini recommended by 1 out of 20 doctors
There's also a very similar product in Europe called Optifibre. It takes a little longer to dissolve but also does the trick pretty well.
posted by Nelson at 8:28 AM on January 21, 2019 [10 favorites]
Grumpybearbride and I have been eating more high-fiber meals lately. Lots of brown rice, whole-wheat pastas (some of which are great, others which are terrible), vegetables, fruit, etc. I've discovered that I prefer brown rice to white rice, which is a lovely discovery, though it makes ordering from Seamless more difficult because lots of places don't offer that option.
Also, Bella Donna, your regular series of gastrointestinal posts have been uniformly engaging. Solid, even.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:58 AM on January 21, 2019 [6 favorites]
Also, Bella Donna, your regular series of gastrointestinal posts have been uniformly engaging. Solid, even.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:58 AM on January 21, 2019 [6 favorites]
Yeah, I came here to say that everyone on my dad's side (including me) have inherited high cholesterol. That means my dad's been running marathons/half-marathons, his BMI is 18.7 and he's about 120 lbs/5 foot 7. He's actually UNDERweight and recently started statins to reduce his LDL, which was around 280.
He's now under 100 with the LDLs, but as an experiment after getting the "you gotta lower your cholesterol or start taking statins next year" speech from my own doctor, I looked into eating more fiber.
Studies consistently show that eating more fiber is one natural way to lower blood lipids. This one says 25g of soluble fiber daily can lower your LDL up to 18% (and my firsthand experience proves it). It's not a magic bullet and doesn't work as quickly as statins, but they may help you naturally reduce your blood lipids enough to avoid prescription intervention.
I started counting how many grams I ate daily and I was averaging around 11g. That's not enough!
Striving to eat 20-25g daily was hard adjusting to; I recommend everyone ramp up SLOWLY. Add 2-3g more per day until your body adjusts to avoid cramps, gas, bloating, etc.
After 90 days eating 22-25g of fiber daily, I dropped my LDL from 153 to 139. Total cholesterol fell from 229 to 212. Doctor still isn't completely happy with that, but I've now adjusted pretty well after 6mo of daily oatmeal intake and here's one surprising side effect I didn't expect: I don't constantly crave sugar to the point of being unable to fall asleep at night anymore. After years of being hobbled by an insatiable sweet tooth, I can leave ice cream, candy, etc. for days or weeks at a time without consuming all of it.
If you're like me and love sugar almost as much as oxygen, that's a really good reason to consume more fiber. I'm guessing I've re-programmed my gut microbiome this way, and another added benefit? I have SIGNIFICANTLY less reflux issues than I used to on a low-fiber, high-protein diet.
Really excited to get my next blood lipid profile test results later this week!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:46 AM on January 21, 2019 [17 favorites]
He's now under 100 with the LDLs, but as an experiment after getting the "you gotta lower your cholesterol or start taking statins next year" speech from my own doctor, I looked into eating more fiber.
Studies consistently show that eating more fiber is one natural way to lower blood lipids. This one says 25g of soluble fiber daily can lower your LDL up to 18% (and my firsthand experience proves it). It's not a magic bullet and doesn't work as quickly as statins, but they may help you naturally reduce your blood lipids enough to avoid prescription intervention.
I started counting how many grams I ate daily and I was averaging around 11g. That's not enough!
Striving to eat 20-25g daily was hard adjusting to; I recommend everyone ramp up SLOWLY. Add 2-3g more per day until your body adjusts to avoid cramps, gas, bloating, etc.
After 90 days eating 22-25g of fiber daily, I dropped my LDL from 153 to 139. Total cholesterol fell from 229 to 212. Doctor still isn't completely happy with that, but I've now adjusted pretty well after 6mo of daily oatmeal intake and here's one surprising side effect I didn't expect: I don't constantly crave sugar to the point of being unable to fall asleep at night anymore. After years of being hobbled by an insatiable sweet tooth, I can leave ice cream, candy, etc. for days or weeks at a time without consuming all of it.
If you're like me and love sugar almost as much as oxygen, that's a really good reason to consume more fiber. I'm guessing I've re-programmed my gut microbiome this way, and another added benefit? I have SIGNIFICANTLY less reflux issues than I used to on a low-fiber, high-protein diet.
Really excited to get my next blood lipid profile test results later this week!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:46 AM on January 21, 2019 [17 favorites]
For many people with IBS and other gut issues, insoluble fiber is a nightmare. Please do not use a metaphorical toothbrush on tender, easily inflamed mucuses. Soluble fiber can be really helpful, but increase it gradually. And if the insoluble fiber is ground or powdered finely enough, it can be ok. Less of the seeds and nuts, and more of the smooth butters made of 100% seeds and nuts. Less of the green salads and more of the green smoothies.
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 9:59 AM on January 21, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 9:59 AM on January 21, 2019 [8 favorites]
1/2 a cup of beans or lentils a day will get you 7-10 grams of fiber. Bump it up to 1 cup and you're almost there!
Raspberries = 7 g per 100 grams (frozen ones are fine). Most other berries will get you half that.
3-4 g fiber in a serving of oatmeal
More on sources from Today's Dietitian
For many people with IBS and other gut issues, insoluble fiber is a nightmare
Super duper true. Inulin, often added to whole wheat pastas etc, is particularly awful.
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:31 AM on January 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
Raspberries = 7 g per 100 grams (frozen ones are fine). Most other berries will get you half that.
3-4 g fiber in a serving of oatmeal
More on sources from Today's Dietitian
For many people with IBS and other gut issues, insoluble fiber is a nightmare
Super duper true. Inulin, often added to whole wheat pastas etc, is particularly awful.
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:31 AM on January 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
Inulin is the worst. No sunchokes for me, no siree.
posted by sjswitzer at 10:37 AM on January 21, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by sjswitzer at 10:37 AM on January 21, 2019 [5 favorites]
Also, chia seeds - 11 g per 28 g (a tablespoon). Four grams of protein for that, too.
Only thing about chia seeds is you have to be very careful to not eat them dry and then chase with water. This creates a gel that can block your esophagus thusly (content warning, gross pictures). Most people should be fine, though.
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:38 AM on January 21, 2019
Only thing about chia seeds is you have to be very careful to not eat them dry and then chase with water. This creates a gel that can block your esophagus thusly (content warning, gross pictures). Most people should be fine, though.
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:38 AM on January 21, 2019
But when stone fruit season comes around BOY HOWDY
Last summer, I found a good, cheap source of apricots, which were so refreshing and cold when it was so hot in my apartment. I did not know that apricots had certain properties. I thought I might have food poisoning.
If you happen to read old magazines from the early to the mid-twentieth century and notice medicines with unclear purposes that promise "pep" or even better-behaved children, those are often laxatives. People used to be suspicious of fresh, raw vegetables, largely for folk reasons but also because they were a risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, and it took years after that risk had passed for Westerners to make room for more fiber in the cuisine.
posted by Countess Elena at 10:40 AM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Last summer, I found a good, cheap source of apricots, which were so refreshing and cold when it was so hot in my apartment. I did not know that apricots had certain properties. I thought I might have food poisoning.
If you happen to read old magazines from the early to the mid-twentieth century and notice medicines with unclear purposes that promise "pep" or even better-behaved children, those are often laxatives. People used to be suspicious of fresh, raw vegetables, largely for folk reasons but also because they were a risk for cholera and other waterborne diseases, and it took years after that risk had passed for Westerners to make room for more fiber in the cuisine.
posted by Countess Elena at 10:40 AM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Here's a useful factoid: a *lot* of urinary incontinence is caused by even mild constipation. Bed-wetting child? Leakage? Getting up 3x a night? Eat bran, dried fruit, brown rice, lots more fiber. I'm post-menopausal and nothing makes me feel like a geezer as much as singing the praises of fiber, but dang.
posted by theora55 at 10:44 AM on January 21, 2019 [14 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 10:44 AM on January 21, 2019 [14 favorites]
What does a diet with 25g or more of fiber look like?
A lil' something like this.
(In seriousness, I try to get a couple cups of salad a day, and will occasionally fall back on these babies, either straight up or in a smoothie. There's something about your first colonoscopy that helps encourage a person to do what's necessary to have it come out like a wrecking ball, as it were.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:59 AM on January 21, 2019
A lil' something like this.
(In seriousness, I try to get a couple cups of salad a day, and will occasionally fall back on these babies, either straight up or in a smoothie. There's something about your first colonoscopy that helps encourage a person to do what's necessary to have it come out like a wrecking ball, as it were.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:59 AM on January 21, 2019
So for instance, if you plan to eat a pear, a serving of dried figs and a serving of beans, you're pretty much set unless the rest of your diet is just cheese. You can easily have the pear at lunch, the figs as a snack and the beans as a side at dinner. It is okay to have, eg, a little side plate of roasted chickpeas or refriend black beans or green peas.
Solid advice!
(whispers)
but if I'm eating figs and pears, there is a very good chance that the rest of my meal will be just cheese
posted by grandiloquiet at 11:17 AM on January 21, 2019 [8 favorites]
Solid advice!
(whispers)
but if I'm eating figs and pears, there is a very good chance that the rest of my meal will be just cheese
posted by grandiloquiet at 11:17 AM on January 21, 2019 [8 favorites]
Time to buy some more benefiber and oh I guess also vegetables fine.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 11:49 AM on January 21, 2019
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 11:49 AM on January 21, 2019
You may well be right, kalessin. Even thought it may not save my heart, a diet higher in fiber has improved my bowl movements sufficiently that it is a win for me. (Like I haven't discussed my relationship with my poop nearly enough in this thread already.) I am not a fan of whole-wheat pasta. I would rather not eat pasta than eat that. So here in Sweden I have been pleasantly surprised by the bean pasta I can buy. It is made with traditional durum wheat as well as flour from white beans (30%) grown here in Sweden. So it is a white pasta that has twice as much fiber as regular pasta and tastes like ... pasta. It is a small, cheery thing for me during this dark and icy season.
posted by Bella Donna at 1:13 PM on January 21, 2019
posted by Bella Donna at 1:13 PM on January 21, 2019
Yes, by all means if you have GERD or a sensitive stomach of any kind, try to avoid inulin!
Here's all the sneaky ways they hide inulin in the ingredients list for things like KIND bars:
- chicory root extract
- chicory extract
- chicory root fiber
- liquid inulin
- oligosaccharides
- dahlia extract
It's derived from a naturally occurring substance found in artichokes, asparagus, jicama, sunchokes, onions, leeks, garlic, wheat and unripened bananas. If you normally can't tolerate those foods because they upset your stomach, avoid anything that lists one of those weird inulin ingredients on the package.
I learned eating anything with fake added liquid fiber's a good way for me to have a serious reflux attack w/severe bloating, painful cramps and loud-ass belching that would make whole fraternities blush.
I'd start with adding berries, beans or steel-cut oatmeal (whichever you can tolerate best) because they're so macronutrient-rich.
Most Kashi cereals have 7-10g fiber per serving.
One cup cooked black-eyed peas: 11g fiber
One cup cooked artichoke hearts: 10g fiber
One ripe avocado, whole: 9-13.5g soluble fiber (depends on size)
One cup of cooked edamame: 8g fiber
One cup blackberries or raspberries: 8g fiber
One pear: 5.5g fiber
One cup cooked quinoa: 5g fiber
One cup brussels sprouts: 4g soluble fiber
2 tbsp MaraNatha sunflower seed butter: 4g fiber
One cup cooked brown rice: 3.5g fiber
2 tbsp almond butter: 3.3g fiber
One-ounce serving of Sun Chips (most flavors) or Terra Sweet Potato Chips: 3g fiber
2 tbsp most creamy or chunky peanut butters: 2g fiber
Hummus: about 1-to-1 (fiber to tablespoon serving) but check the labels!
There, hopefully I listed at least 1 new fiber-friendly food you can easily swap into your diet, regardless of cooking ability, digestive issues or taste preferences. If all you do is swap out eating sweet potato chips for Fritos, that's better than nothing!
There's even a way to sneak it into your Starbucks order: a Grande Skinny Mocha has 4g fiber (the secret's in the mocha sauce - check any drink made with it, you'll see 3-4g fiber for a Grande-sized serving).
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 2:31 PM on January 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
Here's all the sneaky ways they hide inulin in the ingredients list for things like KIND bars:
- chicory root extract
- chicory extract
- chicory root fiber
- liquid inulin
- oligosaccharides
- dahlia extract
It's derived from a naturally occurring substance found in artichokes, asparagus, jicama, sunchokes, onions, leeks, garlic, wheat and unripened bananas. If you normally can't tolerate those foods because they upset your stomach, avoid anything that lists one of those weird inulin ingredients on the package.
I learned eating anything with fake added liquid fiber's a good way for me to have a serious reflux attack w/severe bloating, painful cramps and loud-ass belching that would make whole fraternities blush.
I'd start with adding berries, beans or steel-cut oatmeal (whichever you can tolerate best) because they're so macronutrient-rich.
Most Kashi cereals have 7-10g fiber per serving.
One cup cooked black-eyed peas: 11g fiber
One cup cooked artichoke hearts: 10g fiber
One ripe avocado, whole: 9-13.5g soluble fiber (depends on size)
One cup of cooked edamame: 8g fiber
One cup blackberries or raspberries: 8g fiber
One pear: 5.5g fiber
One cup cooked quinoa: 5g fiber
One cup brussels sprouts: 4g soluble fiber
2 tbsp MaraNatha sunflower seed butter: 4g fiber
One cup cooked brown rice: 3.5g fiber
2 tbsp almond butter: 3.3g fiber
One-ounce serving of Sun Chips (most flavors) or Terra Sweet Potato Chips: 3g fiber
2 tbsp most creamy or chunky peanut butters: 2g fiber
Hummus: about 1-to-1 (fiber to tablespoon serving) but check the labels!
There, hopefully I listed at least 1 new fiber-friendly food you can easily swap into your diet, regardless of cooking ability, digestive issues or taste preferences. If all you do is swap out eating sweet potato chips for Fritos, that's better than nothing!
There's even a way to sneak it into your Starbucks order: a Grande Skinny Mocha has 4g fiber (the secret's in the mocha sauce - check any drink made with it, you'll see 3-4g fiber for a Grande-sized serving).
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 2:31 PM on January 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
Like sockermom, I am a fan of the "handful of tightly-packed greens drowned in bean soup" style of eating. The greens are easier to eat when wilted, they cool down hot soup a bit, and the soup gets some texture. But even a bowl of this a day probably means I am a little fiber deficient (it kind of feels like if I were to eat enough fiber, I would have to eat too much food).
posted by batter_my_heart at 4:46 PM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by batter_my_heart at 4:46 PM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Lots of good advice already, but I am here to sing the praises of lentils.
A cup of cooked lentils will provide on the order of ~15g of fiber and ~20g of protein. This isn’t terribly different from what a cup of beans will provide. But! Lentils will cook in about a third of the time, don’t need to be soaked, and won’t make most people as flatulent.
Throw some lentils into a soup, stew, or salad, and you have a tasty, healthy, protein and fiber-ful meal.
posted by HighTechUnderpants at 8:35 AM on January 22, 2019 [5 favorites]
A cup of cooked lentils will provide on the order of ~15g of fiber and ~20g of protein. This isn’t terribly different from what a cup of beans will provide. But! Lentils will cook in about a third of the time, don’t need to be soaked, and won’t make most people as flatulent.
Throw some lentils into a soup, stew, or salad, and you have a tasty, healthy, protein and fiber-ful meal.
posted by HighTechUnderpants at 8:35 AM on January 22, 2019 [5 favorites]
I am here to sing the praises of lentils.
I hear this in the voice of Neil the Hippy from The Young Ones.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 8:01 PM on January 23, 2019
I hear this in the voice of Neil the Hippy from The Young Ones.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 8:01 PM on January 23, 2019
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• Does this research control for other dietary factors that may be associated with high fiber intake?
• Are these benefits associated with soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, or a combination? If a combination, what combination?
• Do fiber supplements help, or is this just more, "Eat whole grains and leafy vegetables" type advice?
• What does a diet with 25g or more of fiber look like?
Not trying to tear this down, but I would love to know the answers to these questions. As someone who is pretty pleased with himself if he manages to prepare three decent meals a day, it would be nice to know a little more about what they're getting at and what some relatively easy dietary adjustments would look like. I am probably not going to teach myself an entire new cooking repertoire around this for instance, but I already have at best a fragile détente with my guts and have already been thinking about adding more fiber in hopes of soothing their troubles.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:02 AM on January 21, 2019 [4 favorites]