Fill Up On Fiber
Is it just me, or are some nutrients louder than others?
Omega-3 fatty acids get a lot of attention.
Iron gets a lot of attention too.
Even the gut-brain connection is at the front of many people’s minds (and guts!)
But what about fiber?
I wish fiber had a spokesperson.
Fiber often gets overlooked.
But it’s one of the crucial pieces to gut, mood and hormone health.
In my practice as a Sacramento naturopathic doctor, I find it really valuable to take a fiber inventory.
After all, there’s likely a gap and it can solve all sorts of ills (or at least give you a good foundation in the right direction).
Historically, our ancestors were eating about 100 grams of fiber a day.
But the average American eats only about 15 grams a day , and the current recommendation is to eat about 25-30 mg a day.
What I often hear from people is that they know fiber is good, but don’t know how to get into their diet.
So, we’ll cover some of the fiber super foods and why it’s important to make fiber rich foods part of your daily routine.
First, What Is Dietary Fiber?
Fiber is essentially the roughage found in vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes.
It can be soluble or insoluble, meaning it dissolves in water and becomes gel-like or passes through unabsorbed.
We need both and focusing on variety will mean you’re getting both types.
There are three main areas where fiber is beneficial.
Let’s take a look at each of them.
Fiber Is Good For Gut Health
Low fiber in the diet is a major risk for colon cancer.
It also means that constipation may be a concern.
And if your body isn’t able to eliminate that waste product daily, that’s a sign there’s an imbalance.
Fiber and gut bacteria are also good friends.
Fiber feeds healthy gut bacteria and is essential to keeping a healthy gut ecology.
Fiber Is Good For Hormone Health
Our hormones, especially estrogen, are packed up by the liver and sent to the bowels to be eliminated.
RELATED: Top 10 Signs You May Have A Hormonal Imbalance
But that’s difficult to do if you’re constipated.
When that happens, your body reabsorbs that estrogen, and your exposure to excess estrogen is increased.
It’s worth noting here that lignan fiber in flax seeds helps maintain normal hormone health.
It does that by increasing sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) which helps eliminate excess estrogen and testosterone.
A 2009 study found that women who ate more fiber were more likely to lose weight over a 20 month period as well.
In short, a daily 8g increase in total fiber per 1000 kcal was predictive of a 2kg weight loss in 20 months.
And fiber also appears to be protective against breast cancer.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that eating adequate fiber reduces breast cancer risk by 8%.
On that topic, the lead author highlights that:
“Our study contributes to the evidence that lifestyle factors, such as modifiable dietary practices, may affect breast cancer risk.”
Fiber Is Good For Your Mood
We know that the gut is in intricate communication with the brain through the gut-brain axis.
A big part of this is mediated through our microbiome.
And what does our microbiome love?
You guessed it: fiber.
Researchers are seeing a lot of exciting evidence on the effect of prebiotics on stress and mood in animal models.
RELATED: What Does Burnout Feel Like Physically?
However, one exciting human study found that the use of prebiotics decreased morning cortisol and made those participants less vigilant to negative signals.
How To Get More Fiber In Your Diet
In general, I think we’re best served by focusing on fiber in the diet versus supplements.
After all, there are so many great, delicious, healthy foods that can give you the fiber you need.
Now, it’s important to me to walk my talk, so let me walk you through one of my typical days, so you have a sample of fiber intake, then we’ll finish with some of the fiber power players.
A High Fiber Meal Plan
First breakfast: Quinoa porridge with berries, nut butter and cacao nibs.
Total fiber: 9 grams
Breakfast: 2 soft boiled eggs, roasted broccoli, and black tea with a splash of whole milk.
Total fiber: 3.7 grams
Lunch: 2 cups dark leafy greens, salmon and turmeric rice
Total fiber: 7 grams
Dinner: Black beans with brown rice, avocado and sugar snap peas
Total fiber: 24 grams
Total for the day: ~ 44 grams
Full disclosure: I also eat a couple squares of dark chocolate almost daily as a snack with green tea.
Although a 1 oz serving of 70% dark chocolate has 3.1 grams of fiber. #keepingitreal
As you can see, a mix of veggies, whole grains and legumes are all ways to be sure you’re getting adequate fiber.
Foods High In Dietary Fiber
Now, for the fiber power players.
If you’re looking to get more fiber in your diet, these are great places to start.
Dark Leafy Greens
The dark leafy greens like kale, collards, broccoli and cabbage.
One cup of raw, chopped kale has about 2.6 grams of fiber.
So if you eat 4 cups during the day, you’re getting about 10 grams from the dark leafies.
RELATED: How To Eat More Greens
Some recipes including the above:
Berries
1 cup of raspberries has 8 grams of fiber.
1 cup of blueberries has 3.6 grams of fiber
Hello summer goodness : )
Avocado
An avocado is technically a berry, botanically speaking.
That’s because berries are soft and fleshy fruits that come from a flower that has only one ovary.
But as the old saying says:
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. - Brian O’Driscoll
Anyway, 1 avocado has about 13 grams of fiber.
If you’re looking for some fresh new ways to include avocado into your diet, may I suggest:
Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, And Whole Grains
1 cup of lentils has about 15.6 grams of fiber
1 cup of garbanzo beans about 12.5 grams
1 cup of quinoa puts you at about 5 grams
1 cup of brown rice 3.5 grams
1 ounce (~2 TBS) of pumpkin seeds 5 grams
For some recipes including these, check out:
Garbanzo beans are also one of the main ingredients in hummus.
A Note About Prebiotics
Prebiotics are a special kind of fiber that are more specific food for our gut bugs.
All prebiotics are fiber, but not all fiber is a prebiotic.
If you’re focusing on fiber, you’re likely getting in good prebiotics, but to be extra gut friendly, these are prebiotic rich foods:
Garlic
Onion
Shallot
Spring onions
Fennel
Asparagus
Green peas
Cashews
Pistachios
Berries
Garbanzo beans
Lentils
Kidney beans
Brown rice
Oats
It is worth noting, that prebiotic’s can be aggravating to the gut in specific circumstances. One example is IBS.
It doesn’t mean that you need to stay away from these food always, but working with a practitioner who can guide a strategy becomes really important to avoid overly restrictive eating and balance symptom control/resolution.
What’s The Take Home?
In many ways, the end game here is healthy poops: well formed, medium to dark stool that’s easy to pass 1-2x per day.
This can be achieved, usually, by adequate hydration, movement and sufficient fiber.
Experiment with a large range and variety of foods.
This will incorporate a mix of fiber and nutrients and keep you and those gut bugs happy.
Book Your Appointment With Wild Lemon Health Today
Fiber is one of the main reasons I’m highly skeptical of very restrictive or low carb diets.
They can remove or deem as “bad“ many of the high fiber foods we know are essential to good health.
If fiber makes your symptoms worse or seems to aggravate bloating or indigestion, then it’s likely a sign that some further digging needs to be done to balance a therapeutic diet with a strategy for long term health maintenance.
You can find out more about how we can help get your gut happy again by clicking below.
Book your FREE introductory call with Wild Lemon Health today.
References:
Adlercreutz, H., Höckerstedt, K., Bannwart, C., Bloigu, S., Hämäläinen, E., Fotsis, T., & Ollus, A. (1987). Effect of dietary components, including lignans and phytoestrogens, on enterohepatic circulation and liver metabolism of estrogens and on sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Journal of Steroid Biochemistry, 27(4–6), 1135–1144. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-4731(87)90200-7
Fiber consumption and breast cancer incidence: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of prospective studies—Farvid—2020—Cancer—Wiley Online Library. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2021, from https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.32816
Schmidt, K., Cowen, P. J., Harmer, C. J., Tzortzis, G., Errington, S., & Burnet, P. W. J. (2015). Prebiotic intake reduces the waking cortisol response and alters emotional bias in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 232(10), 1793–1801. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3810-0
Tucker, L. A., & Thomas, K. S. (2009). Increasing Total Fiber Intake Reduces Risk of Weight and Fat Gains in Women. The Journal of Nutrition, 139(3), 576–581. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.108.096685
