Why You’re Probably Not Getting Enough Fiber (And How To Fix It)

First things first… How much fiber should we be eating?

• The World Health Organization recommends we each get at least 25g of fiber per day:
  • The Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation on diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases
• A more recent meta-review of studies, involving thousands of people and decades of time, suggests 25–29g is ideal:
  • Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses
• The British Nutritional Foundation gives 30g as the figure:
  • 30 g of fibre a day: An achievable recommendation?
• The US National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine recommends 21g–38g per day, depending on age and sex:
  • NAS | Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, [and more]
• A large study last year gave 30–40g as the figure:
  • Therapeutic Benefits and Dietary Restrictions of Fiber Intake: A State-of-the-Art Review*

*This one is also a great read to understand more about the “why” of fiber

Meanwhile, the average American gets 16g of fiber per day.

So, how to get more fiber, without piling on too many carbs?

Foods that contain fiber generally contain carbs (there’s a limit to how much celery most people want to eat), so there are two key ideas here:

• Getting a good carb:fiber ratio
• Making substitutions that boost fiber without overdoing (or in some case, even changing) carbs

Meat → Lentils

Well-seasoned lentils can be used to replaced ground beef or similar. A cup of boiled lentils contains 18g of fiber, so you’re already outdoing the average American’s daily total.

Meat → Beans

Black beans are a top-tier option here (15g per cup, cooked weight), but many kinds of beans are great.

Chicken/Fish → Chickpeas

Yes, chicken/fish is already meat, but we’re making a case for chickpeas here. Cooked and seasoned appropriately, they do the job, and pack in 12g of fiber per cup. Also… Hummus!

Bonus: Hummus, eaten with celery sticks.

White pasta/bread → Wholewheat pasta/bread

This is one where “moderation is key”, but if you’re going to eat pasta/bread, then wholewheat is the way to go. Fiber amounts vary, so read labels, but it will always have far more than white.

Processed salty snacks → Almonds and other nuts

Nuts in general are great, but almonds are top-tier for fiber, amongst other things. A 40g handful of almonds contains about 10g of fiber.

Starchy vegetables → Non-starchy vegetables

Potatoes, parsnips, and their friends have their place. But they cannot compete with broccoli, peas, cabbage, and other non-starchy vegetables for fiber content.

Bonus: if you’re going to have starchy vegetables though, leave the skins on!

Fruit juice → Fruit

Fruit juice has had most, if not all, of its fiber removed. Eat an actual juicy fruit, instead. Apples and bananas are great options; berries such as blackberries and raspberries are even better (at around 8g per cup, compared to the 5g or so depending on the size of an apple/banana)

Processed cereals → Oats

5g fiber per cup. Enough said.

Summary

Far from being a Herculean task, getting >30g of fiber per day can be easily accomplished by a lentil ragù with wholewheat pasta.

If your breakfast is overnight oats with fruit and some chopped almonds, you can make it to >20g already by the time you’ve finished your first meal of the day.

Enjoy!