Your recommended fiber intake is 20 grams a day. This is the minimum recommended amount to obtain a well-balanced diet and achieve your personal fitness goals. Be aware, however, that you can overdo a good thing! Consuming more than 50 to 60 grams of fiber daily can move food through your digestive system too quickly making it difficult for your body to absorb some vitamins and minerals.
Consuming too much fiber or increasing your fiber intake too quickly can also cause symptoms such as gas, diarrhea and bloating. If you do not eat much fiber and want to increase your intake, increase your intake slowly. Also, as you increase your fiber it is very important to increase your fluid intake, such as water. This helps move fiber easily through your digestive system and decreases the chance of any unpleasant symptoms.
Not all fibers have similar effects. There are two different kinds of fiber and both are important: soluble and insoluble fiber. The difference is their food sources and how they affect the body. Foods containing insoluble fiber such as wheat bran, wheat germ, whole grains, cracked wheat bran and brown rice, are not digested and they don't dissolve. This helps add bulk and softening to the stool. Adding bulk and softening helps improve bowel regularity and helps prevent constipation. Insoluble fibers also decrease the transit time of moving waste through the colon. This transit time is when potentially harmful substances in waste linger in the intestines and can cause possible harm.
Soluble fibers, such as foods in the legumes family, seeds, raw and dried fruits (apples, citrus, dates, raisins) and raw and cooked vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables) dissolve and become gel-like substances during digestion. This quality seems to help keep blood glucose (or blood sugar) levels regulated and lower blood cholesterol levels.
In order to get the recommended daily fiber amount - both soluble and insoluble - suggested with our Fiber Calculator, it is important to make a conscious effort to include fiber-rich foods in almost every snack or meal you eat. The following are suggestions for increasing your daily fiber intake:
Keep edible peels on fruits and vegetables.
Eat vegetables raw when possible. Raw vegetables contain more fiber than cooked.
Whole grain oatmeal is a great source of fiber and complex carbohydrates.
Choose whole grain or buckwheat pancakes and waffles.
Get in the habit of eating whole grain breads, bagels and muffins with at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.
Try mixing fruits with your favorite foods. For example, add a banana or chopped dates to yogurt or cereal.
Whole grain bagels, rolls, crackers, and muffins are also excellent snacks.
Chili (vegetarian or turkey), baked beans, and lentil soup are excellent sources of fiber.
Incorporate dried beans, such as kidney beans, into main dishes. They are great in soups and casseroles.
Try whole grain pasta instead of "regular" pasta.
Use brown rice, millet, or kashi instead of white rice.
Replace meat with vegetable dishes two to three nights a week.
Add vegetables and high-fiber cereals to burgers, meatloaf, etc.
Experiment with whole-wheat flour instead of white flour in recipes.
Try adding oat bran and wheat germ to breads, cakes, cookies, muffins, etc.
Top desserts with high fiber cereal for added fiber, flavor, and crunch.
Select cold cereals with at least 4 grams of fiber or more per serving. For example, Kellogg's Complete Bran Flakes, Kellogg's All Bran with Extra Fiber, General Mills Fiber One, and Nabisco Shredded Wheat with Bran.
