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Experts stress the importance of having enough fiber in your diet.Many people focus on getting a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber, but it may be more useful to think in terms of balancing fermentable and unfermentable fiber.Nutritionists recommend incorporating a variety of plant-based foods into your diet to boost your fiber intake.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve probably heard a lot about the benefits of fiber, and for good reason. Fiber can help keep you regular and make you feel full, making it an important component of a healthy diet.<\/p>\n
Not all fiber is the same, though: different types help the body in different ways. Generally, diet advice tends to focus on the distinction between soluble and insoluble fiber, and how to get a mix of both. But experts say there\u2019s another set of categories that can really help you maximize your fiber intake.<\/p>\n
Below, experts discuss a way of approaching this macronutrient that you\u2019re probably not considering.<\/p>\n
Meet the experts: Purna Kashyap, M.B.B.S.<\/a>, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D.<\/a>, registered dietitian and author of The Little Book of Game-Changers<\/a>; Keri Gans, M.S., R.D.<\/a>, registered dietitian and author of The Small Change Diet<\/a>; Rudolph Bedford, M.D<\/a>., gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in Santa Monica, California; Heidi J. Silver, R.D., Ph.D.<\/a>, research professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.<\/p>\n Fermentable vs. nonfermentable fiber<\/p>\n Again, many people interested in increasing their fiber intake tend to focus on soluble and insoluble fiber. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine<\/a>, soluble fiber interacts with water in your gut to create a gel-like substance that slows digestion, and is found in nuts, seeds, beans, oat bran, and some fruits and vegetables. Insoluble fiber, which doesn\u2019t dissolve in water, adds bulk to stool and seems to help food pass more quickly through the gut; it\u2019s found in wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains.<\/p>\n But fiber can also be broken down into a second set of categories: fermentable and nonfermentable fiber. This offers a more meaningful way to look at fiber because it focuses on how these types of fiber behave in the body, rather than how they react with water. \u201cIt\u2019s a way of characterizing fibers based on how your gut interacts with them,\u201d says Rudolph Bedford, M.D<\/a>., gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.<\/p>\n \u201cFermentable fibers serve as fuel for gut bacteria and are metabolized into beneficial microbial products such as short-chain fatty acids, which are important for our immune function, maintaining the integrity of the intestinal barrier, and provide an energy source for cells lining the colon,\u201d says Purna Kashyap, M.B.B.S.<\/a>, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Non-fermentable fibers, on the other hand, aren\u2019t as easily broken down by gut microbes and add bulk to stool, helping to keep you regular.<\/p>\n \u201cThey both nurture gut health in different ways, working as a team,\u201d says Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D.<\/a>, registered dietitian and author of The Little Book of Game-Changers<\/a>.<\/p>\n How much fiber do you need?<\/p>\n In general, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics<\/a> recommends having 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you consume, which translates to about 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men per day.<\/p>\n As of yet, \u201cthere are no specific recommendations for fermentable versus non-fermentable fiber,\u201d points out Keri Gans, M.S., R.D.<\/a>, registered dietitian and author of The Small Change Diet<\/a>.<\/p>\n How to maximize the fiber in your diet<\/p>\n If you want to get the most out of your fiber intake, experts say that variety is key. So if you\u2019re getting your fiber from the same foods every day, it\u2019s worth switching things up. \u201cEating a variety of fiber-containing foods will help you cover your bases,\u201d Cording says. If you want a fiber challenge, Cording suggests aiming to eat 30 plant foods per week.<\/p>\n Dr. Kashyap agrees. \u201cStudies have shown that greater diversity of plant-based foods in the diet is associated with a more diverse and resilient gut microbiome. Therefore, focusing on a wide range of fiber sources is as important as meeting daily fiber intake goals.\u201d Dr. Kashyap suggests putting these fiber-rich foods in regular rotation in your diet:<\/p>\n OatmealWheat branFruitsVegetablesLegumesNutsSeedsWhole grains<\/p>\n This combination \u201cwill provide sufficient fermentable and non-fermentable fibers, as most plant foods contain both in varying proportions,\u201d Dr. Kashyap says.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re ramping up your fiber intake, Gans recommends going slowly and drinking plenty of water to lower the odds you\u2019ll deal with bloating and gas along the way. Keep in mind, too, that everyone\u2019s body handles these macronutrients differently. \u201cThe response to dietary fibers, including their effect on the gut microbiome, is highly individual,\u201d says Heidi J. Silver, R.D., Ph.D.<\/a>, research professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.<\/p>\n But the bottom line is, if you\u2019re falling short on your daily fiber intake\u2014as most American adults are<\/a>\u2014it\u2019s worth making an effort to change that. \u201cThe more, the better with fiber,\u201d Dr. Bedford says.<\/p>\n