5 signs don’t eat enough fibers
If you have ever felt inflated, slow or constantly hungry despite regular meals, you may have experienced some symptoms of low fiber.
And you’re not alone. More than 90% of Americans may not receive the recommended amount of fiber. This is 25 grams of fiber per day for women and 38 grams for men (1).
Actually according to the survey conducted Myfitnesspal88% of respondents claim that they have no idea how much fiber, protein, carbohydrates, sugar or salt consume a day. Only 52% of people responded pay attention to how much fiber they consume every day.
Are you ready to focus on fiber and reap benefits? We are here to help you see signs of low fiber intake – and how to fix it.
Risks lack of fiber
Knowing what can go wrong if you don’t eat enough thread, it can help you motivate you to become a priority. Diet with a low fiber content with digestion not only plays-it can lead to more serious health problems over timeincluding (3):
- Increased risk of heart disease
- Fluctuating blood sugar
- Trouble maintaining a healthy weight
- An increased risk of colon cancer
Low -fiber lifestyle symptoms
Sometimes your symptoms are gentle, like a vague feeling of fatigue and sometimes they are more obvious, such as constipation, and you just didn’t connect them to your diet.
Here are some of the most famous characters that your fiber intake could use support:
Constipation
Fiber adds volume to its stool and helps everything smoothly move with the intestines. Without sufficient fiber, stool can become hard, dry and more difficult to pass, leading to unpleasant and occasional bowel movements.
And when the constipation of the way of life is due to a low fiber diet, it can cause flatulence, the discomfort of the stomachAnd even hemorrhoids for stress on the use of the bathroom.
This problem can alleviate the fiber, especially soluble fibers in foods such as oats and beans. It helps to pull the water into the intestines and soften the stool. The insoluble fiber of whole grains and certain vegetables also helps. Acts as a broom that sweeps your system to move things (4).

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Weight loss is hard
If you eat in Calorie deficiency But they are still trying to lose weight, the thread can be a missing folder in your diet. Foods with a high fiber content take longer, helping to prevent hunger too soon after a meal. (1).
The fiber also helps maintain blood sugar levels on a uniform hernia. This means that you will have less desire for quick repairs such as sweet snacks (6). Research shows that people who eat more fiber naturally consume less calories throughout the day by up to 10% (7).
So if your goal is weight loss, replace refined carbohydrates with fiber rich Whole grainsLegumes and vegetables could have a big difference in how satisfied you feel.
About the experts
Caroline Thomason, RDIt is a dietary and diabetes teacher who combines his love for nutrition with the power to facilitate better understanding of health. With 12 years in the field, her work appeared in more than 40 publications. There is also a spokesperson, a spokesperson for broadcasting and a developer of recipes.
Joanna Gregg, MS, RD, He is a curator of food data on Myfitnesspal. She won a master’s degree at the University of Nebraska. Its focus is to help people find the right balance of food, fitness and healthy life to achieve their optimal health.
KATHERINE BASBAUM, MS, RDis a curator of food data on myfitnesspal. She received her master’s communication in Nutritional Communication to Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University and completed a dietary internship in UVA Health, where she also works as a nutritional counselor for patients with cardiology.
Lack of energy
Did you know that the blood sugar crashes that send you to a vending machine at 15:00? Well, they also affect energy levels throughout the day.
Without sufficient amount of fiber to slow down digestion, carbohydrates can be faster divided into sugar, causing an energy explosion that follows a sudden urge to take a nap (6).
If you often feel after eating or fight brain fog, try to increase the intake of thread.
Swap Refined carbohydrates For whole grains add a portion of vegetables or snacks to some nuts and a piece of fruit to ensure the constant release of the energy that your body needs to keep you running.
Irregular movements of the bowel
Constipation is not the only digestive symptom of low fiber diet. You may also find that you have unpredictable or irregular bathroom habits.
Since the fiber helps to regulate your digestion, a low -fiber diet can let your digestive system feel inflated, uncomfortable or just unpredictable (8). Regardless of which side of the spectrum, your intestine tends to lean, the thread is likely to help you regulate.

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Irritable colon syndrome (ibs)
Irritable colon syndrome, or IBS, is a common state that can let you experience diarrhea, constipation or combination of both. One of the 20 people in the US lives with IBS (9).
If you are one of them, Thread can play a key role in managing your IBS symptoms. Too small fiber in your diet could worsen constipation and increase the symptoms of flatulence, gas or convulsions (9).
On the other hand, focusing on eating enough fiber could improve constipation, slow diarrhea or generally help regulate your intestines depending on your irregular symptoms (4, 8).
Specifically, soluble fibers on the intestine are softer than insoluble fibers (9). High soluble fiber vegetables such as sweet potatoes, and carrots can be food that can begin with a gentle increase in fiber intake (10).
Keep in mind that increasing fiber intake too quickly or increasing insoluble fiber from foods such as raw green vegetables may make it impair the symptoms of IBS (11). Talk to your health care provider for the best thread strategy for you if you know you have an IBS.
FIBER & IBS: What to eat and avoid
Food to include (generally well tolerated) | Food that avoids (may cause symptoms) |
Oats (rolled or cut steel) | Wheat cereal |
Chia seeds (in water or smoothies) | Whole nuts and seeds |
Psyllium skip (metamucil, fiber supplements) | Corn (limit to 1/2 Klas or 1/2 cup) |
Ripe bananas | Cabbage (limit on 3/4 cups) |
Peeled and cooked carrots | Pink sprouts |
Peeled zucchini (cooked) | Onions and garlic |
Skinless potatoes | Apples and pears with leather |
White rice | Whole grain bread and pasta |
Canned, well -oiled lens (limit to 1/4 to 1/2 cup) | Beans (especially undercuffed) |
Flower or spent bread (low FODMAP options) | Canned or unlocked lens |
How to get enough thread
If you are trying to get your daily target thread, you may be considering a fiber supplement. You may have a place sometimes but in general it’s a better idea Get your thread from Whole Foods According to Katherine Basbaum, dietology Myfitnesspal. “In addition to fiber, the whole food gives you a lot of other healthy nutrients, vitamins and minerals,” he says.
Here are several ways to increase fiber intake:
Eat more plant food
One of the simplest strategies for increasing fiber intake is the preference of plants!
You do not have to eat plant food or vegan or vegetarian so you can reap the benefits of plants in your diet.
All these whole foods are all-stars fibers:
- Whole grains
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Bean
- Nuts
- Seeds
For the tip: When it comes to fiber, do not overlook the seeds! Joanna Gregg, another dietitologist Myfitnesspal, especially likes linen seeds.
Start a day with fiber
Breakfast can set the tone for your day. Starting with a high fiber content It can help you keep your full and powerful in the morning. If you usually eat low -fiber breakfast, adding something can go a long way to strengthen the intake of fiber.
Try adding some of them to strengthen the thread in the morning meals:
- Whole grain toast
- Berry Smoothie
- Chia seeds
- Avocado
- Apple
- Banana
- Oatmeal
Snack Smart
Instead of stretching chips or biscuits that rarely give you a lot of fiber, choose nuts, seeds, raw vegetables or hummus instead of a snack. As a dietologist I call people Turn at least 3 to 5 grams of fiber for snack! It could look like a piece of whole grain toast, peanut butter and bananas sliced ​​to the top, or it may be a Greek yogurt with berries and chia seeds.
Start a small
Increasing fiber intake does not mean to completely rework your diet. Simple, small swaps can contribute to great results.
Here are some ideas:
- Choose whole grain bread in the store instead of white
- Add some beans to your soup or salad
- Snack to hummus or immersion of beans
These small choices contribute to a large increase in fiber intake.
How to find out that you eat enough threads
Not sure if you hit your targets? You are not alone – most people do not follow their intake of fibers, which means they do not have to realize that they are coming.
Your body has ways to inform you! If you are dealing with some of the above symptoms such as slow digestion, feeling of hunger soon after eating, or digesting these feared energy accidents, your diet could miss this basic nutrient. The good news is that it is easy to keep your fiber revenue.
Myfitnesspal It’s easy to track your daily and weekly fiber sumsSo you can see patterns if necessary and make small adjustments. Once you start paying attention, you will quickly see where you can equalize the game Fiber.
Download the app And start watching your thread today!
Contribution 5 signs don’t eat enough fibers He appeared for the first time Myfitnesspal blog.