Fiber – So Much More Than Just Poop

Fiber – the overlooked ingredient that supports your gut, lowers cholesterol, and boosts immune health.

I keep sounding like a broken record, but fiber is so beneficial apart from just for your stool. Just 10 grams of soluble fiber a day can lower your ApoB by about 5–10%. It improves the health of your gut lining, the way your body regulates sugars as well as your immune system.

We need around 30 grams per day (for men ideally 38g/day) — and most of us do not get that. When I say this to my husband, he thinks I’m speaking in code, so let me give you some examples:

• 1 medium avocado – 10g! 1 cup of cooked broccoli – 5g (I usually steam broccoli until I can just start to pierce the stems and don’t add anything else to it and my kids seem to eat it well that way if you have little ones)
• 1 medium pear – 6g, 1 cup of raspberries – 8g
• 1/2 cup of oats – 5g
• 2 tbsp flaxseed – 5 g
• 2 tablespoons of chia seeds ~5 grams

Your body does better when it gets variety — a mix of soluble (the kind that forms the gel like substance in your gut and helps lower your ApoB) and insoluble (the kind that adds bulk to your stool). Neither type gets absorbed, but when fiber ferments in your colon, it creates short-chain fatty acids that reduce liver cholesterol production and inflammation overall, which is always the goal.

Of course, if you’re someone who is not used to eating that much fiber, you have to gradually increase it or cook the veggies to start (or grind some in a smoothie). 

NB – there are a few situations in which I would not make a blanket statement to increase fiber without a more nuanced discussion – people with prior abdominal surgeries or known narrowing in their bowel, people with inflammatory bowel disease or those who have very slow transit time (ie their bowel already moves very slowly which is a common problem if a person has had longstanding diabetes). These situations require a more individualized approach.