W.Minh Tuan-compiled from news around the world

Fiber is essential for a healthy digestive tract, as well as a healthy heart, gut microbiome, and managing your weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

But what happens if you eat too much fiber?

How much fiber is too much?

Fiber is an essential component of any diet and can help contribute to overall health. People globally with the highest rates of longevity eat a lot of fiber daily, but many in the United States aren’t getting nearly enough.

“Although adequate fiber intake is associated with gut health and plays a role in ameliorating various disease risks, studies suggest have shown that only about 5% of Americans meet their daily fiber needs,” according to Eat This, Not That!

So how much fiber should you eat each day?

According to nutritionist Trista Best at Balance One (USA), “women are encouraged to consume 21 to 25 grams of fiber per day, while men are encouraged to consume 30 to 38 grams a day”.

Here are some nutritionists sharing about the possible unhealthy side effects of eating too much fiber on a regular basis.

This may come as a surprise, but too much fiber can actually make you constipated.

This is contrary to what many people expect as you can also get constipated from not getting enough fiber!

Dietitian Ruth says: “Many people focus on increasing their soluble fiber intake to help lower cholesterol and/or improve blood sugar control. Little do they know that increasing soluble fiber intake can actually cause constipation, especially if not drinking enough water”.

This may come as a surprise to those who are starting to increase their fiber intake to help treat constipation.

Fiber and water work together to bulk up stool and help it move through the digestive tract.

Without water, feces will form, but they will be difficult to move. Finally, if you increase your fiber intake, you should also increase your fluid intake. Or, at least make sure you’re drinking enough fluids each day.

Can cause diarrhea

While fiber helps you go to the bathroom, too much fiber can actually make you constipated or have diarrhea.

According to nutritionists, this is not only related to how much you eat, but also to the specific type of food.

“What’s interesting is that if you increase your fiber intake too quickly, you can get diarrhea,” says expert Ruth. This is because fiber (especially insoluble fiber) softens stools and has a laxative effect. So in the end, understand the types of fiber and why you’re boosting.

Also, consider gradually increasing your fiber intake to give your digestive system time to adjust. And finally, try to have a good balance of both soluble and insoluble fiber.”

There may be bloating or discomfort in the abdomen.

Too much fiber can also cause stomach upset.

“Eating too much fiber can lead to bloating or gas, especially when you eat too much fiber too quickly,” says Paulina Lee, functional dietitian and founder of Savvy Stummy.

“It’s normal for our gut bacteria to produce some by-products when digesting the food and fiber we consume, but when gas and bloating, become uncomfortable, that’s when you may need to reassess your fiber consumption,” adds expert Lee, according to Eat This, Not That!

Soluble and insoluble fiber

Fiber is the hard substance found in nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables (especially in seeds, skins and stems).

Insoluble fiber

As the name implies, this type of fiber will not dissolve in water. Insoluble fiber in nuts, whole grains will not be broken down by gut bacteria and will not be absorbed into the bloodstream.

This is the type of fiber that people often think of as “raw food.” Of course, as the name suggests, this type of fiber will not dissolve in water.

Insoluble fiber will not be broken down by intestinal bacteria and will not be absorbed into the bloodstream. Instead, insoluble fiber will increase the volume of waste products in the digestive system, help you pass stools more often and prevent constipation (and other conditions associated with constipation)

Soluble fiber

Soluble fiber in fruits and vegetables is soft and sticky, can absorb water and becomes a gel-like substance on the inside of the digestive tract. Top food sources of soluble fiber include legumes, oats, barley, fruit, berries, and avocados.

Soluble fiber helps soften stools, allowing them to move more easily through the digestive tract. Soluble fiber also binds to other substances such as cholesterol and sugar, helping to prevent or slow their absorption into the bloodstream.

That’s why soluble fiber can help regulate blood sugar, and protect you from heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol.

Plus, soluble fiber can increase the amount of good bacteria in your gut, help boost your immune system, fight inflammation, and even improve your mood. But that’s not all: soluble fiber also helps you lose weight.

For those who are new to weight loss, soluble fiber will help you feel full longer, thereby helping you better control your weight. One study showed that eating an extra 10g of soluble fiber per day, participants lost about 4% belly fat over a five-year period.

Why do you need to add both types of fiber?

Both soluble and insoluble fiber are important to your health. As a result, many studies focus on recommendations to increase the total amount of fiber you eat. For example, a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that, over a nine-year period, consuming more fiber was associated with a lower risk of dying from any cause.

Those who ate the most fiber (about 25g/day for women and 30g/day for men) were 22% less likely to die than those who ate the least fiber (10g/day for women and 13g) /day for men).

This effect was even stronger if the researchers looked at the specific mortality risk of cardiovascular disease, infections and respiratory disease: people with a high-fiber diet were able to reduce their risk by up to half a year. more than 50% risk of dying from these diseases.

How to add fiber?

Don’t worry too much about calculating and increasing the amount of soluble or insoluble fiber. Instead, try these ways to increase the total amount of fiber you consume, thereby reaping the benefits of both:

• Aim to eat at least 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit each day. A good plan is to eat fruit for breakfast and snacks, and vegetables for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Choose fiber-rich vegetables with hard stems, such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and fruits with edible seeds or the skin (eg strawberries, grapes, apples, blueberries, kiwi, and other edible citrus fruits).
• Eat legumes (lentils, peas) at least 3 times a week, including eating beans with other dishes and eating beans on their own. For example, you can serve lentils with fish, or green beans with an omelet in the form of a sauce.
• Snacking, snacking on nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, cashewnut, next to fruits. Or add nuts to yogurt, oatmeal, salads, stir-fries, and cooked greens.
• Add avocado to anything you can: fruit juice, eggs, salad or toasted cereal. You can use avocado as a sauce or as a substitute for butter when baking.
• Replace snacks with fiber-rich alternatives. For example, instead of cookies made from flour, eat boiled corn or roasted beans,
• Choose whole grains instead of refined grains.

Give your body time to adapt

While increasing your fiber intake is a good thing, you may experience symptoms like bloating and gas. Therefore, make sure you balance the amount of fiber you add with about 500ml of water, 4 times a day to help digest this fiber.

This is your body’s natural response to a change in diet, but since it’s a good change, give your body time.

These symptoms will gradually disappear. ///