Q: You talk a lot about how important it is to eat a high-fiber diet but that most Americans don’t meet their daily recommended fiber goals. I’m curious what you personally do to reach that goal.
A: Many of my patients automatically picture a “high-fiber diet” as a life of kale salads and never seeing a slice of white toast again.
That’s not true – or at least it doesn’t have to be. As a gastroenterologist and busy mom, I operate on three big principles with my meals: They have to be easy to pull off (spending two hours prepping Instagram-worthy bento box lunches isn’t who I am), and I have to actually like my food. The easiest way to form healthier habits is to minimize the barriers to achieving them.
And third, I always want to surpass my fiber goals. For women under 50, we want to be consuming 25 grams of fiber per day; for men under 50, it’s 38 grams of fiber daily. Women over 50 should aim for 21 grams a day, and men over 50 should be getting 30 grams a day.
But studies have found that only 7 percent of American adults are hitting these targets. That’s a problem because fiber is important not just for your gut, but for your overall health. A high-fiber diet is associated with a lower risk of dementia, heart disease and multiple cancers, as well as with improved overall longevity.
So I’m going to walk you through a typical weekday of food for me, offering two options for meals and snacks. (Keep in mind that these fiber estimates can vary depending on the kinds and sizes of the specific foods you choose.)
As you formulate your own plan, remember that eating a variety of fiber sources – colorful fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans and whole grains – is the best path to a healthy microbiome and overall well-being. And choose wisely: Watermelon and iceberg lettuce are cool and hydrating but have hardly any fiber, so try pairing them with higher-fiber fruits and vegetables such as kiwis and peas. Look up the nutrition facts of foods you eat regularly and see where you can optimize the math, such as by adding hummus to your favorite sandwich.
I also use fiber supplements every day: I mix psyllium husk powder into my coffee – and if I’m making pancakes for the family on the weekend, I mix one or two tablespoons of ground flax seeds and ½ cup of rolled oats into the batch. No one notices, and it’s a no-brainer way to boost your fiber intake.
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Breakfast
I like making overnight oats that I can grab on my way out the door and eat at work. But I don’t always remember to prepare them the night before. On those days, I eat a high-fiber cereal (I buy ones with less than 5 to 6 grams of added sugar). I use oat milk mainly because it stays fresh in the fridge longer than cow’s milk, so it’s one less thing I have to deal with mentally.
Bowl of cereal: 8 grams of fiber
– 1 cup high-fiber cereal: 6 grams
– 1 cup oat milk: 2 grams
Overnight oats: 8.5 grams of fiber
– ½ cup rolled oats: 4.5 grams
– 1 cup oat milk: 2 grams
– ¼ cup dried cranberries: 2 grams
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Lunch
I tend to eat Indian food that I’ve cooked for dinners earlier in the week and saved the leftovers for myself. That means lentils, which are loaded with fiber, or saag paneer, which also packs a punch from the spinach. The yumminess of lentils cooked with an appropriately deeply browned onion is very underappreciated. Try my favorite recipe from Madhur Jaffrey for moong dal. Other days, I buy my favorite spicy cashew crispy rice salad.
Lentils and brown rice: 7 grams of fiber
– ½ cup cooked lentils: 5 grams
– ½ cup cooked brown rice: 2 grams
Sweetgreen-style crispy rice bowl with spicy cashew dressing: 11 grams of fiber
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Snack
I don’t keep chips or crackers in my office – just a big container of roasted cashews. I make it easy for myself because I do genuinely love cashews and not having another option available makes it the only choice if I feel hungry.
Coffee and cashews: 11 grams of fiber
– 1 cup brewed coffee with 2 teaspoons psyllium husk powder: 9 grams
– ½ cup cashews: 2 grams
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Dinner
Dinner with my toddlers has to be quick, easy and something we’re all going to enjoy because my husband and I don’t have time to make everyone separate meals. Luckily, everyone loves pasta. Some days, we use whole wheat or lentil pasta – but not always. Assuming we’re just going with refined wheat pasta, here’s how the fiber math breaks down for my family favorites.
Spaghetti and chicken meatballs: 8.5 grams of fiber
– 1 cup refined wheat spaghetti: 2.5 grams
– ½ cup marinara sauce: 2 grams
– Chicken meatballs: 0 grams
– ½ cup peas: 4 grams
One-skillet gnocchi and Brussels sprouts: 5.5 grams of fiber
– 1 cup gnocchi: 2 grams
– 1 cup Brussels sprouts: 3.5 grams
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Dessert
After dinner, we have a tradition where my toddlers use tiny cookie cutters to make fun shapes out of fruit. Usually it’s kiwis (which as a gastroenterologist, I’m obsessed with for many reasons) or pears (they use a bear-shaped cookie cutter, and we call them “bear pears.)
– 2 kiwis: 6 grams
– 1 pear: 6 grams
This adds up to around 40-42 grams of fiber a day. Even if I skip the occasional extra like psyllium, a snack or dessert – or eat white rice instead of brown rice – I still clock in well above my target of 25 grams per day.
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What I want my patients to know
Suddenly ramping up fiber intake when you’re not used to it can sometimes cause an upset stomach or bloating. Go gently and give your body time to adapt – but stick with it! The long-term payoff for your health is worth it.
