{"id":112498,"date":"2025-08-02T08:23:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T08:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/112498\/"},"modified":"2025-08-02T08:23:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T08:23:17","slug":"nutritionists-share-top-tips-to-eating-more-fiber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/112498\/","title":{"rendered":"Nutritionists Share Top Tips To Eating More Fiber"},"content":{"rendered":"

Protein\u2019s PR team has been working overtime lately, and it\u2019s paying off. It feels like everyone has a protein goal<\/a>, cottage cheese<\/a> is getting added to even the most random of recipes, and shelves are lined with brand new products engineered to have more of the macro (courtesy of the Kardashians). But, where protein is the hero and carbs are unfairly demonized, there\u2019s another nutrient that people are sleeping on altogether: fiber<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn America, unless you’re food-compromised, you are probably getting enough protein,\u201d says Vanessa Rissetto, RD, the co-founder and CEO of Culina Health. \u201cYou need to get more fiber.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fiber, admittedly, isn\u2019t the sexiest macro\u2014it\u2019s best known for helping you go to the bathroom\u2014but it is super important. Over 90 percent of women aren\u2019t meeting their daily fiber goals, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans<\/a>. That\u2019s 25 to 30 grams per day, to be exact. <\/p>\n

But, they can. And they should. Eating fiber has a bunch of benefits, ranging from, yes, helping you go to the bathroom to lowering your risk of cancer<\/a>. Here are all the reasons you might want to get more fiber (and how to do it).<\/p>\n

Meet the experts:<\/strong> Vanessa Rissetto, RD, is the co-founder and CEO of Culina Health<\/a>. Dana White<\/a>, RD, is a sports nutritionist and trainer. <\/p>\n

Fiber helps keep you regular.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is probably one thing you do know about fiber: that it helps you go to the bathroom. There are two types\u2014soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, forming almost a gel and softening your stool, says Rissetto. Think: chia seeds, oats, broccoli, and berries. If you\u2019re having trouble getting things moving, try increasing your soluble fiber intake. (Psyllium<\/a>, a common soluble fiber supplement, was found to increase bowel movements by three times per week compared to laxatives, which increased them by 2.5 times in a 2022 review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool. Examples of insoluble fiber are whole wheat flour, beans, nuts, and potatoes. If you\u2019re having trouble going to the bathroom regularly, a balance of soluble and insoluble fiber should help.<\/p>\n

Related StoriesIt might lower your cholesterol.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know how Cheerios claim to help with cholesterol<\/a>? That\u2019s because they\u2019re a source of soluble fiber, says Dana White, RD, a sports nutritionist and trainer. Fiber is non-digestable, meaning it travels throughout your GI tract without getting broken down\u2014and that\u2019s where a lot of its benefits come from. Soluble fiber sticks around and ferments in the gut, which alters the microbiome<\/a> and contributes to lowering your cholesterol. It also absorbs cholesterol and helps it exit the body, says Rissetto.<\/p>\n

In a randomized controlled trial, the group that added 3 grams of fiber to their diet saw an 11 percent decrease in blood cholesterol compared to the control, who saw a decrease of 4.1 percent, according to a 2019 study in Nutrients<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It keeps you full. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Like protein, fiber can help keep you full. There are a few reasons for this. First, it slows the absorption of nutrients, according to a 2018 review in Nature<\/a>. Second, it has an effect on gastric emptying, blood sugar spikes, and the secretion of an often-talked about hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1<\/a> (GLP-1), per a 2022 review in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition<\/a>. (GLP-1 is the hormone that weight loss drugs like Ozempic<\/a> mimic that help signal to your body that you\u2019re full.)<\/p>\n

For this reason, it\u2019s sometimes used to help with weight management, says Rissetto. And, while it can help keep you full, fibermaxxing<\/a>\u2014the trend where people are trying to overload on fiber to help with weight loss\u2014is not necessarily the way to go, she says. Contrary to what the internet says<\/a>, fiber is not the \u201cpoor man\u2019s Ozempic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related StoriesIt supports gut health.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eating diverse sources of fiber helps fuel a healthier gut microbiome. Your microbiome proliferates every 60 days, and a lot of factors\u2014from stress to your environment to your diet\u2014can affect it. Fiber is one of those factors. \u201cThe more fiber you have, the healthier your GI tract will be,\u201d says Rissetto. <\/p>\n

Fiber is a prebiotic<\/a>, meaning it serves as food so that the probiotics<\/a> (the good bacteria in your gut) can do their thing. \u201cWhen you’re eating enough fiber, you are healthier, your immunity is higher when it’s coupled with vitamin D<\/a>, and so your body can do better work,\u201d Rissetto says. But, fiber isn\u2019t the end-all-be-all of a healthy gut. You\u2019re going to want to make sure you eat probiotic foods<\/a> like yogurt and kimchi too.<\/p>\n

It reduces your cancer risk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another good reason to take your fiber intake seriously is that it is associated with a lower risk of many types of cancer, including esophageal, gastric, colon, rectal, breast, endometrial, ovarian, and pancreatic, according to a 2023 review in Nutrients<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As for why, exactly, there\u2019s still more research to be done. But, at its simplest, since fiber helps increase the bulk of your stool and decrease transit time, it can dilute the amount of carcinogens in your colon and reduce your exposure to them, the review explains. <\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n

It also might indicate other healthy habits that reduce cancer risk. \u201cIt’s about the behavior,\u201d says Rissetto. \u201cPeople who are eating adequate amounts of fiber are eating vegetables and fruits, they’re getting the benefits of the vitamins, the minerals, the antioxidants, and the diversification of the gut microbiome.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, make sure you eat it right.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re one of the many people who don\u2019t eat enough fiber right now, don\u2019t go from zero to 30 grams right off the bat. You\u2019re going to want to gradually increase your fiber intake, basically just to prevent any gastrointestinal side effects. <\/p>\n

Then, it\u2019s about identifying the fiber-full foods you already eat and seeing if you can either increase the number of servings you have throughout the week up the portion size when you do have them, says White. (Of course, you can always add new foods to your diet<\/a> too.)<\/p>\n

Pro tip:<\/strong> If you\u2019re increasing your fiber intake, you also need to increase your water intake, says Rissetto. Shoot for 90 ounces of water per day, she says. <\/p>\n

You\u2019re also going to want to make sure you have multiple sources of fiber. \u201cYou really need to have a plentiful amount of fiber-rich foods spread out throughout the entire day,\u201d says White. \u201cIt’s very rare that you’re going to have one meal with 25 grams of fiber, so it’s really more about a consistent intake.\u201d One time you probably don\u2019t want to eat fiber, though? Right before a workout. Since it\u2019s non-digestable, it might not sit well in your stomach before physical activity.<\/p>\n

Overall, if you\u2019re part of the majority of people who don’t get enough fiber, consider this your sign to eat more\u2014but don\u2019t stress. \u201cWhat I don’t want to see as a nutrition professional is what we’ve been seeing with protein, which is that people are overdoing it,\u201d says White. \u201cThe message is that most people don’t get enough fiber and we should probably get more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Olivia Luppino is an editorial assistant at Women\u2019s Health. She spends most of her time interviewing expert sources about the latest fitness trends, nutrition tips, and practical advice for living a healthier life. Olivia previously wrote for New York Magazine\u2019s The Cut, PS (formerly POPSUGAR), and Salon, where she also did on-camera interviews with celebrity guests. She\u2019s currently training for the New York City marathon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Protein\u2019s PR team has been working overtime lately, and it\u2019s paying off. It feels like everyone has a…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":112499,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[2874,71141,1201,3181,210,2875,1182,71140,71139,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-112498","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-content-type-how-to-service","9":"tag-contentid-1da6ca90-7580-4a66-a486-ff6818eec98d","10":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","11":"tag-hasproduct-true","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-locale-us","14":"tag-nutrition","15":"tag-per-rds","16":"tag-shorttitle-all-the-reasons-you-should-eat-more-fiber","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114958211638231583","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}