Updated on May 9, 2024.
Fiber is a nutrient that comes from plants. It is found in certain foods, including:
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Nuts and seeds
- Beans
- Whole grains, like oatmeal, brown rice, certain breads, and barley
Food that have a lot of fiber often have other nutrients that are healthy, such as protein and chemicals that help repair damage to cells in your body.
Fiber is good for you. It has a lot of health benefits. Eating foods with fiber can help you:
- Lower your blood pressure
- Improve your cholesterol levels
- Feel fuller after you eat. This can help you eat less or lose extra weight
- Digest more slowly. This helps keep your blood sugar levels steady
- Reduce your risk for diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer
Eating fiber also helps keep your gut healthy. Your gut is your digestive system. It is made up of your:
- Mouth
- Stomach
- Esophagus. This is the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach
- Intestines
- Anus
- Other organs, including liver, pancreas, and gallbladder
Your gut is also home to millions of bacteria. Not all bacteria are harmful. Some are very helpful. Eating fiber feeds good bacteria. It can also prevent bad bacteria from growing. This helps keep your gut healthy.
How much fiber should you eat?
The amount of fiber you should eat depends on your age. It also depends on your sex. Women and people assigned female at birth should get 22 to 28 grams of fiber each day. Men and people assigned male at birth should get 28 to 34 grams.
Most people in the United States do not get enough fiber. This is because many people eat processed foods. These are foods that are changed a lot when they are prepared. Examples of processed foods include:
- Baked goods, like cookies and cakes
- Frozen pizza and other meals
- Cured meat, like bacon
- Snacks, like chips, crackers
- Fast foods
- Sodas
Try to eat fewer processed foods. And try to eat a little more fiber each day. You can do this by:
- Choose whole wheat bread instead of white bread
- Have brown rice instead of white rice
- Eat the skin on fruit and vegetables, like apples, potatoes, and cucumbers
- Pick sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes
- Add beans to rice or other meals
- Snack on low-salt, low-fat popped popcorn instead of chips or crackers
