fun with fiber.
did you know that the “recommended” daily fiber intake for women younger than 50 is 25 grams? i didn’t. in fact, i never really pay attention to fiber. i know, i know, i should. i pay a lot of attention to protein, but always let those fiber grams fall by the wayside.
i always read about fiber in health and fitness mags. i see things like “eat plenty of fiber to prevent diseases” or “make sure you eat enough fiber each day, it keeps you full” or the most common: “eat fiber to stay regular!” yes, i know fiber is a good thing. and i know fiber is found in grains and veggies. but other than that, i wouldn’t say i am that educated when it comes to fiber.
i did a bit of research on fiber and thought i would share what i learned. you may already know all of this, but i didn’t.. so chances are some of you don’t.
there are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. i found these handy tables from healthcastle.com:
good to know! i was happy to see that i eat plenty of sources of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
oh, are you wondering where all this fiber talk stemmed from??
well, i was recently sent fiber choice supplements for review.
upon receiving these fiber-filled fruit chews, i decided i wanted to learn a little more about fiber. not only the types of fiber, but also how much i should be consuming and what foods were high in fiber.. also, how much i already am consuming to see if i needed to be taking a fiber supplement.
so, today we are going to have a little fiber fun. i will post my meals, and you get to guess how many grams of fiber each meal has. there is no prize, but it still might be fun. i guessed myself and was off. not way off, but definitely off. so, grab a piece of paper if you want to play along.. and let’s do this!
breakfast: mighty maple protein oats.
to be fair, i will tell you all the ingredients. 1/3 cup old fashioned oats cooked in 1 cup water, 2 scoops (one serving) vanilla whey protein powder, 1 tsp chia seeds and 1 TB mighty maple peanut butter.
now, write down the number of fiber grams you think my breakfast had.
lunch: tuna sandwich + veggies + hummus.
here are the details: one thomas 100% whole wheat bagel thin filled with 2 oz tuna mixed with 1 tablespoon of greek yogurt, plus a whole red bell pepper, about 3/4 cup sugar snap peas, about 15 baby carrots and 2 TB sabra pine nut hummus.
i also had a calcium disc.
go ahead and jot down your estimate for the amount of fiber in my lunch.
snack: lemon coconut simply bar.
today was national lemon chiffon cake day, and i decided this was close enough to consider it a celebration!
if you don’t know a lot about the simply bar then it may be hard to guess this one, but give it your best shot.
dinner: stuffed bell pepper.
for the pepper, i used my spinach turkey meatloaf recipe and omitted the flax and spinach (i am out) and added a cup of cooked quinoa because i am still on a quinoa kick. go ahead, you know the drill.. write down your fiber guess.
i haven’t had my dessert yet.. but you can bet it will be the same thing i have had all week: apple crumb vitatop + 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt. so go ahead and add your guess for the grams of fiber in that to your list.
now add the five numbers up. i will wait…
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.
before tallying things up (i used thedailyplate.com), i thought i consumed around 20 grams of fiber today. the actual number of grams consumed?
here’s the breakdown:
- breakfast=5 grams
- lunch=12 grams (wow!)
- snack=1 gram
- dinner=4 grams
- dessert=8 grams (the vitatop had all 8 grams! wow)
so, as you can see, today i went above and beyond my “recommended” amount of fiber for the day. however, i tallied my fiber a few days last week, and some days i only hit 15 grams! those were the days that i totally neglected my veggie consumption and ate a lot of sugar. i think when i focus on eating clean, my fiber consumption increases without me even needing to focus on it.
on the days where i am lacking in the fiber department, i will be taking the fiber choice supplement. this is a simple and tasty way to reach my recommended daily fiber. i seriously think these little sugar free discs are delicious!
i am like a little kid and it’s easier for me to take my vitamins and supplements when they taste like candy. (notice the adora chocolate calcium supplement i had at lunch).
each 2 disc serving is 4 grams of fruity fiber that helps aid calcium absorption (another new-to-me fact!)
so, if you are like me and want a supplement that tastes like candy and are in the market for a fiber supplement, i suggest you give this one a try.
that’s all the fiber fun for tonight, friends. hope it was action packed enough for you! oh.. and by the way.. that protein packed recipe i eluded to in my last post? it was a fail. still working on it—i will be sure to share when it is perfected!
Qs~
1. do you pay attention to your fiber intake? how much do you aim for?
2. were you low or high on your guess for the grams of fiber i ate today?
xo. janetha g.
I love my fiber! :D Haha, I eat so much of it, I lose count! My favorite sources of it include vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grains!
My guesses were very close! :D
I eat a ton of fiber! I’ve counted it before and one time I got 90 grams. I laugh at the RDA- that’s like what I get in a snack sometimes!
You win the fiber award!!!!!! Wow!
i used to eat those fiber pills CONSTANTLY
fiber, protein, carbs, so many different things to count. BAH. I dont count any of it, but it is definitely helpful when you eat clean and wholesome foods, rather than junk, you get alot more fiber. I should probably take a look at how im eating, I know im always high carb low protein, and i think i should UP my protein a bit (but i recently started eating a lot of greek yogurt, so maybe my levels are up) I use Livestrong.com/myplate, anytime i log calories. have you been there?
I was pretty close actually in the fiber count, just a tad bit UNDER
Glad you entered my giveaway. I think the one thing most of us food bloggers definitely use in the kitchen is the camera! good thinkin :P
ok blabbering is done.
Haha– that’s the site I referred to in my post up above ;)
your title made me smile, j! FUN is not exactly the first adjective that comes to mind for FIBRE!
i know i get enough fibre; i focus more on getting enough protein and calcium per day.
congrats on a stellar fibr-y day of eats!!!
I actually have trouble with getting TOO much fiber. With having Colitis, I was noticing the build up in fiber didn’t exactly agree with me. I find that if I pair soluble fiber with a carb, it helps me digest it better.
oh I love those. They do taste like candy! My fiber usually come from dried figs or prunes. Just call me grandma cause I like m prunes…..dipped in PB of course!
I definitely pay attention to my fiber intake…more often than not I eat too much fiber! I track my eats on livestrong.com when I get off track and it helps me keep track of whether or not I’m getting enough or too much of anything!
I keep an eye on my fiber. I had my gallbladder removed 2 years ago. Since then, I’ve been afraid. I used to down close to 50 g of fiber a day. Because I was afraid of an adverse reaction from losing the gallbladder. Since then, I have gotten by drinking Benefiber every morning. (Most people think it’s Crystal Light. I guess they don’t expect to see a 26 y/o drinking fiber).
Now I can feel if I’m not getting enough fiber for myself. Which is a good place to be, for me.
Good Luck!
I love the lunch, I can never find those bagel things! I want those!
I would love to try those Fiber Supplements, I used to take another kind, they were gummy ones!
I think I get a ok amount of fiber a day! I know when I eat my Fiber One huge bowl of cereal I get some! haha!
love ya girl!!! xoxo <3
I definitely prefer chewable vitamins and supplements over pills that you have to swallow! In fact, I just bought a huge bottle of Flinstone’s vitamins (and they aren’t for my kids) : ) I have never tried the Adora disks though…I will look for those!
Fiber is SUPER important. I do try to pay attention to it to make sure I hit my 25 grams! Another important aspect is to make sure you’re drinking enough water to help those 25 grams to …move things along, if you will. Your lunch plate is so color and looks very tasty. And I need to buy more adora disks (love those things). Have a good day!
I was low when I guessed how much you had — but I really had no clue!
I honestly don’t pay attention to how much fiber I get — it might be “fun” to count up my totals sometime.
I just posted the other day about flax. And fiber by way of flax. I love your breakdown of sol vs. insol fiber. I was looking for charts like those the day i was writing my post. You always have the best charts.
I eat tons of plants,therefore, I know i get tons of fiber. Almost too much some days. lol
:)
I was high on my guess. Now I’m starting to wonder what my fiber intake really is!
And I agree on the candy-supplement deal…I love the chocolate calcium chews too!
I eat a lot of salad, green monsters, fruits, etc., on a daily basis, so I know I’m getting a lot of fiber. I don’t tally it, though, because I don’t tally anything. It’s just something that doesn’t work *for me*.
That said, I did not guess your fiber intake, but 30 grams is great. :)
I also love vitamins that taste good. I have a chocolatey calcium thing too. ;)
I’ve actually been tracking my food on livestrong lately to make sure I’m not getting too much fiber! If I don’t pay attention I would probably eat 50 grams or more of fiber a day and that wreaks havoc on my digestive system. I also think that it may be inhibiting nutrients from getting into my body…does anyone know if you can get too much fiber?
Lunch and dinner looks yummy! I love stuffed peppers especially when they are pretty colored peppers! It makes eating dinner so much more fun when it’s colorful. :)
I don’t track how much fiber I eat. I do take fiber pills though to help me along.
i try to eat a lot of fiber-rich fruits and veggies and beans, but i don’t think i get enough every single day. i’ll have to get those tablets!
I did the Zone Diet for a year or so, and during that time I was BIG on fiber…the more fiber you ate, the more carbs you got to eat. So, I always packed it in. But now, I rarely pay attention – and to be honest, it hasn’t made much of a difference in my life. :-) But I know it’s good for you!
I think I get a good amount of fiber. I eat many of the foods on that chart.
I over calculated your amounts by about 5, not to shabby.
You said that it is recommended for women under 50 to get 25 grams per day. Is there any harm in going over this amount?
I don’t keep track of fiber, but I’m sure I get the minimum on most days. some things have SO much more than I would think!
it’s easy to get enough if you choose whole grains when you can and get in your fruits and veggies, for sure.
Every once in a while I will track a day’s worth of meals just to make sure I’m on track. Um, the other day I got 60 grams of fiber. My digestive system loves me!
stuffed bell pepper looks wonderful!
I feel I get plenty of fiber. I did keep track of it once before and most days I got a lot. It is very interesting to think so many people do not get enough. Crazy to me actually.
i definitely pay attention to my fiber intake! i make sure to get at least 25 grams per day – but usually i’m WAY higher! :)
woohoo! thanks for the breakdown of everything. i didn’t even try to guess bc i had no clue but that’s why i love when you do it and you say exactly what you’re eating. i always need ideas and love to know what works/what doesn’t! thanks for sharing!! happy wednesday!
I guessed 36 grams. :0) It’s good to get enough, but I sometimes err on the side of too much, which I hear blocks absorption of some vitamins. (Great! Something else to think about! Hrumph.) :0)
lemon
AND
coconut?
holy balls i NEED this bar
I’m all for lots of fiber – but from the partial ingredient list I could see in one of your pictures of the supplement, there seemed to be a lot of dyes. I recently saw a news article that linked dyes with development issues. Of course there will always be people on either side of the coin but I just wondered what your thoughts were on that?
To be honest I don’t know anything about that–I would love a link to the article if you have it!
I eat a lot of fiber. I can tell when I don’t because I don’t poop as much.
i bet i eat too much fiber…seriously! i wonder if its possible to OD. ha.
I love love love them..although they cause some stomach cramping for me…YIKES
Yes! I guessed 36. I think I am usually around 60. Wow.
I was high–I guessed 36-38ish.
I don’t count my fiber grams (but maybe I should, at least for curiosity!), but I make sure to eat lots of high fiber foods, most of which are my faves anyway.
All of your eats look awesome today! Well, yesterday now.
I always look at the fiber content when I buy food, but I don’t think about it beyond that.
I guessed 30 – Yay! But I was way off. I missed the desert part (duh!) and guessed 9@BF, 10@L, 4 in the bar, 7@D. Yeah, I got 30, but I was still WAY off.
I think I need to try these simply bars…they sound great!!!
still thinking about you and your cute family. I hope things are going well everywhere else so you can have the time with your momma b. that you need/want.
and…I wrote desert, not dessert. woops!
I’ve never paid attention to my fiber intake – but between my excessive consumption of both veggies and cereal, I think I probably get too much! ;)
I love fiber and my body loves fiber! I have to get it the natural way though, if I try a supplment or a fiber boosted food, it totally upsets the works. :/ I typically have oats and then loads of veggies through out the day. Keeps me feeling full and squeaky clean. :D
I love fiber choice. I am weird but sometimes I want one as a snack even after I had my daily two.
ohh i need to back off on the fiber LOL I eat more veggies than you can imagine! :)
ohhhh I am in need of some peanut butter on my oats! i cant wait to bring that back into my life!
I get in a lot of fiber, even on my lower carb days. Flax seed takes care of a lot of that, plus I eat a ton of blueberries and strawberries.
I eat about a 90% plant based diet, so I am aware of my fiber intake and can actually tell if I’m slacking in that department. My bod doesn’t feel as great when I fall short in the fiber department. A fiber supplement will be something I will look into for those days that I don’t get enough. Thanks for the suggestion.
I guessed 21 grams of fiber. I was pretty much on track until the dessert. Had no idea it would have so much fiber. Thats pretty sweet.
I usually don’t pay attention to the fibre in my diet. This post was very insightful for me, so I will be starting to pay more attention now that I know a little more! I really thank you for this!!
I think you make a really good point – if you’re eating whole foods and enough veggies, you really don’t need to worry about fiber intake.
I never really pay attention to my fiber because I eat so many fruits, veggies,and whole grains. I DO however make sure not to get TOO much fiber – that causes terrible stomach pain! Once I had an apple, sweet potato (with skin), black beans, and brussel sprouts for lunch. OUCH
I totally over estimated! 38 is what I guessed.
Nice work girl! 30 is great.
On days when I eat tons of veggies and eat clean and good all day i’ve gotten up to 50-60 grams… I eat a lot of beans too :)
I think its easy to naturally eat enough fiber when eating a balanced diet. I don’t really track it, but I know from a quick mental tally that I get plenty. :)
your blog=one of my favs!!!!
dang i have never thought about my fiber intake.. BUT im going to say its pretty high judging by the amount of gas in my stomach at certain times. haha but really
I looooooooooooooooooove fiber. I feel terrible when I’m not on a regular poop schedule.
I don’t know for sure, but I’d say my fiber intake is pretty high. I eat the skin off of squash and more beans than a person should : )
Thankfully my digestive system handles it well or I’d have no friends, if you know what I mean.
I get SO MUCH fiber. On an average day I’m around 55 grams — lots of oat bran and veggies will do that to ya!
I eat a lot of fiber too :) I guess pretty right on yours…I said 33 grams! Usually I am about 37-45 grams (dependent on a lot of things, obviously) but I like my fiber foods!!
i def never used to pay attention to fiber but there has been recent info on how good it is for you! woohoo 30g!! NICE!! i may tally it one day to check where im at!
I never really count fiber grams because my vegetarian diet includes tons of fruit, beggies, grains and nuts! Now protein, on the other hand, I have to seriously focus on to make sure I get enough.
I tend to eat a lot of food with fiber so I never really count.. but have tried those fiber choice before and they aren’t too shabby!
I estimated 32, so I was pretty close! I never really count up my fiber, but I figure as long as I’m eating enough fruits & vegs for the day, I get enough (or more) fiber.
Fiber is definitely important for my diet. I can tell a difference when I don’t get enough. I like to eat high fiber cereals in the morning or as a snack. Otherwise I tend to come up short.
I have NO idea about fibre amounts… woops. So, instead i’m going to comment on how delicious your dinner looks. I love stuffed peppers!
I’ve never counted fiber grams because I know I am way over–I’ve actually been told I should cut back a bit (fiber inhibits absorption of some valuable nutrients).
I dont pay attention to fiber unless I find myself snacking a lot. Then I try to see if I have been taking in enough fiber and protein. But like you I focus on protein more.
I use to take those fiber vitamins, and they are pretty good!
I don’t really track my fiber, but like you, I know that I get enough when my kitchen is stocked with fresh fruits and veg! I do remember the first time I flipped over the package of mini sweet peppers that I buy from Sam’s Club…I had NO idea that bell peppers were such a good source!
Thanks for including the chart on the insoluble/soluble fiber differences…I am always getting them confused!