What's the deal with fiber anyway? It's this mystical thing that resides in food and is necessary for our health and well-being. And supposedly, we never get enough of it, no matter how hard we try, right?! Whether naturally through food or supplements (Metamucil instantly comes to mind), fiber lingers in the background like the perfect photobomb. So, once again I put on my investigative hat and sought out to get to the bottom of fiber (the real nitty-gritty of it all).

Come to find out, fiber is a carbohydrate (who knew)?! It's a long string of sugar molecules that originates from the cell walls of plants. Yes, from plants! Which would explain why the best sources of fiber are fruits and vegetables. Fiber is in oats, legumes, and nuts as well, but we will get into that later. And I know what you are thinking, cereal has fiber in it too, right? The side of your Honey Nut Cheerios box shows a small percentage of fiber in it. This is very true, but "eating grains to get more fiber is like eating carrot cake to get more vegetables." (Ballantyne, 2017; page 45) And as much as I do love a good slice of carrot cake, I do not like thinking I'm getting plenty of fiber when I'm not.

Fiber comes in many forms, the two popular forms are soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like material (picturing Metamucil again) in the gut that slows down the traffic in the digestive system. Insoluble fiber does the opposite by speeding up the traffic in the digestive system. That being said, fiber-rich diets reduce the risk of cancers, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and diabetes. Fiber-rich diets also lower inflammation in the body and lower the risk of death. For fiber to be so mysterious, it does pack a punch. [Ballantyne, 2017]

I know you are wondering which form of fiber you should consume, right?! Well, lucky for you, fruits and vegetables have both soluble and insoluble fiber (takes all the work out of choosing). So the ultimate question that you have been dying to ask is, "how much fiber do I need and where do I start food-wise?" You ask good questions! Women need at least 25 grams per day and men need 30-38 grams per day (the struggle is real). My two personal fiber favorites are berries and avocados. Check out my list of high fiber foods below (hopefully you will spot a few favs of your own on it).

(Oats - 8 to 16 grams/cup; Quinoa - 4 grams/cup; Avocado - 13.5 grams; Apple - 4.4 grams; Berries - 4 to 8 grams/cup; Pear - 5 grams; Cherries - 3 grams/cup; Kale - 3 grams/2 cups; Broccoli - 5 grams/cup; Brussel Sprouts - 3 grams/cup; Cauliflower - 5 grams; Sweet Potato - 6 grams; Almonds - 4 grams/ounce; Chia Seeds - 9 grams/2 tbsp; Sunflower Seeds - 12g/cup)

Noire Nutrition

By Aziza Lucas, NTP