At our recent seminar at MBSC, our founder, Mike Boyle, decided to tackle an often overlooked topic in the world of nutrition: colon health and dietary fiber. So, I wanted to take some time to dive briefly into the topic myself, and give a quick overview of the importance of fiber, and suggest some simple ways to find more of it in your diet.
Why Is Fiber So Important?
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body can’t digest. And that’s actually a good thing. Instead of being broken down and absorbed, fiber moves through your digestive system and delivers a host of benefits along the way:
- Supports digestive health: Fiber helps regulate bowel movements, prevents constipation, and feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
- Promotes satiety: High-fiber foods help you feel fuller for longer, making it easier to manage hunger and avoid overeating.
- Regulates blood sugar: Fiber slows the absorption of sugar, helping to prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes.
- Lowers cholesterol: Certain types of fiber can help reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, supporting heart health.
Yet most people fall far short of the recommended daily intake (25 grams for women, 38 grams for men). The good news? You don’t need a complete diet overhaul to fix that.
3 Easy Ways to Increase Your Fiber Intake
1. Start Your Day with a Fiber-Boosted Breakfast
Instead of a low-fiber option like sugary cereal or white toast, aim for a breakfast that includes whole grains, seeds, and fruits. Examples:
- Oatmeal with chia seeds and berries
- Whole grain toast with peanut butter and sliced banana
- A smoothie with spinach, flax seeds, and mixed berries
Just one tablespoon of chia or flax seeds adds 3–5 grams of fiber—an effortless upgrade.
2. Add a Vegetable (or Two) to Every Meal
Vegetables are among the most nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods you can eat. Adding a side of broccoli, sautéed greens, or roasted carrots to lunch and dinner is an easy win. Even tossing spinach into a sandwich or grated zucchini into pasta sauce makes a meaningful difference.
Try this: make it a goal to include 2 different vegetables at dinner—variety helps you get both soluble and insoluble fiber types.
3. Choose Whole Grains Over Refined Ones
Swapping refined carbs (like white rice or white bread) for whole grains (like brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat) significantly boosts fiber content.
Here’s how they compare:
- 1 cup of white rice: 0.6g fiber
- 1 cup of brown rice: 3.5g fiber
- 1 slice white bread: 0.5g fiber
- 1 slice whole wheat bread: 2–3g fiber
These changes may seem small, but they stack up fast.
Because when it comes to getting enough fiber, success means finding small wins wherever we can. Without the use of fiber supplement, very few foods will knock out a big portion of our daily recommended fiber all on their own. So our best approach is to find many smaller portions that stack up throughout the course of the day.