A high-fiber diet offers many health benefits, but can also cause unpleasant side effects. Here's how to fit fiber into your diet without stomach and gut discomfort.
Fiber is an essential nutrient that helps stabilize blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and keep you feeling full. But despite all those health benefits, many people associate fiber-filled foods with undesirable side effects like flatulence and bloating.
While it’s true that high-fiber foods can have these uncomfortable effects, it’s still important to try to meet your daily fiber needs. Depending on your age, women should aim for about 22 to 28 grams (g) of fiber daily and men should consume about 28 to 34 g.
There are ways to consume more fiber in your diet without all the tummy trouble. Find out more about how fiber keeps you healthy and how you can keep bloating and gassiness to a minimum.
Dietary fiber, which people might sometimes call roughage or bulk, isn't digested by your body. It passes through the stomach, intestines, and colon before it exits the body as stool. Only certain types of food contain fiber.
“Fiber is only found in plant foods — fruit, vegetables, grains, and legumes,” says Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES, a health, food, and fitness coach in Prescott, Arizona, and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health.
Soluble Fiber vs. Insoluble Fiber
Fiber comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Each has different effects on digestion.
Soluble fiber: This type of fiber dissolves in water and absorbs it to create a gel that makes stool bulkier and easier to pass. “It also helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels,” says Grieger. Soluble fiber can be found in foods like beans, oats, apples, avocados, and okra.
Insoluble fiber: This type can’t dissolve in water. It passes through your digestive system whole and keeps the contents of the digestive system moving along. “It helps promote optimum digestion,” says Grieger, who adds that insoluble fiber often produces more gas than soluble fibers do. Foods that contain insoluble fiber include whole-wheat flour, seeds, and the skins of fruits and veggies.
Not everyone will experience gas and bloating when they eat fiber, says Jennifer Bruning, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “It depends on the person and what they eat, and what other foods they may be sensitive to,” she says. “Some people find some high-fiber foods make you more gassy, and others less so.”
Benefits of Dietary Fiber
Fiber offers a host of health benefits. A diet high in fiber helps lower cholesterol and improve blood sugar control. It also helps reduce your risk of developing these health problems:
Yes, and it’s the microbes that live in our digestive system that create the gas and bloating. “Gas is a natural by-product of gut microbes feasting on fiber,” says Bruning. This is particularly true if your body isn’t accustomed to consuming a lot of fiber. “Over time, our systems typically adjust to eating more fiber on a daily basis,” she says. Once fiber has become a regular part of your daily diet, gassiness and bloating are less likely to occur.
“Just about any type of food that contains carbohydrates can produce gas,” says Grieger. Some common high-fiber foods that can cause excessive gas include:
Beans
Whole-wheat products, such as cereals, breads, and pasta
Bran products
Oatmeal and oat bran
Vegetables, especially asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage
Fruits, especially pears, mangoes, and apples
The best way to avoid excessive gas and bloating is to gradually add more fiber to your diet over time — rather than overwhelming your body with a sudden steep increase. “Aim for 25 to 30 g a day as your ultimate goal, but start by increasing by just one serving of high fiber food a day for several days, then add another,” says Bruning.
She advises increasing your fiber consumption by no more than 5 g a week. Give your body a chance to get used to processing the increase in fiber incrementally, and you'll have a smoother transition and less intestinal gas to deal with.
Here are a few other things you can do to prevent a gastrointestinal protest as you introduce more high-fiber foods to your diet.
Eliminate other foods that cause gas. If you're already overwhelming your gut with fiber, cut out other foods that create gas. Try limiting or avoiding sugar-free candy and gum that contain sorbitol, as well as carbonated beverages.
Load up on water. Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water to prevent uncomfortable intestinal gas and bloating. “Fiber needs additional water to do its job moving through your digestive tract,” says Bruning.
Watch your air intake. When you eat, drink, and chew gum, you swallow a lot of air, which can result in excessive gas. To cut down the amount of air that gets into your belly, eat slowly, avoid smoking, and don’t chew gum.
Consult a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) for a personalized eating plan. Keep a journal of the foods you eat before the appointment, and track which foods make you feel gassy and bloated. The RDN can tailor a fiber-rich diet to suit your needs and prevent unwanted symptoms.
Try over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Products containing simethicone can help gas bubbles pass through the digestive tract. A lactase supplement will help relieve gas and bloating caused by dairy products.
Fiber is found only in plant-based foods.
For some, a high-fiber diet can cause gas and bloating. Despite these side effects, it’s important to eat fiber-rich foods to maintain a healthy digestive system and lower your risk of disease.
Add fiber to your diet slowly and drink plenty of water to avoid gas and bloating.
