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- [00:01]
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- [00:17]
Marielle Segarra
You're listening to Life Kit from npr. Hey everybody, it's Marielle. When I say the word fiber, what do you think about maybe pooping? You were probably taught that fiber keeps you regular, and it does do that, but also so much more. NPR science correspondent Maria Godoy says fiber is kind of like the Peter Parker of food.
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Maria Godoy
You think it's kind of this nerdy nutrient, but it's actually really secretly a dietary superhero.
- [00:48]
Marielle Segarra
Yeah, a superhero because this carbohydrate, which occurs naturally in plants, has a ton of health benefits.
- [00:54]
Maria Godoy
It lowers cholesterol, it helps regulate blood sugar levels, it keeps your hunger in check, and it is the primary food source for the trillions of microbes that live in our guts. And those microbes play really a critical role in so many aspects of good health.
- [01:12]
Marielle Segarra
The problem is we often don't get enough fiber in our diet. That's true for an estimated 95% of Americans. So let's change that. On today's episode of Life Kit, Maria and I talk all things fiber, how it works in our bodies, the best ways to get it, whether you should take supplements, and how to avoid some of the uncomfortable side effects that can come with upping your fiber intake.
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- [03:36]
Marielle Segarra
I feel like for a long time I just thought fiber was something that was kind of like a broom sweeping your digested food through your intestines. It does play that role, right? But it also does other all this other stuff, right?
- [03:52]
Maria Godoy
There's actually a huge body of research that shows diets high in fiber boost health in lots of ways. For example, there was this big review of nearly 200 studies and dozens of clinical trials, and it found diets rich in fiber were linked to a lower risk of major health problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, even dying prematurely from any cause.
- [04:18]
Marielle Segarra
Do we know why it's so beneficial? Like how it's working in our bodies?
- [04:23]
Maria Godoy
One of the big things that scientists have learned over the last two decades is that one of the reasons it's so important to health is that fiber is the primary food source for those microbes in our gut. And those microbes, we've learned, play a critical role in regulating health, not just in our guts, but throughout our whole bodies. I mean, they influence health in everything from immunity, really important to immunity. You know, allergies to heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, even mental health. And scientists are still untangling those mechanisms, but it's pretty clear that they play a critical role. And so fiber is the primary food source for these microbes, especially a type of fiber called prebiotic fiber, which is the kind of fiber that these microbes can ferment.
- [05:10]
Marielle Segarra
Let's linger here for a second on the gut microbiome, because this is so fascinating. Could you explain what the gut microbiome actually is? What is the gut and what are these microbes?
- [05:22]
Maria Godoy
Okay, so your gut is your gastrointestinal system you know, so includes your stomach and your small and large intestines, which, you know, the large intestine or colon. And it is home, especially your large intestine is home to this community of very diverse trillions, trillions of very diverse microbes. And those microbes play a critical role in influencing health throughout your body. And those microbes are adapted to work with different fibers. So that's one reason why you want to eat a diversity of fiber in your diet. Because I like to think of them kind of like a team of builders building a house. Right. Like you want to have your gut as the house. And so some microbes are like plumbers, and some are electricians, and some of them are, you know, masonry experts. And so they all need different tools, and the fibers are those different tools to build different things. So you don't want to rely on one kind of fiber. You want to eat lots of different fiber from foods. But what we do know from research is more diverse types of microbes living in your gut equals better health.
- [06:29]
Marielle Segarra
I feel like a lot of people have heard of taking probiotics either in a pill or through what they eat, kombucha or kimchi, something like that, yogurt, in order to help their gut microbiome. But fiber is the other element here, right? Like, fiber is called a prebiotic.
- [06:52]
NPR Sponsor Announcer
Yeah.
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Maria Godoy
So both prebiotics and probiotics are great for the health of your gut microbiome. Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain live microorganisms that have a proven health benefit.
- [07:07]
Marielle Segarra
It.
- [07:08]
Maria Godoy
So think foods like kombucha or yogurt. Prebiotics are the food or fuel for those good microbes in your gut. All known prebiotics are fiber, but not all fibers are prebiotic. So prebiotic fibers are those that gut microbes ferment to produce chemical messengers that go throughout your body. But not all fibers are easily fermentable by microbes. But, you know, just because microbes can't break them down doesn't mean that they're not bad beneficial. For example, cellulose is a type of fiber found in foods like celery. And gut microbes don't do a great job of breaking it down. But we have lots of research that shows that cellulose can help keep you regular, which I think we can all agree is pretty important.
- [07:58]
Marielle Segarra
The human body is amazing.
- [08:00]
Maria Godoy
I know, right?
- [08:00]
Marielle Segarra
So amazing.
- [08:01]
Maria Godoy
It really, really is. It's fascinating. And I'll tell you, the reason I got interested in fiber years ago was I thought I was eating super healthy I was having every day and whatnot. And I read an article about the benefits of fiber, and I got curious, like, I wonder how much fiber I eat in a day? And I started tracking it, and it actually wasn't that much because, you know, so fiber is found in plant based foods, and I was eating a lot of salads. But the thing is, like, iceberg lettuce doesn't really have a lot of fiber in it. So I started sort of targeting high fiber foods in my diet. And so one thing I'll do nowadays is like, I'll sprinkle tablespoon of chia seeds on my yogurt, and that 1 tablespoon of chia seeds has 4 grams of fiber. And I think you'd have to eat like a truckload of iceberg lettuce to even get anywhere near that.
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Marielle Segarra
Wow.
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Maria Godoy
But I know. Or a cup of raspberries or blackberries have 8 grams of fiber, which is a lot. And those can be expensive.
- [08:58]
Marielle Segarra
I was gonna say maybe that's why they're so expensive.
- [09:01]
Maria Godoy
Right, right. But. But actually you could just buy them frozen, right? And like, throw them in a smoothie, and they're a lot cheaper when they're frozen.
- [09:08]
Marielle Segarra
Okay. The main issue I have with raspberries and blackberries, which also have a lot of fiber, is like, they get moldy before I can even look at them.
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Maria Godoy
Oh, yeah, yeah, No, I eat them up first because if I'm paying like six bucks for a little pint or whatever, I'm gonna eat them right away.
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Marielle Segarra
Well, how much, how much fiber should we be getting a day?
- [09:27]
Maria Godoy
So the formula is basically 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you eat. And that translates usually for women, something around 25 grams of fiber, and for men it's something like 38 grams of fiber. But it's, in a way, it's moot because the vast majority of Americans get nowhere near that. Less than 10% of Americans eat the daily amount of fiber they're supposed to most. The average, I think, is something like 16 grams a day. So that's where, like, you know, maybe being a little more conscious about what you eat can help without being obsessive. But really what you want to think about doing is eating the rainbow, which is something you've probably heard a million times from, like, registered dietitians say it all the time. And that just means eating a variety of plant based foods that are rich in fiber. So, like sweet potatoes or avocados, very rich in fiber. Asparagus and artichoke, you Know, brown rice can help, lentils and other beans, navy beans, black beans, et cetera. Very high in fiber and not expensive at all. I mean, I eat lentil soup, you know, at least half of the week.
- [10:29]
Marielle Segarra
Do you count your fiber every day or, or periodically?
- [10:34]
Maria Godoy
I do, but that's because I'm a little bit obsessed with fiber. But I don't think the average person needs to at all really. If you're just sort of trying to eat a variety of plant based foods, you know, like fruits, vegetables, and obviously whole grains, legumes, like all of that can just help you get closer to your goal.
- [10:52]
Marielle Segarra
Yeah. What is the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber? Because I feel like those terms are a little confusing and I'm not sure whether I need to be keeping track.
- [11:05]
Maria Godoy
No, I don't really think you do. For the average person who's got a million things going on and isn't kind of a fanatic like I am, I don't think so. It's really easy to get really in the weeds pretty fast when it comes to fiber. But basically soluble fiber means it can dissolve in water. Soluble fibers bind with water and kind of turn into this gel like consistency that slows digestion and that can be helpful, can lower glucose levels and blood cholesterol levels. Again, like chia seeds, oat bran, lentils, nuts and seeds, apples and pears have soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber means it doesn't dissolve in water. And that's helpful because it can help food move through your digestive system and add bulk to your stool and help keep you regular and prevent constipation. So you can think of foods like quinoa or brown rice, kale, walnuts, that falls into that category. And the thing that's important to remember is that different kinds of plant foods have different kinds of fiber in them and they're all important to health in different ways. So again, that's why you want to eat the rainbow. You know, eat lots of different fruits and vegetables and whole grains, nuts and seeds and beans just to make sure you're getting, you know, a variety of fibers in your diet.
- [12:20]
Marielle Segarra
Right. So is it ever a good idea to get fiber from a supplement or a pill?
- [12:26]
Maria Godoy
Very good question. Every researcher I've spoken to told me your best bet is to get fiber from a variety of plant based foods. La la la. I've said it a million times now. And. But that's really for a couple of reasons. One is, you know, when you eat fiber rich berries or sweet potatoes, you're Also getting all the vitamins and minerals and phytonutrients in those foods, so not just the fiber. So they're good for you in multiple ways. But another reason is the fiber used in supplements. It's been highly purified. It's a simpler structure than the fiber that's sort of bound up in complex structures n naturally inside of plant foods. And so these simpler fibers tend to get fermented faster by gut microbes, but that means they might not travel all the way down the full length of your large intestine and feed the microbes there too. So basically they might not reach all the microbes that need it throughout your gut. That said, if you don't get enough fiber, supplements are probably helpful. They just don't seem to be as helpful as getting your fiber through plant based foods.
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Marielle Segarra
Yeah, I, I noticed too that like I was taking fiber supplements for a while and then once I realized how much fiber we need a day, I looked at the label and it was like I had to take five capsules to get two grams of fiber. I was like, this is wild. Like, what is even in these? It was like caramel, mostly caramel coloring.
- [13:50]
Maria Godoy
My advice is like, eat a bowl of black bean soup.
- [13:54]
Marielle Segarra
Right.
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Maria Godoy
Lentil soup. Right. It's going to be tastier, hopeful.
- [14:00]
Marielle Segarra
Okay, so if you're someone who does not eat a lot of fiber right now, where do you start? Because if you, if you start really abruptly and like crank it up, you could get gas and bloating and just like gastrointestinal distress.
- [14:15]
Maria Godoy
Right, right, right. And I think that's a really important point. Like, if you don't eat a lot of fiber, I would definitely say the key is to start slowly. Just be very gradual about increasing your fiber intake. So for instance, if you like to eat white bread, maybe, you know, the first week you're trying to increase your intake. Switch out one serving with whole grain bread, and the second, you know, second week do 2 servings until you've done all your servings a whole grain instead of white bread. The other thing is drink lots of water because this can help the fiber bind. It prevents it from hardening. And you can try cooking vegetables or eating fruits without the skins or seeds that, you know, can help make foods a little less likely to cause gas. One thing you might want to do is if you're eating more foods with fiber and noticing gas, maybe take note of which foods cause symptoms, you might want to adjust your diet. If you're particularly sensitive to something like, for instance, I've said I'm a fiber fanatic, but I've realized I got to moderate my chia seed intake. Like, one tablespoon with my yogurt is fine. Two tablespoons and I'm in trouble later. That's just me personally, you know.
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Marielle Segarra
Totally.
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Maria Godoy
Yeah. And the other thing, you know, I find that taking a walk after meals can also be helpful with gas and bloating discomfort. And so, yeah, just moving a little bit afterward and it can help with digestion and help release some of that gas.
- [15:35]
Marielle Segarra
All right. Well, I am, I'm like, kind of pumped now to go eat fiber all day. Yay. Yay.
- [15:44]
Maria Godoy
But, like, do it in moderation.
- [15:47]
Marielle Segarra
All right. Well, thank you so much. This has been great.
- [15:50]
Maria Godoy
It has been my pleasure as your official NPR fiber fanatic.
- [15:54]
Marielle Segarra
Hmm. One last thing. Would you consider rating and reviewing us? It helps us grow the show and we'd love to know what you think. Here's a review that I liked from listener Fwalter819. Having learned many of these lessons the hard way, I recommend Life Kit instead. And for all the lessons they cover that I never learned. Thanks. Better late than never. Too true. F. Walter, leave us a review in your podcast app right now. This episode of Life Kit was produced by Claire Marie Schneider and edited by Sylvie Douglas. Malika Garib is our digital editor, and our visuals editor is CJ Ricolon. Megan Cain is our senior supervising editor, and Lauren Gonzalez is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andy Taegle and Margaret Serino. Engineering support comes from Jimmy Keeley and Sina Lofredo. I'm Marielle Segarra. Thanks for listening.
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Maria Godoy
One year after Congress eliminated federal funding for public media, NPR remains committed to informing the public. But a free press doesn't just happen. It's something we must protect without federal funding. We're relying on your support now. Please make your gift today@donate.NPR.org after a
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