My “Fiber Snack” Obsession
Do you know how much fiber you’re consuming each day? Most people don’t, but it’s a safe bet that you would benefit from more.
According to USDA data, the average American gets 10-15 grams of fiber per day, whereas the recommended daily intake is 25-30g. From more holistic-minded, microbiome-focused practitioners, I was taught that 35g per day is really more like the bare minimum we should be aiming for. As a frame of reference, the fiber intake of our hunter-gatherer ancestors was closer to 55-100g or more (!) per day.
Fiber is not just about pooping, as it turns out. Diverse sources of fiber are necessary fuel for our beneficial microbes, and the quantity and types of microbes in our gut affect pretty much everything in the body, including inflammation, skin, immunity/autoimmunity, mood, and neurological function. Fiber also helps with satiety and blood sugar balance too.
Good sources of fiber include:
Fruits and veggies
Beans and legumes
Whole grains (not the packaged/processed/refined grain products like bread, pasta, crackers, sweets, and snack foods that tend to make up a large part of the standard American diet)
Nuts and seeds
Some people can’t tolerate much fiber until their gut health is in better shape, so if certain fiber-forward foods or supplements cause any symptoms or GI distress like bloating, pain or gassiness, you might benefit from some extra troubleshooting and support before you can successfully increase your fiber intake.
And as a general rule of thumb for everyone, it’s important to increase your fiber intake gradually to avoid what I call “too much of a party in the gut all at once”—extra fiber shouldn’t make you bloated or gassy if you build up slowly and give your gut bugs time to adjust. It’s also good to make sure you’re well-hydrated to boot.
In addition to trying to eat a variety of fiber-rich foods daily, I also like to incorporate different kinds of supplemental fibers sometimes. I usually have a few fiber powders on hand that I rotate between. I’ve recently become obsessed with having a little bowl of applesauce (or homemade stewed apples) mixed with some walnuts and supplemental fiber powders as my afternoon snack, which adds an additional 10-ish grams of fiber in my day.
I’m not great at naming things, so I just call it my Fiber Snack. I find it amusing how utterly geriatric and unappetizing that sounds, but it’s actually really delicious!
Like most of my “recipes,” it’s more of a template where you can mix and match components to suit your tastes. Instead of applesauce, you could use yogurt or kefir, cottage cheese, a smoothie bowl, or even something like overnight oats as the base upon which layer on extra fiber and flavor. The main thing is that you want a base that’s a little watery or that can be watered down, as most fibers will absorb some amount of liquid once you combine everything.
I usually like to use two sources of fiber at once. I'm particularly into a combo of acacia fiber and psyllium husk powder right now, as my body seems to be liking that. Other favorites I rotate into the mix are ground flax seeds and ground chia seeds. Those two are a great place to start, particularly if you're dealing with either loose stools or constipation (or both).
I also like Sunfiber (aka TruFiber aka PHGG), FiberMend, PaleoFiber (both the regular and RS varieties), inulin powder, and Poly-Prebiotic powder, which is a combo of polyphenols from fruit and special oligosaccharide prebiotics that together help boost a keystone species of gut bacteria called Akkermansia muciniphila, which I often see either low or absent on client’s microbiome tests.
Hot take: skip the expensive Akkermansia-containing probiotics being advertised everywhere nowadays. In my clinical experience, a food-first, prebiotic fiber-focused approach works better to help that particular gut microbe rebound.
If you're new to supplemental fiber powders or things like ground chia seeds and ground flax seeds, my top tips are:
Find something you actually enjoy eating that works well to add fiber to, like kefir, yogurt, applesauce, cottage cheese, or a smoothie.
Start slow and low with fiber so your gut can adapt gradually without causing any bloating. For example, if 1 tablespoon of psyllium husk powder is the goal, then start with 1 teaspoon, or maybe even 1/2 teaspoon, and then work up from there over the course of a few weeks.
If your gut is on the more sensitive side and you want to try some supplemental fiber powders, SunFiber or FiberMend could be a good place to start as those tend to be well-tolerated.
Be sure to stay well-hydrated when ramping up your fiber consumption.
EASY FIBER SNACK
Ingredients
2/3 cup applesauce (or stewed apples, kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothie, or watered down overnight oats)
10-15 very roughly chopped nuts (or granola or fruit)
1/2 tablespoon - 1 tablespoon* each of two fiber sources: ground chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, psyllium husk powder, acacia powder, etc
*Remember to start slow with new types of fiber. USE about 1/2 TEASPOON to start and work up gradually from thereInstructions
Adjust any of the quantities as needed to suit your preferences or fiber tolerance.
Add the applesauce (or other base) to a bowl, stir in the other ingredients, and enjoy.
If you try my applesauce fiber snack, let me know how you like it! And definitely let me know if you come up with a more appetizing name for it.
