The United States has one of the lowest per capita intakes of fiber in the world. Therefore, increasing daily fiber intake either through diet or with supplements is recommended for many Americans. While increased dietary or supplemental fiber can result in bloating and gaseous distention, changing your fiber intake gradually can reduce this. Most patients will adjust to supplemental fiber in one or two weeks.
There are several supplemental fiber products on the market containing any of the following:
- Psyllium seed husk powder contains soluble and insoluble fiber
- Flax seeds contain both soluble and insoluble fiber
- Rice / wheat bran contains insoluble fiber
- Apple, citrus, or grapefruit pectin contains soluble fiber
- Guar or xanthum gum contains soluble fiber
- Oat bran contains both soluble and insoluble fiber
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These may be taken separately with water and with or without meals. When taken before or during a meal they can reduce the appetite, resulting in fewer calories being consumed.
Soluble fiber is found in varying quantities in all plant foods, including:
legumes (peas, soybeans, and other beans)
oats, rye, chia, and barley
some fruits and fruit juices (particularly prune juice, plums and berries)
certain vegetables such as broccoli and carrots
root vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions (skins of these vegetables are sources of insoluble fiber)
psyllium seed husk (a mucilage soluble fiber).
Legumes also typically contain shorter-chain carbohydrates indigestible by the human digestive tract but which may be metabolized by bacterial fermentation in the large intestine (colon), yielding short-chain fatty acids and gases (flatulence).
Sources of insoluble fiber include:
whole grain foods
bran
nuts and seeds
vegetables such as green beans, cauliflower, zucchini (courgette), and celery
the skins of some fruits, including tomatoes.