Fiber is an extremely important nutrient that tends to be low in a lot of diets. The RDA recommends a minimum of 25g fiber daily for women and 38g fiber daily for men. For somebody who eats a standard healthy diet with whole grains and plenty of calories it’s usually pretty easy to reach your daily fiber goals. But a person who is gluten-free, on a FODMAP diet, has dybiosis in their gut, on a low carb or keto diet or is on a caloric deficit it may be difficult to reach your daily fiber goals.

What is fiber?

Fiber is the indigestible part of plants that helps us stay regular as well as regulates blood sugar. It can help with weight loss, preventing diabetes and keeping your poop normal.

Fiber is mostly in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. There are two types of fiber — soluble and insoluble — and both play important roles in health:

  • Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, it adds to stools preventing constipation.
  • Soluble fiber absorbs water, forming a gel-like substance in the digestive system. Soluble fiber may help lower cholesterol levels and help regulate blood sugar levels.

When you follow a gluten free diet you can’t have most of the whole grains that are loaded with fiber. Many gluten-free foods are pretty low in fiber unless you find products that use coconut and almond flour. This is why I like Simple Mills products. They make crackers and baking mixes. Another product I love which has coconut flour is Birch Benders Paleo pancake mix. I always look at the ingredients of gluten-free foods to see if they are using food products that can increase my daily fiber intake rather than tapioca or potato starch.

For my clients who have digestion issues with legumes and higher sugar foods such as fruits I will suggest the following:

  1. Blackberries and raspberries
  2. Jicama
  3. Avocado
  4. Explore brand black bean pasta (this is made from black soy beans not actual black beans)
  5. Chia seeds (add to shakes or pudding)
  6. Nuts
  7. Garden of Life Raw Meal protein powder
  8. Adding Acacia Fiber to protein shakes or yogurts
  9. V8 with fiber

For those who can have legumes I also suggest

  1. Lentils
  2. Chickpeas