“More and more research is showing the important effect that fiber has on health and disease prevention,” says Ronette Lategan-Potgieter, PhD. And the benefits extend to just about every aspect of your health.Īccording to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, fiber helps keep your gut healthy and may decrease your odds of heart disease or diabetes. Fiber is a carbohydrate that comes from fruits, vegetables, seeds, legumes, nuts and whole grains.
So where do you find this wonderful nutrient? Plants. That means that out of every 20 people, 19 need more fiber. In fact, only about 5% of people reach their recommended intake, according to a paper published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. At 2,000 calories per day, the daily intake should be 28 grams of fiber.īut in nutrition studies, researchers find that people eat far less. To meet your daily fiber quota, you should be eating 14 grams per 1,000 calories of food. But how are you doing on fiber? If you’re like most people, you’re falling short. You probably make a lot of smart food decisions.
