Dietary fiber cheat sheet 

If you have attended the classes I give or read some of my previous articles, you have probably noticed that I talk about fiber quite a bit. And there’s a good reason for it — dietary fiber has various beneficial effects for your gut and beyond. According to general recommendations, a woman should consume about 25 grams of fiber a day, while a man should consume about 35 grams a day, with approximately 5 to 10 grams of those being soluble fibers. You can take a quick look at the benefits of these fibers here.

However, statistics show that less than 20% of the population in Europe actually consumes this amount.

Do you think you consume enough? And why are the statistics so harsh? Is it really difficult to consume enough fiber?

The answer is — it’s not difficult if you stick to a couple of simple rules:

• Try to include legumes in your diet daily. 

 - Just one portion of legumes (50 g before cooking, approximately 130 - 150 g after cooking) can offer around 10 grams of fiber. 

• Choose whole grain products (such as most oats, buckwheat, wild, red, and black rice, or whole grain pasta or bread) over their refined alternatives, since these have at least four times more fiber!

• When possible, consume vegetables (such as potatoes and carrots) with the peel and include those rich in fiber in your diet daily.