Fiber - can there be too much?

[dormars1979]

Hi everyone,

I've been eating lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, and other high fiber foods. I realized that I've been getting over 55 grams of fiber a day which seems very high... I have been eating 1/2 c of Fiber One cereal at night just because it's low calorie and filling, so I could cut this out as it is supplying 14 grams of fiber in that 1/2 cup, but I'd rather not if it's not doing my body any harm.

Is there any danger to eating this much fiber?

Thanks,
Doreen

 

[Jacque1038]

When I took a nutrition course the prof did not mention any problems with getting a higher amount of fiber in your diet. I would not worry about it.

 

[cakebaker]

"From "askdrsears.com" -

How much fiber is too much? Your intestines will tell you. Gradually build up the amount and variety of your daily fiber intake.

Signs of too much fiber are:
Excessive gassiness
Bloating
Abdominal pain
Stools uncomfortably frequent and large overall volume"

"From Hungry Girl:

Fiber is fantastic. But, like anything else, you can get too much of it. I turned to my email bud, Lisa R. Young, who is not only a PhD, RD, but also the author of The Portion Teller, for help with this one. Lisa says you can absolutely get too much fiber. She says, "While fiber has many wonderful health benefits, getting too much fiber is not a good idea. The main reason is this: it can bind and carry out needed minerals such as iron, calcium, and zinc which so many people have a hard time getting. These binders in fiber act as chelating agents which link chemically with nutrients and then carry them out of the body. Too much fiber can also carry water out of the body and cause dehydration, stomach distress and feelings of bloating. It is recommended that most women obtain 25 grams of fiber. While 30 grams would be ok, consuming 40 or 50 grams would be too much!" So there you have it. No more ODing on fiber!"

I'm sure the opinions differ on and on just like anything else. Personally, I get way more than 55 grams of fiber everyday, and have for years. I have noticed no downside - but a good upside in that it helps me with weight control.

 

[dormars1979]

Thanks cakebaker, that's really good information that you found. Also, thanks for your own experience - I think I'll not worry about this for now. My body seems to be handling my diet OK, so I'll just keep up what I'm doing.

Thanks again

 

[kathryn]

I think it's difficult to get too much fiber from a whole foods, natural diet, but it's possible that taking fiber supplements (or foods that have extra fiber added to them) can be too much: getting too much of any nutrient at one time can be bad, because our bodies are not built to deal with concentrated amounts of nutrients, but with the amounts found in food.

If anything, you might want to replace that Fiber One cereal with an apple or pear, which are high in the soluble fiber pectin.