Looking to make a small dietary change with big returns (especially in the bathroom!)? One of the most impactful changes you can make is to eat more fiber. I know you’ve heard this before, but eating lots of indigestible plant fiber is probably the single best thing you can do for your health. Fiber feeds your gut bacteria (the millions of “worker bees” that carry out the vital, behind-the-scenes labor for all your body systems), which determine your overall health, disease risk, and ability to age well.
While some people focus their New Year’s resolutions on eliminating fats or carbohydrates, and yes, you may lose weight on those types of elimination diets, they don’t have the health benefits of a high fiber diet. A recent study showed that colon cancer cells grown in mice fed a high-fat diet show enhanced growth. But when fiber is added, the effects of the high fat diet are decreased. So, what does this tell us?… It’s less about eliminating fat, or carbs, or the zillions of other items we try to remove from our diets; and more about adding in lots of fiber!
Small changes can lead to big results, and that’s definitely the case when it comes to fiber. You don’t have to eat kale all day long to see positive health outcomes. A study published in Gastroenterology showed a significant correlation between stool weight, dietary fiber intake, and colon cancer risk in 12 different countries. They determined that if you’re eating more than 18 grams/day of fiber, you should have stools with an average weight of >150 grams/day – 1/3 of a pound or the size of a large banana. That’s enough to provide protection against colon cancer – the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the US. A modest amount of fiber goes a long way, but if you don’t feel like counting grams, the best way to know if you’re eating enough fiber is to turn around and take a look!
So, what foods provide the most fiber and will give you the biggest poos? My foolproof recommendation is 20 to 30 ounces of my Gutbliss green smoothie in the morning; split pea soup or any kind of veggie soup for lunch; and brown rice, lentils, and salad for dinner. If you eat like that – even if you add in some animal protein, I guarantee you are going to have stool nirvana the next morning.
Beans in general are an incredible source of fiber. The average cup of beans has about 15 grams of fiber, and a recent study showed that a cup of Navy beans a day can not only decrease your risk of colon cancer, but also decrease the likelihood of recurrence in colon cancer survivors. Talk about food as medicine! Broccoli and berries are two other great high fiber foods that also contain lots of healthy micronutrients.
