These Healthy Foods Contain Way Less Fibre Than You Might Think

This may make you rethink your fibremaxxing plan.

Relationships Reporter, HuffPost

Amid our full-blown obsession with protein, fibre hasn’t gotten nearly the recognition it deserves.

“Protein has certainly earned its place in the spotlight, but fibre deserves just as much attention,” registered dietitian Stefani Sassos, nutrition director at the Good Housekeeping Institute, told HuffPost. “Most Americans are likely already meeting their protein needs, while the vast majority fall short on fibre.”

In fact, it’s estimated that only 5% of Americans consume the recommended amount of fibre each day. That’s about 25 to 28 grams for adult women and 28 to 34 grams for adult men, though exact recommendations may vary based on age and medical history. The average person, however, is only getting about 10 to 15 grams of fibre per day.

Why people are fibremaxxing in the first place

Why is this nutrient so crucial? A fibre-rich diet offers a host of health benefits, like supporting healthy digestion and gut health, stabilising blood sugar levels, helping you feel full and satisfied, reducing LDL cholesterol and improving heart health.

“Not surprisingly, high-fibre diets are consistently linked with a lower risk of cardiometabolic diseases, like obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, in addition to some cancers and overall mortality,” registered dietitian Tamar Samuels, co-founder of Culina Health, told HuffPost.

Colon and rectal cancer (often grouped together as “colorectal cancer”) rates, in particular, are on the rise among younger adults. Research has found that eating a higher-fibre diet is associated with a reduced risk of these cancers.

Fibre is protective against colorectal cancer for several reasons. One is because it bulks up stools by absorbing water, “allowing waste to pass through the colon more quickly and limiting carcinogen exposure to the colon lining,” registered dietitian Christina Fasulo of UCLA’s Health GI Nutrition Program told the university’s Health Newsroom.

Another, according to the Cancer Research UK website, is that “when fibre meets the bacteria that lives in the bowel, the bacteria make........

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