Greetings Dr. Feigenbaum,
I have a question about fiber intake. Can I suppliment my fiber intake with powders such as Inulin powder or Metamucil or is it crutial that the majority of my fiber intake come from whole foods? I have a hard time consuming fruits and vegetables during my busy week and I would like to suppliment some if my fiber intake with a powder if it makes sense to do so .
Thanks as always,
I don’t typically advise intake of supplemental fiber unless someone cannot consume enough fiber otherwise. That said, I would recommend getting your fiber from whole grains, fruits, veggies, legumes, etc. and if you have to take a fiber supplement…I’d pick psyllium husk.
@MC_Wizzel I read your post and totally feel ya, fiber has been super frustrating for me as well, so I had to rethink what I was doing. I also had to come up with strategies to fit it in (because my carbs feel like they are on the lower end), and while trying to prove someone wrong about how much fiber was in veggies, I investigated the fiber/carb ratio of many vegetables I eat. I learned which veggies made the biggest impact on my fiber intake (I also found I was eating lots of lower fiber/carb ratio vegetables as well). This research gave me more knowledge which in turn helped me plan better and I do so much better when I plan. I also made a spreadsheet with carb and fiber in vegetables and some fruits which takes some stress out of trying to figure it out in the moment. Some of the best ratio’s of fiber/carb options I eat on the regular are kohlrabi, celery, spinach, riced cauliflower and for fruit, blackberries, also almonds aren’t bad either!. If you are looking for a non fruit/veggy option, GG’s Scandinavian crisps have a ton of fiber and high fiber wraps
Planning and really looking at what had good ratios helped me greatly in this area and truly reduced stress. Good luck!! I bet you can get more fiber than you think during the week with planning and not supplementing. You got this!!!