Why Fiber? · Boys Fart

The numbers

The USDA recommends that adult men eat about 38 grams of fiber a day, and adult women about 25.[1] Most American adults eat around 15. Half of us do not even hit half the target.[2]

A persistent fiber deficit is linked to a longer, unfunnier list of things than most people realize. Higher cholesterol. Worse blood sugar regulation. Slower gut transit. Less microbial diversity. More inflammation.[3] A measurably higher lifetime risk of colorectal cancer.[4] None of this is a fringe claim, it is on the back of every public-health fact sheet that mentions diet.

 

Why it matters

Fiber is the cheapest, simplest, highest-leverage health intervention available to an American adult.

Beans cost two dollars a can. Lentils are cheaper. Oats are dirt cheap. A bag of frozen raspberries contains more fiber than a serving of most protein powders. None of the food that actually moves the number is premium or expensive.

 

What we would like you to actually do

Four things.

  1. Get closer to 30 grams a day. Count for a week to see what that looks like on a plate, then stop counting and eat accordingly.

  2. Start with beans, oats, and fruit with the skins on. These are the highest-fiber foods at a normal grocery budget. Black beans, chickpeas, old-fashioned oats, pears, apples, raspberries, popcorn.

  3. Read the label on anything with a "high fiber" claim on the front. Most bars contain about as much fiber as an apple. An apple is cheaper and more honest.

  4. Do not overthink it. You are not joining a diet. You are eating more beans.


 

 

[1] Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Examination of Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols; Wartella EA, Lichtenstein AH, Boon CS, editors. Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols: Phase I Report. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2010. 4, Overview of Health and Diet in America. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209844/

[2] Reynolds, A., Mann, J., Cummings, J., Winter, N., Mete, E., & Te Morenga, L. (2019). Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Lancet (London, England), 393(10170), 434–445. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9

[3] Anderson, J. W., Baird, P., Davis, R. H., Jr, Ferreri, S., Knudtson, M., Koraym, A., Waters, V., & Williams, C. L. (2009). Health benefits of dietary fiber. Nutrition reviews, 67(4), 188–205. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00189.x

[4] World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research. Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Colorectal Cancer. Continuous Update Project Expert Report, most recent edition.