I’ve jumped back on the healthy eating bandwagon again and I have an awesome little program on my PDA that allows me to keep track of the food that I eat. It even breaks it down into carbs, protein, fiber, fat, and saturated fat. Well, I’ve noticed something. The USDA recommended daily amount of fiber is 25g per day. Well, I’m averaging about 70g per day. Yes, that is right. 70g per day.
My breakfast is usually a bowl of grandpa cereal (Kellogg’s All Bran) where I get my daily fiber amount in one bowl. I eat fresh fruit and veggies all day long. Every grain that I put in my mouth is whole wheat if possible.
Is there any bad consequences of eating this much fiber (OK, I know I’m opening myself up for a thousand poop jokes because of that) or am I safe from every having to worry about constipation ever again?
Yes. Too much fibre will limit the absorption of minerals and other nutrients by speeding the transit of food thru the GI tract. It can also cause intestinal discomfort and abdominal distension.
The solution of going on a fibre rich diet is to intoduce it gradually and drink lots of liquids to soften up the fibre as it travels thru the GI tract.
If you’re not having regular abdominal distention and abdominal pain, I wouldn’t worry about it.
a funny story… a friend of mine did his first IM last year. his coach had him drink ensure before big workouts for breakfast. when it came to IM he bought ensure with fiber by accident, had 3 of them, and had the runs so bad he stopped at every porta-potty on the run… poor bastard. I couldn’t help but laugh about it!! He did finish! Now that’s a tough triathlete!!