Last time I shared with you a snack full of fiber (found here). Therefore, this is the perfect moment to talk about fiber, what it truly is, and why do we need it. What about feeling gassy on a vegan diet?

What is fiber, and how do we benefit from it?

Dietary fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate, which means that your body cannot break down fiber in the small intestine, and therefore fiber doesn’t provide energy for the body to use. The fact that digestive enzymes cannot break down fibers means that the content in the bowel is more dilute (= the portion of carcinogens is smaller). Another good feature of fibers is that they bind bile acids, which are toxic for the bowel. Fiber also helps to lower plasma cholesterol.

In the small intestine, fiber slows down the absorption of other nutrients, which means that your blood sugar won’t spike, and you’ll feel full and satisfied for a longer period of time. Dietary fiber also relieves constipation since the fibers bind water, and increases the amount of content inside the bowel.

In a nutshell, the benefits of fiber:

• keeps you full longer
• relieves constipation
• lowers the risk to have cardiovascular disease (lowers cholesterol)
• lowers the risk to have colorectal cancer (dilutes the content in the bowel, and binds bile acids)

Which are the best sources of fiber?

We should have 25-35 grams of dietary fiber a day (recommendation in Finland). We all know that whole grain products are high in fiber but what else?

Here’s a list of some of the best products regarding fiber:
• 1 regular-sized (200g) avocado: 10 grams of fiber
• 1 regular-sized (200g) pear: 8 grams of fiber
• 0.5 cups cooked kidney beans: 8 grams of fiber
• 0.5 cups dried lentils: 7 grams of fiber
• 1 cup berries: 5 grams of fiber
• 0.5 cups rolled oats: 5 grams of fiber
• 1 slice rye bread: 4 grams of fiber

These are just some examples, any plant food will fill your daily need of fiber!

Why do people feel gassy and bloated once adopting a plant-based diet?

Plant-based diet is often very high in dietary fiber, especially when compared to a standard American diet. If the change in diet is dramatic, you may notice some uncomfortable symptoms, such as bloating and gas production. As mentioned before, fiber cannot be broken down in the small intestine. Instead, fibers move forward to the large intestine, where bacteria uses them for energy. Hence, the byproduct is gas. It’s normal to have some gas production in the large intestine, but in the beginning of adopting a fiber-rich diet, the gas production may be excessive. However, as your body adapts to the new diet, everything will normalize.

I hope you learned something new today, if you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to share them! 😊

-Jasmin ❤