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Social media tells us we should be doing a lot of things \u2014 from eating more protein<\/a> (which you\u2019re probably already eating enough of, if you eat meat) to taking colostrum supplements to help boost your metabolism<\/a> (there is no proof colostrum does this). It can be hard to know what to do and what not to do for your health. But while lots of social media recommendations aren\u2019t true, there\u2019s one current fad that is actually healthy: eating more fiber.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Folks on TikTok<\/a> and Instagram frequently share ways to add more fiber<\/a> to your diet, while explaining why it\u2019s important to do so. And experts say they\u2019re right. As a society, Americans don\u2019t eat enough fiber, which is not good.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fiber is crucial<\/a> for your gut health, healthy bowel movements, blood sugar control and much more. Eating enough of it can even help lower your risk<\/a> of colorectal cancer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n So, how much fiber do you need in a healthy diet? \u201cWomen, between 19 and 50, it\u2019s recommended that they get about 25 grams of fiber [per day], and then over the age of 50, about 21 grams,\u201d said Veronica Mullins<\/a>, an associate professor in the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness at the University of Arizona. \u201cAnd men… they need 38 grams at the ages of 19 to 50, and then that goes down to about 30 grams after 50 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Older adults need less fiber because they\u2019re generally less active and lose muscle mass, \u201cso their metabolism is lower, so their total caloric intake decreases and the amount of fiber needed deceases,\u201d said Sara Elnakib<\/a>, the chair of the Department of Family and Community Health Sciences at Rutgers University in New Jersey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n And how much fiber does the average person get? Between 10 and 15 grams each day<\/a>. So, once again, not enough.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fiber comes from whole fruits and vegetables, which most people under-consume, Mullins said. Additionally, many folks turn to white flour, white bread and white rice instead of their whole-grain alternatives, and fiber is stripped when companies make these white-flour versions, said Elnakib.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cFiber is the part of the food that we don\u2019t normally digest, so humans can\u2019t digest this part of the food, and so it\u2019s often in plant-based foods,\u201d Elnakib said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There\u2019s two kinds of fiber, she explained. Soluble fiber can be dissolved in water, \u201cand basically that part of the fiber creates kind of like a gel-like substance when you eat it and it\u2019s in your gut,\u201d Elnakib said. \u201cThat actually pulls all of the cholesterol<\/a>, the fat and the sugars in your gut so they don\u2019t enter your bloodstream.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The other kind of fiber is insoluble fiber, which is \u201cthat other part of the food that we cannot digest … Think about the skin of an apple or a blueberry skin,\u201d Elnakib said. \u201cWhat they do is really just create bulk in our stool and soften our stool so that we have easier bowel movements.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n So it\u2019s important to eat enough fiber every day \u2015 and you\u2019re likely not getting the recommended amount. Below, experts share the signs that you\u2019re not eating enough fiber and explain how to add more of it to your diet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhat is fiber?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
1. You\u2019re regularly constipated. <\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n