Digestive Health Irritable Bowel Syndrome Nutrition How to Add Fiber to Your Diet By Barbara Bolen, PhD Barbara Bolen, PhD Twitter Barbara Bolen, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and health coach. She has written multiple books focused on living with irritable bowel syndrome. Learn about our editorial process Updated on December 24, 2021 Medically reviewed by Robert Burakoff, MD, MPH Medically reviewed by Robert Burakoff, MD, MPH LinkedIn Robert Burakoff, MD, MPH, is board-certified in gastroentrology. He is the vice chair for ambulatory services for the department of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, where he is also a professor. He was the founding editor and co-editor in chief of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Fact checked by Nick Blackmer Fact checked by Nick Blackmer LinkedIn Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact-checker, and researcher with more than 20 years’ experience in consumer-oriented health and wellness content. Learn about our editorial process Print You might see those lists of high fiber foods and think, “How am I supposed to remember what is high in fiber and what isn’t?” In the spirit of simplicity, we offer four basic guidelines that you can use every day to begin to increase your intake of dietary fiber. Karen Shuld / Getty Images Go Green And orange, red and white for that matter. You may think you eat a fair amount of vegetables, but do you tend to eat the same ones—broccoli, carrots, and peppers? Vegetables are a wonderful source of fiber. The more the variety, the better the mix of soluble and insoluble fiber, both of which help to keep stool firm, yet soft. This encourages a better rhythm of elimination. Branch out and explore vegetables like artichokes, kale, chard, collards, and the many types of beans. Vegetable soups are an excellent way to experience new types of vegetables in a familiar way. Switch to Spring Mix The typical American salad of a hunk of iceberg lettuce with a few shavings of carrots and a couple of sliced tomatoes is a bit of a fiber wasteland. Changes in food packaging have made the luxury of a salad mix an affordable option. In addition to containing more fiber than iceberg lettuce, a spring mix of lettuces and other leafy greens offers a more natural mix of soluble and insoluble fiber. Have Fruit With Every Meal Think beyond having half a grapefruit with breakfast. Like you will be doing with vegetables, go for variety in type and color when it comes to choosing fruit. Experiment with a tropical fruit salad of mango, papaya, kiwi, and pineapple. Mix frozen berries in with your cereal or smoothie. Dried fruit is an easy, delicious and portable snack (but keep your portions small due to the higher sugar level). Cook up some pears or apples as a side dish with dinner, or as a delectable dessert. Get to Know Some Helpful Seeds Flaxseed are the seeds of the flax plant. When ground, flaxseed provides a wonderful mix of soluble and insoluble fiber. It is also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which appear to be helpful in reducing inflammation. All you need is a small coffee grinder and a few seconds to grind up some flaxseed. Flaxseed has a pleasant, nutty flavor which tastes great when sprinkled over cereal. Ground flaxseed can also be added to baked goods and smoothies, adding fiber without affecting taste. It is important to drink a glass of water when eating flaxseed. Water swells and softens the ground seeds, a process that adds bulk and softness to the stool and therefore offers the potential to be helpful for both diarrhea and constipation problems. Chia seeds are the seeds of that plant made famous by the novelty item, the Chia Pet. Chia seeds do not need to be ground before use but should be presoaked for optimal digestion. Chia seeds are also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids as well as a good source of fiber. You can easily add chia seeds to smoothies, make them into a pudding, or sprinkle them on salads. Note: If you have IBS, there is no need to be afraid of fiber! Just be sure to add more fiber gradually so as to reduce your risk of experiencing increased gas and bloating. You may also find that you do better with foods containing soluble fiber, rather than those containing insoluble fiber. 4 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Lovegrove A, Edwards CH, De Noni I, et al. Role of polysaccharides in food, digestion, and health. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017;57(2):237-253. doi:10.1080/10408398.2014.939263 Parikh M, Netticadan T, Pierce GN. Flaxseed: its bioactive components and their cardiovascular benefits. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2018;314(2):H146-H159. doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00400.2017 Kulczyński B, Kobus-Cisowska J, Taczanowski M, Kmiecik D, Gramza-Michałowska A. The chemical composition and nutritional value of chia seeds—current state of knowledge. Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1242. doi:10.3390/nu11061242 El-Salhy M, Ystad SO, Mazzawi T, Gundersen D. Dietary fiber in irritable bowel syndrome (review). Int J Mol Med. 2017;40(3):607-613. doi:10.3892/ijmm.2017.3072 By Barbara Bolen, PhD Barbara Bolen, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and health coach. She has written multiple books focused on living with irritable bowel syndrome. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? 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