Contents:
- Medical Video: What Will Happen If You Start Eating Oats Every Day
- What is the amount of fiber intake that is said to be excessive?
- What happens to the body if there is excess fiber?
- Relax, this is how to safely apply a high-fiber diet
Medical Video: What Will Happen If You Start Eating Oats Every Day
A high-fiber diet does have a myriad of health benefits, including reducing cholesterol and blood sugar and helping to lose weight. But be careful, if you consume too much fiber is also not good, it can even cause certain health problems. So, what is the safe limit for eating fiber in a day? Here's the explanation.
What is the amount of fiber intake that is said to be excessive?
Fiber is a part that cannot be digested from plants and belongs to a group of carbohydrates. You can get this fiber easily by consuming fruits, vegetables, cereals, and other high-fiber foods.
Daily fiber requirements vary based on gender, age, and pregnancy or breastfeeding status in women. Based on the Indonesian Ministry of Health Nutrition Adequacy Rate (AKG), adult women need at least 30 grams of fiber per day, whereas in adult men need more fiber intake, which is around 38 grams per day. If you are pregnant, you need to add 3 to 4 grams of added fiber to your daily diet.
Although most people actually experience a lack of fiber, still a high-fiber diet can sometimes make certain health problems if done excessively.
Reporting from the Medical News Today page, someone is said to be over fiber when consuming more than 70 grams of fiber a day. In fact, some people begin to feel uncomfortable in their stomach and experience indigestion if they have consumed more than 45 grams of fiber per day.
Maybe you do not realize if this condition is caused by a high-fiber diet that you do. Because, it's quite easy to reach 70 grams of fiber per day.
For example, you eat oatmeal at breakfast, then eat fruit or vegetables at lunch, then eat whole-grain foods at dinner. Well, this high-fiber diet can risk certain health problems.
What happens to the body if there is excess fiber?
When you experience excess fiber, the body will provide several signs and symptoms, including:
- Bloated
- Abdominal cramps
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Dehydration
- Weight loss
- Nausea
- Intestinal blockage, especially in people with Crohn's disease
When you eat fibrous foods, bowel movements tend to become heavier and faster. The more fiber you have to digest, the more intestinal movements will be and will cause gas formation in the stomach and finally symptoms of constipation appear.
A study in 2012 tested 63 participants who experienced constipation, bloating, and abdominal pain by giving certain amounts of fibrous food.
The result, participants who consumed fiber in accordance with the recommendations, actually felt no longer experiencing symptoms of digestive system disorders such as flatulence, stomach ache, to diarrhea. This proves that maintaining fiber intake as needed, no less or excessive, will have a positive impact on the digestive system.
Excess fiber also makes you vulnerable to malnutrition. Because according to Brie Turner-McGrievy, Ph.D., R.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, excess fiber in the body can interfere with the absorption of some minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and antioxidants such as beta-carotene.
Relax, this is how to safely apply a high-fiber diet
The main key to overcoming excess fiber is of course by reducing fiber intake in your diet. This is supported by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine which says that a low-fiber diet can help keep your daily fiber needs at a normal level.
If you experience excess symptoms of fiber that are classified as heavy, try to reduce fiber intake by as much as 10 grams per day until the symptoms slowly decrease. The trick is to consume wheat-based products such as bread and grains or consume cooked fruits and vegetables.
Also, fulfill your daily fluid needs. The more fiber you consume, the more fluid you need. This aims to help facilitate your digestion from the possibility of constipation.
Not only that, you are also encouraged to exercise regularly to keep your body healthy and fit. Thus, the symptoms you feel tend to decrease and you become more easily in control of your daily fiber intake.
