Happy 2020 folks! I’m starting off the new year (and new decade) right by paying more attention to my health. I had already planned to increase my folate/folic acid intake to see if it would help with my anemia.  My doctor also suggested increasing fiber intake for gastrointestinal (GI) reasons. I thought I was doing pretty well including dietary fiber, but he was adamant and even ordered an OTC fiber supplement. Who knows?  Perhaps my diet could use some tweaking. I decided to buy the fiber supplement and track my fiber intake for a few days to see where I stood. The guideline for fiber intake for women my age is 25g daily, ideally through food. Food provides more nutrients and satiety than supplements.

Food labels and CalorieKing were used for nutrition information. I started tracking on a Friday, skipped Sunday and concluded the following Tuesday. Tracking over workdays and weekend days is beneficial to see if intake is consistent even outside of the regular routine. Here’s how I did:

Day 1 – Friday

Breakfast: a smoothie with a medium banana, ½ C strawberries, ~2/3 C Greek yogurt, ~1 Tbsp chia seeds. Total: ~10g

Lunch: a quesadilla made with 2 high fiber tortillas, ½ C mashed pinto beans, ½ C salsa and a sprinkle of cilantro. Total: ~13g

Dinner: 1 C pasta with ¼ C marinara sauce, 1 C sautéed zucchini and 1 bulb fennel. Total: ~9g fiber.

Snack: satsuma Total: ~1g.

Daily Total: 33g

Day 2 – Saturday

Breakfast: same smoothie as yesterday plus ½ C kale. Total: 11g.

Lunch: Tuna and chickpea salad similar to this one and 1 slice whole wheat bread. Total: ~15g.

Snacks: 2 dates, 1.5 oz cashews, 1 satsuma orange, and a piece of a 2 ingredient (eggs and dark chocolate, 5g fiber per CalorieKing!) cake I made with Matteo. Total: 9g

Dinner: I didn’t track my fiber intake for dinner as I realized I had met my goal already. Anything past that was considered gravy.

Daily Total: 35g + whatever was in dinner

Day 3 – Monday

Breakfast: ¾ C oatmeal mixed with flaxmeal and ground almonds. This was a bit difficult to estimate as I batch cooked it and wasn’t sure how many total servings there were. I ballparked this meal at 1/6 of total fiber for 7g. Plus ½ C strawberries for 2g fiber. Total: 9g.

Snacks: pomelo and 2 small squares 70% dark chocolate Total: 5g.

Lunch: egg salad on 2 slices whole wheat bread Total: 8g

Dinner: started by mindlessly eating ~½ C cashews while trying to figure out how to make a pork loin in my pressure cooker…because I was starving. (Mindless eating not advised and that’s an excessive portion for nuts, in case anyone was wondering) Actual dinner included pork loin, 1 C egg noodles, ½ C Brussels sprouts, and 1 C mixed salad. Total ~9g.

Daily Total: ~31g

Day 4 – Tuesday

Breakfast: skipped so I had the fiber supplement Total: ~4g.

Lunch: ¼ C dried cherries and egg salad on 2 slices whole wheat bread Total: 10g.

Dinner: ½ C brown rice, 1 C coconut jerked black eyed peas  and ½ C pineapple salsa. Total: 11g.

Snacks: 2 squares dark chocolate, 1 satsuma orange, ¼ C cashews Total: 4g.

Daily Total: 29g

Note: I didn’t track Sunday as I forgot to measure quantities. Foods eaten included a soft pretzel, oatmeal with flax and crushed almonds, an air fried fish filet, some nuts, some of the 2 ingredient cake, and rice and coconut jerked black eyed peas w/pineapple salsa. Honestly, I don’t think I met the 25g for the day. I did, however, take the fiber supplement for an extra ~4g upon realizing my count would likely be short.

Increasing fiber helped regulate by GI issue quite quickly.  All in all, this exercise was a bit easier than expected as I had already planned to increase my folate/folic acid intake. Fruits, vegetables and beans are excellent sources of folate/folic acid, therefore the smoothies and beans accomplished two things. Had the sources been different, there’s a chance I would have had to rely more on the supplement if I wasn’t able to include all of these foods in my meals and snacks.

Some of my favorite (*mostly* healthful) foods are low in fiber such as soft pretzels, Splits pretzels, eggs, meats, cheese, fish and regular pasta. At times I wanted those foods instead but chose the high fiber options anyway. I will have to pay attention for days when I overindulge in lower fiber foods and see if there’s a difference in the way I feel. And…happy day! I learned that dark chocolate contains a healthy dose of fiber, which is great news for a chocoholic like myself!

Looking ahead, I would like to get into the habit of making a few smoothie bags for the week to keep in the fridge as smoothies added quite a good dose of fiber in the morning. Also adding more vegetarian meals would help as beans and lentils are versatile, affordable protein sources that can be batch cooked. For a while, I regularly ate eggs and one slice of toast for breakfast, which only provides 4g of fiber, which is low for a meal. As you can see, even dietitians slip up and have to go back to the basics from time to time. I should probably do this again in a month as I will likely be eating out more often. Recently we have been eating at home to make up for all the crazy holiday diet choices.

Dietary fiber needs vary according to sex and age. Consuming adequate fiber is very important to maintain cardiovascular and GI health, help regulate blood glucose, and assist with weight loss and maintenance. If you’d like to take a look at your fiber needs and intake to improve your health status for any reason, reach out!