According to the German Nutrition Society, adults should consume 30 grams of fiber per day through their diet*. However, the average adult consumes just 20 grams per day. Many people find it difficult to get enough fiber from their diet. To meet your fiber needs, you would need to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, for example six apples, 15 bananas or a kilogram of broccoli.
However, there are simple ways to incorporate more fiber into your daily routine without having to completely overhaul your diet. Here are three practical tips for a high-fiber diet.
What happens if I don’t consume enough fiber?
Inadequate fiber consumption can be due to high levels of processed foods, fast and unhealthy eating habits, or a lack of awareness of high-fiber foods. If you are not getting enough fiber, you may experience the following symptoms:
• Digestive problems: Fiber plays a crucial role in promoting healthy digestion. It increases stool volume and supports regular bowel movement, thus preventing constipation and irregular bowel movements. A lack of fiber can therefore lead to chronic constipation, which in turn can lead to further complications such as hemorrhoids.
• Blood sugar fluctuations: Fiber, especially soluble fiber, helps you regulate blood sugar levels. It slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, which leads to more stable blood sugar levels. With stable blood sugar levels, you can prevent cravings.
• Increased risk of cardiovascular disease: Fiber helps lower cholesterol by reducing the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine. Low fiber consumption can therefore lead to increased cholesterol levels and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
3 Tips for More Fiber in Everyday Life
Eating more fiber doesn't have to be complicated. Here are three simple ways to increase your intake in your daily life:
1. Start your day right: Why fiber should be integrated directly into breakfast
It's super easy and delicious to include fruits and vegetables as well as nuts and seeds in your breakfast. Fiber in the morning helps you to improve your digestion, control your blood sugar and prevent cravings.
Start your day with Carrot Cake Overnight Oats, for example. These already contain over 20 g of fiber, so you have already covered a third of your daily fiber requirement in the morning:
• Mix 40 g of oat flakes, 5 g of chia seeds, 5 g of flax seeds and 5 g of psyllium husks.
• Finely grate 1 carrot, mash 1 banana and add it to the dry mixture. Add 100-200 ml of water or milk of your choice.
• Place everything in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours.
• Top your Carrot Cake Overnight Oats the next day with 100 g raspberries and 10 g almond butter.
2. Simple tricks for wholesome smoothies and salads
Salads and smoothies don't fill you up for the long term? By adding fiber to them, you not only stay full for longer, but you also get all the important nutrients at the same time. Whether it's spinach, kale, nuts or berries - all of these ingredients are a great addition to smoothies and salads. To make your salad not only rich in fiber but also protein, you can easily add legumes such as lentils or beans. For smoothies , flaxseed and oatmeal are great for increasing the fiber content and at the same time keeping you full for longer.
A protein and fiber-rich salad can consist of tomatoes, leaf spinach, cucumber, avocado, artichokes, broad beans and white beans. It can be rounded off with a delicious balsamic dressing. A delicious fiber smoothie contains banana, raspberries, blueberries, protein powder, oat flakes, nuts and linseed, for example, and its variety covers all the important micro and macro nutrients.
3. Even dessert can be fibre-licious!
There are also numerous ways to incorporate fiber into desserts. You can easily enhance your dessert with fruit, vegetables or pulses. Below you will find three delicious recipes that will not only satisfy your cravings for sweets, but also perfectly round off a day full of fiber-rich food.
A high-fiber chocolate mousse consists of 70 g black beans, 80 g banana, 10 g ground almonds, ½ teaspoon cocoa powder, 10 g almond butter and 10 g dates. Then put it in a high-performance blender and enjoy your delicious dessert with 12 g of fiber.
Alternatively, you can prepare a baked apple with cinnamon and almonds . To do this, take an apple and hollow it out. Mix 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 10 g of oat flakes, 10 g of almond sticks, 10 g of raisins, 10 g of almond butter and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup together and fill the mixture into the hollowed-out apple. After it has been in the oven, you have a healthy dessert that contains 8.5 g of fiber.
A fruity alternative is chia pudding with mango and passion fruit. Simply mix 30 g of chia seeds with 200 ml of coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and place in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours. Use 100 g of mango and 25 g of passion fruit as a topping. You get a dessert in a glass with 13.6 g of fiber.
How do I fill my fiber gap?
You don't have to eat disproportionate amounts of fruit and vegetables to get your fiber needs. With a few simple tricks, you can easily meet your recommended fiber needs. Start your day with a high-fiber meal, incorporate small amounts of fruit and vegetables into your diet and replace chocolate with a high-fiber dessert.
