The Best Fiber Supplements of 2022 That Actually Work
If nutrients were The Avengers, fiber would be Jarvis.
Listen to us.
Fiber isn’t oversized like Hulk (who would be…protein?), often misunderstood like Thor (fat?), or small but mighty like Ant-Man (vitamin B-12, of course).
The fiber is soft, unshakable and somehow holds the whole team together. Just like Jarvis.
And if you decide fiber may not be important to you, then you suffer the nutritional equivalent of Age of Ultron.
Fiber (and Jarvis) are important.
You see, fiber is a type of carbohydrate that our body cannot digest. (Yes, that marks the end of our tortured Jarvis metaphor.) Although the nutrient doesn’t actually provide energy, vitamins, or minerals, fiber does have many health benefits.
Soluble fiber, which dissolves in a gel in water and is found in foods like oatmeal, nuts and beans, helps control blood sugar and may lower cholesterol. Insoluble fiber, which stays intact in water and is found in wheat, rice, and many fruits and vegetables, keeps things moving in your digestive system and prevents constipation.
Consuming enough fiber overall could reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, diverticulitis (inflammation of the small intestine common in older people), and certain cancers.
Now the bad news: only about 5% of men and 9% of women regularly consume the daily recommended amount of fiber, or about 38 grams (g) and 25 g per day, respectively. This isn’t much of a surprise considering that 90% of American adults don’t eat five fruits and vegetables (both a great source of fiber) a day.
Of course, it’s always best to get your nutrients from food. “Fiber-rich foods have additional components that provide additional gut and overall health benefits,” says Sharon Puello, RD, a certified diabetes educator based in Yonkers, New York.
“These include prebiotics, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals.” In other words: you’ll absorb far more nutrients from an apple or a bowl of lentil soup than from a scoop of fiber powder in your water.
Are fiber supplements good?
While it’s possible to get all the fiber you need from whole, plant-based foods, fiber supplements exist to fill in the gaps.
“Fiber supplements can be a great way to help get enough fiber while you learn to add more fiber from food to your diet,” says Puello.
Fiber supplements can be helpful for people with chronic diarrhea because they contain soluble fiber to draw water into your colon and thicken your stool. They may also help relieve symptoms of digestive health issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and Crohn’s disease.
What to look for in a fiber supplement.
“When looking for a fiber supplement, you want to look for one that’s free of artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners, as well as any ingredients that you might be intolerant to,” says Puello. “Ideally, you want to choose a supplement that also contains prebiotic fiber,” she says, because this type of fiber feeds the probiotic bacteria in your gut to support overall health.
And don’t overdo it. “I don’t recommend more than a quarter of your fiber from daily supplements,” says Puello. For men, it’s about nine grams.
If you’re looking for a fiber supplement to boost your daily intake, here are five we recommend.
“Sunfiber is a good, gentle option that gives you soluble fiber as well as prebiotics,” says Puello. It contains six grams of fiber per serving and contains no other ingredients. In addition, it dissolves easily in hot or cold liquid.
Just one teaspoon of Now Foods Certified Organic Inulin provides 2.5 grams of inulin, a type of soluble prebiotic fiber. Along with benefits like better digestion and a more regular toileting schedule, inulin has been shown to support a healthy gut microbiome.
Psyllium husk contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, making it a great choice if you suffer from constipation (since most supplements only contain soluble fiber, which draws in water but doesn’t sweep away the things in your digestive tract).
Organic Psyllium Herb Powder from India has 4 grams of fiber per tablespoon, and is best used blended into smoothies or mixed into oatmeal as it takes on a gummy texture in water.
Made with wheat dextrin, Benefiber contains only soluble fiber and provides three grams per two teaspoon serving. It doesn’t thicken in liquid like many other fiber supplements do, so you can add it to sauces and drinks without altering the texture.
Methylcellulose, a semi-synthetic fiber made from processed wood pulp, is a soluble fiber found in many over-the-counter supplements. It is non-fermentable, which means it is less likely to cause gas than some other types of fiber. Two caplets of Citrucel Methylcellulose with Smartfiber will give you 1 gram of fiber, and you can take up to 12 caplets per day.
Amazon
You heard about it for a reason. The psyllium fiber in Metamucil, derived from psyllium husk, can help add bulk to your stool and remove waste from your digestive tract. This product from their line has no added sugar, which is just a bonus.
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