Emily Leeming makes eating enough fiber a priority.
As a dietitian, microbiome researcher, and author of “Fiber Power,” she knows just how important the hearty stuff is for our health. It’s associated with the gut, but in reality, fiber plays many crucial roles in the body, from lowering cholesterol to keeping glucose levels in check, Leeming told Business Insider.
Fiber is found in plant foods like whole grains, beans, lentils, veggies, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Organizations including the American Heart Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommend people eat around 28 grams of fiber each day. But in the US, more than 90% of women and 97% of men do not, according to the government’s latest dietary guidelines.
“Just adding seven grams of extra fiber a day is related to a significantly lower risk of heart disease, bowel cancer, and type 2 diabetes. And that’s the same as about half a can of chickpeas,” Leeming said.
She eats 30 grams of fiber a day, which is the official recommendation in the UK, where she lives. “That’s really based on a wide body of evidence around heart and gut health,” she said. Currently, there’s a lack of consistency in studies investigating the benefits of eating higher amounts, she added.
Leeming shared what she eats in a day to hit her fiber goals.
Wholewheat quesadilla with black beans and eggs
Leeming likes a savory breakfast, and her go-to is a homemade quesadilla-style wrap.
She starts by placing the ingredients in a bowl and mixing them together. These include eggs, black beans, green onions, feta cheese, and cilantro. Black beans are particularly high in fiber, at 15 grams per cup.
Next, Leeming places a whole-wheat wrap in a pan on the stove with some butter, pours the filling on top, and folds the wrap into a semicircle. She lets it cook for a minute or so, then flips it to cook the other side.
Sesame chicken noodle salad
For lunch, Leeming might have leftover sesame chicken salad. The recipe, which features in her book, contains chicken thighs cooked in soy sauce and ginger, buckwheat (soba) noodles, cabbage, edamame beans, carrots, tahini, and sesame seeds.
One serving contains around 10 grams of fiber and 51 grams of protein, she said.
Salmon with a baked potato and broccoli
During the week, Leeming favors easy, simple cooking. For dinner, she’ll often have salmon, which is a great source of protein and healthy fats, and a baked potato with the skin left on, as it adds an extra one to two grams of fiber depending on its size.
On the side, she likes to have broccoli, spinach, and some hummus. Broccoli is one of the most fibrous vegetables with around 5 grams of fiber per cup, and hummus, which is made of chickpeas, contains almost one gram of fiber per tablespoon.
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