Megan Rossi is serious about fiber.
The dietitian and gut health scientist based at King’s College London estimates that she eats between 50 and 60 grams of the hearty stuff every day.
“It sounds like a lot, but our ancestors used to have 100 grams of fiber a day,” Rossi told Business Insider.
Fiber is found in plant foods like fruits and veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. It plays many crucial roles in the body, including feeding the trillions of “good” microbes living in the colon lining, which make up part of the gut microbiome and influence overall health.
“Fiber is beneficial because it doesn’t feed the human part of us. It feeds the bacterial part of us. And when the bacteria eat the fiber, they produce all these amazing chemicals which help things like our mental health, keep our gut lining strong, regulate our appetite, our hormone balance,” Rossi said.
Although the dietary guideline in the UK, where Rossi lives, is 30 grams of fiber daily, she aims for 50 grams because evidence suggests this amount could improve mood, although more research is needed.
As awareness of fiber’s role in balancing blood sugar, supporting the gut microbiome, and helping prevent chronic diseases, including colon cancer, has risen, fiber-maxxing — increasing how much fiber you eat — has taken off online. But experts have long encouraged people to eat more fiber, gradually increasing the amounts to help prevent bloating, gas, and abdominal pain.
Rossi doesn’t find it difficult to achieve her goal. “It’s not that hard if you’re thinking every meal, ‘OK, where am I getting my fiber from?'” she said.
Here’s how she packs 50 grams of fiber into her day.
Fiber-maxxing at breakfast
Rossi’s breakfast typically contains around 18 grams of fiber. She regularly makes fermented overnight oats, which involves soaking oats in kefir, a fermented milk drink that contains live bacteria, instead of regular milk.
“What happens is, the bacteria start to ferment it down, and actually produce organic acids and beneficial chemicals,” she said of the kefir-soaked oats.
She recommends adding mixed seeds, carrot, mashed banana, and walnuts to the oat mix.
Super Six for lunch
Lunch is typically a “throw-together bowl,” containing at least one of the six different plant-based food groups, or what Rossi calls “the Super Six””
- Fruit
- Veggies
- Legumes, such as beans or chickpeas
- Wholegrains, such as bulgur wheat or oats
- Nuts and seeds
- Herbs and spices
Once a week, Rossi preps a batch of cooked mixed grains like quinoa and buckwheat. A typical lunch bowl will contain the prepped grains, canned beans, nuts and seeds, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a dollop of yogurt.
A fiber-packed smoothie break
As an afternoon snack, Rossi makes a fruit and vegetable-forward smoothie, which “is a really easy way to get an extra 10 grams of fiber, if not more,” she said.
She leans heavily on frozen produce, often using cauliflower, berries, kale, mango, or pineapple, and always includes some fresh cucumber and carrot. She also adds yogurt or kefir, some regular milk, and a bit of oat milk.
To balance out the higher sugar content of the fruit, Rossi makes sure she adds two vegetables for every one type of fruit, she said.
A simple stir-fry for dinner
Rossi typically has a stir-fry for dinner. To keep things interesting, she changes up the seasoning by using different herbs, spices, and sauces.
“You just change the flavors, have oregano instead of smoky paprika,” she said.
The stir-fry base is always a protein source, plus mixed vegetables and a legume, she said.
After dinner, Rossi likes to have frozen berries with kefir as a sweet treat. “I kind of whip it together like a little ice cream,” she said.
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