Fiber Supplements? Please. Save yourself the trouble, poor taste and cost of stirring up one of these supplements for which you can easily eliminate the need.

So your Doc says you need more fiber…

Great! He or she is probably right. The average American eats a diet high in processed foods, from which natural dietary fiber is almost always stripped. There is a good chance a fiber supplement might be recommended to you, however, that is not the way to go about it. The problem isn’t just fiber – it’s the fact that you’re not eating natural, unadulterated foods.

Types of Fiber Supplements

Metamucil, Benefiber and the like are all pretty much the same – soluble fiber in a drinkable, powdered form. Sure, they make getting fiber easy, but not significantly easier than, say, eating an orange, which gives you a lot (5-7 grams) of fiber, plus vitamins, minerals, slow-releasing energy and deliciousness.

Fiber Source (Not too appetizing)

I don’t understand the need for fiber supplements in light of the fact that fruits and vegetables are so readily available, require little or no preparation, and taste good.

Plus, when one considers that the recommended daily intake for dietary fiber is 26 grams, one has to wonder how that can be so difficult to achieve with so many high-fiber fruits and vegetable out there. It only takes about 3 large oranges to pretty much get you there for one day. Throw in a little brown rice, broccoli and a sweet potato and you’re well above the FDA’s guidelines.

Fiber Source (How does that not look appetizing?)

But, I guess this is all easier said than done. Some people really don’t eat anything that doesn’t come out of a box or wrapper, and that’s sad. And, those are the people who would benefit the most from eating a few more apples, rather than copping out for the Benefiber.

And, let’s talk about this bogus 26 gram recommendation by the FDA; Who decided on this tiny number? I charted my dietary intake one day a year ago, and it turned out I had eaten between 130-140 grams of fiber. Why? Because I eat almost 5000 calories a day, and get all of my carbohydrates from either fruits, veggies or whole-grain products. When that’s all you eat, you get TONS of fiber. And, your body adapts and handles it just fine.

Think back to how people evolved (if you believe in Adam and Eve, leave now). They ran around in the wilderness eating leaves, roots, and whatever grew in the forest. The ONLY things they ate, aside from meat, contained TONS of fiber, and they did just fine. Imagine how much fiber you could get if you could only eat what you found in the jungle! You would get 26 grams before 8am. So, the world’s food scientists think 26 grams is all we need/can handle/should have? Please.

PLUS! We Have bonus Irony!

A fiber supplement is a processed source of fiber, meaning they remove the fiber from something to make it into the supplement. What’s ironic is that eating processed foods is the very we reason we “need” fiber supplements, and the recommended cure is consuming yet another processed foodstuff! Way to go, food scientists! Curing a problem with the problem itself!