🥕How To (Safely) Increase Your Fiber Intake...

I get asked this all the time…. “What’s the best way to get more fiber in?”

And fair enough…we talk a lot about the why of fiber (gut health, immunity, metabolism, you name it)…but very little about the how.

Because this is what most people skip…

You can absolutely overdo fiber.

Not in the long-term “oh sh*t, I ate too many lentils” way…but in the short-term my-stomach-has-become-a-wind-turbine way.

And usually it happens because someone’s gone from a low-fiber baseline (say, 10g/day) to loading up on chia puddings, psyllium muffins, and mystery green powders…all in the same day.

The intention is good, but the execution is wrong..

There is a better way to do it….

First, let’s start with the goal.

You’ll see numbers thrown around; 30g/day for women, 38g/day for men. But your ideal intake isn’t plucked from thin air.

A more personalised equation:

Body weight (kg) × 0.4–0.5 = ideal daily fiber target (g)
So if you’re 70kg, you’re aiming for 28–35g/day (at least by the way…)

The number above is intended as a baseline not the end goal at all.

But (and this is key): how you climb to that number matters just as much as the number itself.

The 5% Rule

Think of fiber like training a muscle. 

You don’t walk into a gym and deadlift double your bodyweight on day one. Same with fiber.

Instead; increase by ~5-10% of your target per day

Track your response. If bloating, cramps, or aggressive sound effects start making appearances, hold steady for a few days before bumping up again.

…and hydration is non-negotiable

This is the one everyone forgets…and it’s the reason why “fiber doesn’t work for me” is such a common refrain.

For every 5g of fiber, you need around 200ml of water.

Soluble fibers form gels which is great for satiety and gut health but terrible if they’re dehydrated and stuck somewhere along the hershey highway.

Soluble > insoluble (when scaling up)

Yes, all fiber is good in the long run. But when you're ramping up, soluble fibers are the best.

They dissolve well and they’re often fermented more slowly. 

They also don’t come with the abrasive skins, seeds, and cellulose that tend to kick up bloating when people go “all in” too fast.

So whether it’s lentils, bananas, or a soluble prebiotic supplement that mixes nicely into water, this is the easier entry point.

Timing: split it up

Your gut doesn’t love surprise parties.

Spread your fiber intake across the day. Morning and lunch are great anchor points. Loading 25g of fiber at dinner and wondering why you're fermenting like sourdough at midnight… not so ideal.

You don’t need to eat like a gorilla overnight and gobble up all the leaves in sight…you need a slow but steady nutritional nudge. And if you're someone who’s tried fiber before and felt worse…it wasn’t the fiber, it was the onboarding process.

Done right, it’s one of the lowest-risk, highest-reward upgrades you can make for your health.

But like all things that actually work…make sure you give yourself a a little patience and planning as well as the right kind of fiber to get you started.

Your gut will be joyous, perhaps not in words but in…other noisy ways.

……….

Psssst!

Btw…if you want to learn more about important aspects of health (some of which may be taboo like gut related mishaps, IBS, haemorrhoids, dodgy gut and more)…I just finished writing my second book which is now live for pre-order here:

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