How do I know if I'm taking too much fiber?
#361521 - 10/19/10 08:29 AM
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keke
Reged: 06/05/05
Posts: 71
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I usually have IBS-D but now I might be C. I have the same symptoms as IBS-D but I can't always go or it's solid. I'm not complaining. I like the C for now (I know I won't after awhile though).
I've started eating smaller meals throughout the day, taking the fiber 1 tsp 3x a day but I also add a tsp to meals that I think I might need them with. By doing this I've been able to add fruits and veggies (even lettuce) in small amounts. Now I feel like I eat "normal". LOL
Is it possible to have too much fiber? How would I know? I feel like what I'm doing is fine, but just want to know when (if ever) I might need to back off of the fiber. Am I making sense?
Oh and I take a pepperment cap. when I feel the meal might cause me a problem or if I've been have cramps etc. So not necessarily daily.
Thanks! I think after years of playing around with the fiber, the caps, the food portions such I'm starting to get a handle on the information and the application of the lifestyle. Kelly
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and if you're eating too much insoluble fiber you can have spasms and even diarrhea.
In general, there is no such thing as "too much" fiber in the diet - it would be very difficult to get to a number that started interfering with nutrient absorption.
If you think you are having too much, back off on the insoluble fiber first and see if that helps. And make sure you increase any soluble fiber supplement gradually.
- H
-------------------- Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I went Vegan this month, and I have always had gassy symptoms eating certain foods but never related it to IBS because it was just gas. my doctor mention that i may have it according to the symptons i was giving her since I started this diet. The diareha and constipation started when I really went total vegan. Could it be the insoluble fiber that i have been eating that really triggered it, maybe I had a small case of IBS but never really knew I had it,until the vegan diet,or can ibs come on with age etc...I like the idea of adding more white than brown, but that totally goes against the grain(no pun intended:D)to what the nutritional world has to say about white bread, rice and it high glycemic index. Any idea why a Vegan diet would make me be aware or set off IBS all of a sudden? Thanks
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Thanks Heather! I thought it wasn't possible to get too much. Especially at my level. But just wondering. Thanks again!
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Increase the SFF until you feel your pooping is stable. Some people still have other symptoms, but at the right amount of fiber it feels right! I take 2T a day and only increase during a bad spell or on vacation etc. I can tell I am at the right amount for me.
-------------------- IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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A change in a diet like that can definitely lead to digestive problems for many people! Go for the high quality foods with SF and you'll feel healthier than going for the empty calorie-sugary SF foods. You can do an all vegetable/fruit diet even if you have SF foods as a base like cooked root veggies, squash or bananas etc.
-------------------- IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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