Consuming too much fiber can cause diarrhea, malnutrition, dehydration, stomach cramps, and bloating. Dietitians recommend 15-30 grams of fiber daily, and more than 50 grams is considered too much. Fiber can prevent disease, detoxify the body, and lower cholesterol and blood sugar. Whole foods are unlikely to cause excessive fiber intake, but fiber supplements can be dangerous if consumed excessively.
Too much fiber can cause diarrhea and excessive bowel movements, causing the body to excrete too many vitamins and minerals. The loss of water and nutrients such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc can lead to malnutrition and dehydration. Also, too much fiber can cause stomach cramps and a bloated abdomen due to internal gas buildup. Dietitians recommend that people consume only 15 to 30 grams of fiber a day. More than 50 grams is considered too much fiber by most dietitians.
Only found in plant foods or supplements made from plants, fiber comes from vegetables, grains, beans, and fruits, especially those eaten with the skin on. Both types of fiber, water-soluble and water-insoluble, are coveted because they can prevent disease and help detoxify the body. The role of fiber is not to provide the body with nutrition, since fiber itself has no minerals or vitamins. Instead, the role of fiber is to act as a natural broom sweeping the intestines to clean out toxins and excess waste through regular intestinal release.
Constant cleansing of the digestive tract can reduce the time that poisonous substances and malicious bacteria remain in the body, thus avoiding diseases such as cancer, particularly colon cancer. In addition to cleansing the body and preventing malignant tumors, high fiber diets can lower cholesterol in the body. This reduction occurs because fiber removes digestive juices known as bile, which is made of cholesterol. The constant elimination forces the body to produce more bile by pulling more cholesterol out of the bloodstream.
Fiber can also lower blood sugar, which is helpful for people with diabetes. It does this by stopping in the digestive tract with simpler sugars, delaying the breakdown of the sugar and its entry into the bloodstream. Doctors often recommend that dieters eat simple carbohydrates with high-fiber foods to keep blood glucose balanced.
In pursuit of these benefits, many people add large amounts of complex carbohydrates to their daily diet and occasionally end up adding too much fiber. Nutritionists say it’s highly unlikely that a person who eats whole foods could consume an excessive amount of fiber, since most servings of fruits and vegetables only have between one gram and 4 grams of fiber each. Grain servings can have up to 11 grams of fiber; however, because they induce fullness quickly, nutritionists believe that most people are unlikely to consume too much fiber from the grain. However, if the body is not used to many fruits, legumes, and grains each day, it may temporarily react with gas and cramps until the digestive system is used to regular high-fiber consumption.
According to doctors, taking fiber supplements is the danger of excess. Fiber capsules and dry fiber that are sold to be added to liquids like water and fruit juice by the spoonful can easily be consumed in excess. When too much fiber is consumed through supplementation, the chance of becoming malnourished is higher because, while whole foods contain replenishing nutrients in addition to fiber, fiber supplements generally have only fiber and some preservatives. Doctors often recommend that those who take fiber supplements take vitamins regularly and limit intake to the recommended daily allowance listed on the product.
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