2025 might need been a banner 12 months for proteinmaxxing, however development forecasters predict that 2026 will pivot to all issues fiber. In contrast to many vitamin tendencies and social media hype, that is really a superb factor. “Fiber is without doubt one of the most missed areas of our weight-reduction plan, and but most People are poor,” says Sarah Greenfield, MS, RD, a dietitian specializing in intestine well being and the founding father of Fearless Fig. Actually, an estimated 95 p.c of adults within the US don’t get sufficient of the digestion-regulating, blood sugar-balancing, satiety-promoting nutrient each day.
If it’s in your radar to extend your consumption—and clearly it must be for many of us—is there an excellent time of day to eat fiber? (Spoiler alert: sure, no, perhaps so.)
Is There a “Greatest” Time of Day to Eat Fiber?
As a substitute of specializing in when to eat the majority of your fiber meals or dietary supplements, it is best to actually ensure you’re getting sufficient fiber each day, which is about 25 grams for ladies and 38 grams for males, per the USDA.
So far as timing goes, Greenfield says it is best to area your fiber consumption all through the day. That’s as a result of an excessive amount of fiber without delay can put added pressure in your digestive system. “The easiest way to include that into your weight-reduction plan is to intention for 10 grams of fiber per meal,” says Greenfield.
Once more, it’s finest to get your fiber intermittently from morning via night time. But in the event you’re developing brief on grams at meals and snacks—and also you maybe wish to add extra fiber-rich meals or perhaps a fiber complement like Flatter Me Fiber into your rotation—you may strategically time these “boosts” relying on sure targets and issues.
For example:
Very first thing within the morning
As a substitute of choosing a candy breakfast with restricted vitamins, intention to get a properly rounded meal. “I prefer to give attention to fiber, fats, and protein at every meal to assist stabilize blood sugar,” says Greenfield. “Fiber is a good way to create a extra steady blood sugar response.” Getting fiber within the a.m. received’t solely promote steady power ranges but additionally satiety and digestive regularity all through the day.
Earlier than meals (or as snacks)
Attempting to handle your weight? Boosting your fiber consumption earlier than your primary meals could assist with portion management. Nonetheless, this timing hack isn’t simply restricted to mealtimes. Greenfield suggests leaning on a high-fiber snack in anticipation of (or as a response to) each time cravings hit. Stable fiber meals as filling snacks embrace:
- Apple slices with peanut butter
- Avocado toast on whole-grain bread
- Crudités with hummus
- Chia pudding
- Excessive-fiber power balls (product of oats, dates, and flaxseed)
Within the night
In case you’re a power late-night snacker like me, consuming fiber meals within the night will help tame down your midnight cravings. However that’s not all.
This strategic timing will help out anybody who offers with tummy troubles on account of the nutrient. “In the event you expertise discomfort after consuming fiber, it could be finest to get larger fiber earlier than bedtime,” says Greenfield. “That means, you may course of it while you’re sleeping and if you’re experiencing distention, it received’t be as bothersome while you’re sleeping.” (Bonus: Upping your fiber consumption at night time simply may set you up for a satisfying bowel motion by morning.)
The Takeaway
Earlier than you begin interested by optimizing the timing of your fiber consumption, the first aim must be to work your means in direction of getting sufficient each day. And in the event you’re at the moment on a low-fiber weight-reduction plan, you’ll wish to be strategic about growing how a lot you get.
“In case you are not used to having excessive quantities of fiber in your weight-reduction plan, it’s best to start out sluggish and enhance slowly,” says Greenfield. “An excessive amount of fiber can create bloating and discomfort, so slowly growing it’s best.” (For instance, you may monitor your present fiber consumption and attempt to enhance it by a couple of grams for every week or two earlier than doubling that.) That stated, extra fiber certainly doesn’t imply you’re doomed for digestive misery as your gram rely tendencies upward. “All of it comes all the way down to how a lot your physique can tolerate and the way environment friendly your digestion is,” Greenfield continues.
Lastly, Greenfield suggests attempting to get the majority of the vitamins via entire, fiber-rich meals as finest you may. Nice sources of fiber embrace fruits (raspberries, pears, apples), greens (peas, broccoli, Brussels sprouts), grains (whole-wheat spaghetti, barley, quinoa), and legumes and seeds (lentils, beans, chia seeds). However in the event you’re nonetheless developing brief, she says that fiber dietary supplements—together with Flatter Me Fiber, with 10 grams of prebiotic fiber per serving, plus digestive enzymes to assist digestion and bypass bloating—are a good way to extend fiber with ease. “Simply bear in mind to go sluggish with it,” she says. And don’t overlook to extend your water consumption as properly to maintain *issues* shifting alongside.
