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Let's talk about dietary fiber in plain terms: the difference between soluble (fermentable) and insoluble fibers, how soluble fiber feeds gut microbes to produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids, and why insoluble fiber adds bulk to ease transit. We'll also briefly discuss how FOS/GOS and inulin fit into the picture.
Practical takeaways include aiming for about 25–30+ g/day from whole plant foods, using psyllium as a balanced supplement option, increasing fiber slowly to avoid discomfort, and seeking specialized care for those with GI conditions, since more fiber isn't appropriate for everyone.
Resources- The Gut/Brain/Immune System and Non-Nutritive Sweeteners class mentioned in this episode
- The 2026 Supplement Deep Dive Wait List
Thanks for listening.
I'd love to hear from you. Leave me a voicemail with feedback or submit a question (click the pink "Send Camille a Message" button on the side of the page) 💚
Camille's Helpful Links for Practitioners
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00:00:00.017 --> 00:00:03.997
Hi there. Welcome to In the Clinic with Camille. My name is Camille Freeman.
00:00:04.217 --> 00:00:05.657
I'm an herbalist and nutritionist.
00:00:05.917 --> 00:00:10.017
And in this podcast, I share little tips and tidbits that might be helpful for other practitioners.
00:00:10.737 --> 00:00:15.697
So earlier this week, I taught a class about the gut-brain-nervous system connection
00:00:15.697 --> 00:00:17.877
and non-nutritive sweeteners.
00:00:18.357 --> 00:00:22.437
And we had a lot of questions towards the end of the class. And I realized after
00:00:22.437 --> 00:00:27.237
the question and answer session ended that a couple of people had put in the
00:00:27.237 --> 00:00:29.637
chat some questions about fiber
00:00:29.637 --> 00:00:33.717
and what types of fiber specifically are supportive of the gut microbiome.
00:00:34.037 --> 00:00:38.617
So I thought I would answer that question here for folks who maybe didn't get
00:00:38.617 --> 00:00:43.057
to come to the class but are still interested in this topic and just to supplement the class itself.
00:00:43.237 --> 00:00:48.897
So let's just talk about fiber very briefly. Now, this is just a very short synopsis.
00:00:48.997 --> 00:00:52.837
This is a nuanced topic. I could probably do a whole class for an hour and a
00:00:52.837 --> 00:00:55.697
half on fiber, and maybe I will sometime. I don't know if you're interested.
00:00:55.897 --> 00:01:01.757
Let me know. But for right now, I just want to go over some bird's eye view, big picture things.
00:01:02.237 --> 00:01:06.737
All right, so what is dietary fiber? Dietary fiber is carbohydrates and lignans,
00:01:06.817 --> 00:01:11.157
but mostly carbohydrates that do not get digested in the stomach and small intestine
00:01:11.157 --> 00:01:14.017
and that make their way into the colon.
00:01:14.237 --> 00:01:18.597
These typically come from plants, And as you probably know, carbohydrates are
00:01:18.597 --> 00:01:23.037
just long chains of individual sugar molecules stuck together.
00:01:23.437 --> 00:01:27.757
Okay, so the recommendation for adult humans is that we get,
00:01:27.917 --> 00:01:32.837
depending on who you're asking, somewhere in the 20 to 35 or more grams per day.
00:01:33.317 --> 00:01:36.497
Most Americans are getting substantially less than that.
00:01:36.657 --> 00:01:41.037
I believe the average is something in the 12 to 15 grams per day range,
00:01:41.037 --> 00:01:43.877
and a lot of people are getting much less than that.
00:01:44.636 --> 00:01:49.256
One of the things that muddies the waters a little bit when it comes to fiber
00:01:49.256 --> 00:01:51.296
is soluble versus insoluble.
00:01:51.576 --> 00:01:56.956
And this is a little unfortunate because it's based on the chemistry of the
00:01:56.956 --> 00:02:01.316
fibers, but I think it just confuses people when they're thinking about fiber,
00:02:01.396 --> 00:02:04.256
and it makes it a little bit more complex than it has to be.
00:02:04.576 --> 00:02:08.676
So soluble fiber is fiber that dissolves in water.
00:02:08.936 --> 00:02:13.196
This means it has a viscous feel to it, generally speaking.
00:02:13.196 --> 00:02:16.456
This includes things like pectins and gums you're
00:02:16.456 --> 00:02:20.096
going to find this type of fiber in oats beans
00:02:20.096 --> 00:02:24.456
apples citrus fruits a lot of things like that and the reason that they dissolve
00:02:24.456 --> 00:02:27.596
in the water is that they have these they're these long chains of carbohydrates
00:02:27.596 --> 00:02:31.596
but instead of being one big straight chain it's a bunch of branching chains
00:02:31.596 --> 00:02:36.456
off of sort of a central one and they have groups on the end that are hydrophilic
00:02:36.456 --> 00:02:39.676
meaning they're water loving so they form kind of a slime a little bit.
00:02:40.176 --> 00:02:43.796
All right, so that's soluble. And you can think about it. They're soluble, they dissolve in water.
00:02:44.556 --> 00:02:50.596
Insoluble fibers are not water soluble. They add bulk, they speed to transit.
00:02:50.796 --> 00:02:52.556
This is things like cellulose and lignin.
00:02:53.076 --> 00:02:58.736
And the reason that they add bulk is because they don't dissolve in water, but they absorb water.
00:02:59.196 --> 00:03:03.156
So when the fiber moves through your digestive tract, it's pulling water towards
00:03:03.156 --> 00:03:05.456
it, and it's bulking up the stool.
00:03:05.796 --> 00:03:09.676
Now, this is great. Both of these are great things. We'll talk about why in a moment.
00:03:09.956 --> 00:03:17.716
And most plants or plant foods, plant-based foods, have a mix of both soluble and insoluble.
00:03:17.876 --> 00:03:21.036
So you'll hear like, oh, apples are rich in pectin, which is soluble.
00:03:21.216 --> 00:03:24.636
Yes, it is. That is true. But they also have some insoluble fiber.
00:03:24.776 --> 00:03:28.996
So we can't really categorize foods as soluble or insoluble because,
00:03:29.316 --> 00:03:31.476
like many things, they are complex.
00:03:31.696 --> 00:03:35.956
They have a bunch of constituents. And generally speaking, most of our plant
00:03:35.956 --> 00:03:40.256
foods have some soluble, some insoluble, maybe just more or less of one or the other.
00:03:40.963 --> 00:03:47.423
Okay, so in the colon, the soluble fiber, the type that is viscous and dissolves
00:03:47.423 --> 00:03:49.363
in the water, is fermentable.
00:03:49.523 --> 00:03:54.183
What that means is we can't digest it ourselves in terms of the stomach,
00:03:54.363 --> 00:03:57.103
the small intestine, it's not getting absorbed, and so forth.
00:03:57.223 --> 00:04:02.743
But when it gets down into the colon, where most of our gut flora live,
00:04:03.063 --> 00:04:05.203
they can eat this type of fiber.
00:04:05.583 --> 00:04:10.083
That's what we mean when we say fermentable. That means these gut flora are,
00:04:10.083 --> 00:04:14.263
quote, digesting this fiber, and that's the process of fermentation.
00:04:14.683 --> 00:04:20.043
And when they do that, they produce gases and they produce short-chain fatty acids.
00:04:20.243 --> 00:04:26.263
So when they eat the soluble fiber, they make gas, they make short-chain fatty acids.
00:04:26.643 --> 00:04:31.143
The short-chain fatty acids are quite good for health. The gas can be a little
00:04:31.143 --> 00:04:34.443
bit problematic depending on your tolerance. We'll talk about that in a second.
00:04:35.383 --> 00:04:39.023
Insoluble fiber, the bacteria that live in our gut and the other flora that
00:04:39.023 --> 00:04:44.323
live in the gut, they don't generally have the enzymes that break down the insoluble fiber.
00:04:44.663 --> 00:04:47.683
So they mostly pass through the colon unchanged.
00:04:48.423 --> 00:04:52.663
However, they do have this benefit of providing bulk. So really helpful for
00:04:52.663 --> 00:04:57.003
constipation and that sort of thing, right? Hopefully that makes sense.
00:04:57.163 --> 00:04:58.343
So they both have benefits.
00:04:58.583 --> 00:05:03.523
The soluble fiber are acting as prebiotics. They're feeding the gut flora.
00:05:03.783 --> 00:05:08.303
The insoluble fiber is bulking up the stool, making it easier to pass,
00:05:08.443 --> 00:05:10.983
preventing or treating constipation, and so forth.
00:05:11.523 --> 00:05:16.943
All right, so our soluble fiber has the benefits of doing things like lowering
00:05:16.943 --> 00:05:18.983
cholesterol, stabilizing blood sugar,
00:05:19.463 --> 00:05:24.843
supporting the healthy bacteria and other flora that live in the gut and suppressing
00:05:24.843 --> 00:05:27.723
the potentially pathogenic bacteria that.
00:05:28.801 --> 00:05:33.541
Normalizing immune function, regulating the gut-brain-nervous system axis, and so forth.
00:05:33.621 --> 00:05:38.141
And it does all of that via increasing the amount of short-chain fatty acids.
00:05:38.361 --> 00:05:43.461
So you need the soluble fiber that gets, quote, digested or fermented by the
00:05:43.461 --> 00:05:49.481
gut flora and produces short-chain fatty acids, which then have systemic effects that are helpful.
00:05:49.841 --> 00:05:54.161
They also have local effects that are helpful within the digestive tract themselves. Okay?
00:05:54.801 --> 00:05:59.461
So how do we get fiber? How do we advise clients about getting fiber and that sort of thing?
00:05:59.801 --> 00:06:04.061
Well, first of all, the main thing is just getting plenty of whole plant foods.
00:06:04.201 --> 00:06:08.141
So this would be things like whole grains, nuts, fruits and veggies, that sort of thing.
00:06:08.361 --> 00:06:11.501
It's pretty easy to look at what somebody's eating for a few days and get a
00:06:11.501 --> 00:06:16.381
feel for if they are in the appropriate range of fiber intake or not,
00:06:16.401 --> 00:06:19.021
but it can be helpful to track for a few days.
00:06:19.021 --> 00:06:24.421
If not, I'm really looking for something in the range of 25 to 30 or more grams
00:06:24.421 --> 00:06:26.081
of fiber overall per day.
00:06:26.974 --> 00:06:30.774
If somebody is not able to get that amount of fiber in their diet,
00:06:30.774 --> 00:06:36.154
or for whatever reason, a supplement seems like it might be a better choice,
00:06:36.154 --> 00:06:39.294
a lot of times psyllium is my go-to.
00:06:39.614 --> 00:06:44.094
And the reason that psyllium, I find, is a really optimal choice is because
00:06:44.094 --> 00:06:47.594
it has a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber.
00:06:47.994 --> 00:06:50.994
So it's mostly soluble. And remember,
00:06:51.094 --> 00:06:55.834
the soluble form of fiber is what is feeding the healthy gut flora.
00:06:56.554 --> 00:07:00.274
Okay, so I really like psyllium as a first choice for people.
00:07:00.574 --> 00:07:05.954
If somebody is primarily struggling with constipation, then sometimes you'll
00:07:05.954 --> 00:07:12.174
see supplements like wheat bran or cellulose, etc., that are more insoluble.
00:07:12.594 --> 00:07:17.194
However, I find that even when somebody is having constipation,
00:07:17.534 --> 00:07:21.334
the psyllium is going to provide some insoluble fibers and some bulking.
00:07:21.334 --> 00:07:27.014
So I find that it's a nice, happy medium for both. Now, you have probably heard
00:07:27.014 --> 00:07:35.074
about other types of prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharides and so forth, inulin, etc.
00:07:35.574 --> 00:07:42.134
These are also constituents of plants, and they are technically considered fiber.
00:07:42.134 --> 00:07:47.694
An oligosaccharide is basically a smaller chain of a bunch of sugars put together.
00:07:47.954 --> 00:07:52.614
So often we wouldn't think of it as a fiber. However, in terms of the action
00:07:52.614 --> 00:07:54.894
in the body, they are counted as fibers.
00:07:55.114 --> 00:07:59.854
So things like FOS, GOS, inulin, these are technically considered fibers.
00:08:00.054 --> 00:08:03.154
They are not broken down in the small intestine. We don't.
00:08:03.910 --> 00:08:07.050
Individually as humans digest them, but when they get into the colon,
00:08:07.270 --> 00:08:09.010
our gut flora can digest them.
00:08:09.310 --> 00:08:13.770
They are fermented just like some of the other fibers we were talking about before.
00:08:14.030 --> 00:08:18.910
Now, the reason that you aren't usually going to see like a fiber powder that's
00:08:18.910 --> 00:08:24.130
entirely made of FOS or inulin is because these types of fibers are,
00:08:24.250 --> 00:08:26.530
because they're shorter and smaller,
00:08:26.810 --> 00:08:30.950
they are fermented or digested by the gut flora very quickly.
00:08:31.250 --> 00:08:37.690
And they therefore produce a high level of gas, which for a lot of people can
00:08:37.690 --> 00:08:40.750
be uncomfortable, can cause some bloating, can cause some discomfort,
00:08:40.950 --> 00:08:42.750
some cramping, and that sort of thing.
00:08:42.930 --> 00:08:47.070
So these ones, while they are technically fibers and they are prebiotics in
00:08:47.070 --> 00:08:52.550
that they are feeding the healthy, beneficial gut flora, we generally do better
00:08:52.550 --> 00:08:54.030
with them in smaller amounts.
00:08:54.190 --> 00:08:57.510
And of course, we have some people, such as those with IBS and other types of
00:08:57.510 --> 00:09:03.330
digestive issues, where they may do better of whitting them mostly or entirely.
00:09:04.710 --> 00:09:07.890
So they're more rapidly fermented, they produce more gas, and so forth.
00:09:08.070 --> 00:09:12.590
So a few last things I'll say to you about fiber is that if somebody is starting
00:09:12.590 --> 00:09:17.250
from a low fiber situation, we want to build up really, really slowly.
00:09:17.750 --> 00:09:22.430
We want to start with just a small increase. We don't want to go immediately
00:09:22.430 --> 00:09:27.050
from 10 grams of fiber a day to 25, because what will happen is that person
00:09:27.050 --> 00:09:30.310
will have cramping, they'll have diarrhea, they will not be happy with you.
00:09:30.530 --> 00:09:36.630
So the recommendation that I provide for you as a practitioner is to gradually increase.
00:09:36.790 --> 00:09:42.250
My standard recommendation is let's add one or two servings of fruits and vegetables
00:09:42.250 --> 00:09:46.830
per day for a few weeks and then slowly go up from there.
00:09:46.870 --> 00:09:50.650
And if you need a supplement, same thing, start with a very small dose of the
00:09:50.650 --> 00:09:54.030
supplement and gradually build up from that point.
00:09:54.836 --> 00:09:58.016
We're not going to get into full contraindications, but I do like to mention
00:09:58.016 --> 00:10:02.736
that there are certain situations where fiber supplementation is not possible
00:10:02.736 --> 00:10:08.716
or not optimal, and perhaps we'll get into that in another podcast episode.
00:10:08.816 --> 00:10:13.136
But for right now, let's just say that these recommendations are for the general
00:10:13.136 --> 00:10:19.496
population who do not have any major digestive-related conditions.
00:10:19.496 --> 00:10:23.816
And if somebody does have something like diverticulitis, diverticulosis,
00:10:23.996 --> 00:10:28.936
any kind of surgery, Crohn's disease, etc., you may need to think more carefully.
00:10:28.936 --> 00:10:31.396
You want to have specialized training, make sure that you know what you're doing.
00:10:31.556 --> 00:10:36.436
This is just for the average person without any serious GI-related symptoms.
00:10:36.868 --> 00:10:42.128
Diagnoses. Okay, so I hope that helps clear up the differences between soluble
00:10:42.128 --> 00:10:47.648
and insoluble fiber and how they may or may not affect the gut flora.
00:10:47.848 --> 00:10:56.248
Just as a recap, soluble fiber serves as food for our healthy, beneficial gut flora.
00:10:56.908 --> 00:11:01.328
Insoluble fiber does not seem to directly impact the gut flora,
00:11:01.328 --> 00:11:06.808
but it does impact digestion by bulking up the stool, making it easier to pass,
00:11:06.968 --> 00:11:11.148
and therefore it probably has indirect effects on the gut flora.
00:11:11.548 --> 00:11:15.048
Okay, I hope that's clear. If you have any questions, let me know.
00:11:15.248 --> 00:11:20.128
And lastly, if you're interested in all this, the ins and outs of supplementation
00:11:20.128 --> 00:11:25.568
and things like that, next year in 2026, I am doing a supplement deep dive.
00:11:25.568 --> 00:11:30.588
This is one continuing education class per month for practitioners.
00:11:31.448 --> 00:11:37.168
You can sign up and get on the wait list if you go to camillefreeman.com slash supplement soon.
00:11:37.768 --> 00:11:40.288
And you can see all the different topics that we're going to be covering.
00:11:40.468 --> 00:11:43.548
You can get on the wait list, which also includes a special discount when the
00:11:43.548 --> 00:11:44.768
course opens in January.
00:11:45.508 --> 00:11:48.948
I'd love to have you there. We're going to do some really interesting topics
00:11:48.948 --> 00:11:53.288
and just learn more about how to advise clients about some of the different
00:11:53.288 --> 00:11:54.468
supplements that are on the market,
00:11:54.688 --> 00:11:59.008
including fad supplements, as well as some of the more standard ones that many
00:11:59.008 --> 00:12:01.328
clients are taking, but maybe not in appropriate doses,
00:12:01.588 --> 00:12:04.188
in appropriate forms, and maybe not for the appropriate reasons.
00:12:04.968 --> 00:12:08.348
So we're going to talk about all of that next year. I'd love for you to join us.
00:12:08.648 --> 00:12:11.888
If you have questions, please reach out to me anytime. I'd love to hear from
00:12:11.888 --> 00:12:14.388
you. Otherwise, I hope you have a lovely rest of your day.
00:00:00.017 --> 00:00:03.997
Hi there. Welcome to In the Clinic with Camille. My name is Camille Freeman.
00:00:04.217 --> 00:00:05.657
I'm an herbalist and nutritionist.
00:00:05.917 --> 00:00:10.017
And in this podcast, I share little tips and tidbits that might be helpful for other practitioners.
00:00:10.737 --> 00:00:15.697
So earlier this week, I taught a class about the gut-brain-nervous system connection
00:00:15.697 --> 00:00:17.877
and non-nutritive sweeteners.
00:00:18.357 --> 00:00:22.437
And we had a lot of questions towards the end of the class. And I realized after
00:00:22.437 --> 00:00:27.237
the question and answer session ended that a couple of people had put in the
00:00:27.237 --> 00:00:29.637
chat some questions about fiber
00:00:29.637 --> 00:00:33.717
and what types of fiber specifically are supportive of the gut microbiome.
00:00:34.037 --> 00:00:38.617
So I thought I would answer that question here for folks who maybe didn't get
00:00:38.617 --> 00:00:43.057
to come to the class but are still interested in this topic and just to supplement the class itself.
00:00:43.237 --> 00:00:48.897
So let's just talk about fiber very briefly. Now, this is just a very short synopsis.
00:00:48.997 --> 00:00:52.837
This is a nuanced topic. I could probably do a whole class for an hour and a
00:00:52.837 --> 00:00:55.697
half on fiber, and maybe I will sometime. I don't know if you're interested.
00:00:55.897 --> 00:01:01.757
Let me know. But for right now, I just want to go over some bird's eye view, big picture things.
00:01:02.237 --> 00:01:06.737
All right, so what is dietary fiber? Dietary fiber is carbohydrates and lignans,
00:01:06.817 --> 00:01:11.157
but mostly carbohydrates that do not get digested in the stomach and small intestine
00:01:11.157 --> 00:01:14.017
and that make their way into the colon.
00:01:14.237 --> 00:01:18.597
These typically come from plants, And as you probably know, carbohydrates are
00:01:18.597 --> 00:01:23.037
just long chains of individual sugar molecules stuck together.
00:01:23.437 --> 00:01:27.757
Okay, so the recommendation for adult humans is that we get,
00:01:27.917 --> 00:01:32.837
depending on who you're asking, somewhere in the 20 to 35 or more grams per day.
00:01:33.317 --> 00:01:36.497
Most Americans are getting substantially less than that.
00:01:36.657 --> 00:01:41.037
I believe the average is something in the 12 to 15 grams per day range,
00:01:41.037 --> 00:01:43.877
and a lot of people are getting much less than that.
00:01:44.636 --> 00:01:49.256
One of the things that muddies the waters a little bit when it comes to fiber
00:01:49.256 --> 00:01:51.296
is soluble versus insoluble.
00:01:51.576 --> 00:01:56.956
And this is a little unfortunate because it's based on the chemistry of the
00:01:56.956 --> 00:02:01.316
fibers, but I think it just confuses people when they're thinking about fiber,
00:02:01.396 --> 00:02:04.256
and it makes it a little bit more complex than it has to be.
00:02:04.576 --> 00:02:08.676
So soluble fiber is fiber that dissolves in water.
00:02:08.936 --> 00:02:13.196
This means it has a viscous feel to it, generally speaking.
00:02:13.196 --> 00:02:16.456
This includes things like pectins and gums you're
00:02:16.456 --> 00:02:20.096
going to find this type of fiber in oats beans
00:02:20.096 --> 00:02:24.456
apples citrus fruits a lot of things like that and the reason that they dissolve
00:02:24.456 --> 00:02:27.596
in the water is that they have these they're these long chains of carbohydrates
00:02:27.596 --> 00:02:31.596
but instead of being one big straight chain it's a bunch of branching chains
00:02:31.596 --> 00:02:36.456
off of sort of a central one and they have groups on the end that are hydrophilic
00:02:36.456 --> 00:02:39.676
meaning they're water loving so they form kind of a slime a little bit.
00:02:40.176 --> 00:02:43.796
All right, so that's soluble. And you can think about it. They're soluble, they dissolve in water.
00:02:44.556 --> 00:02:50.596
Insoluble fibers are not water soluble. They add bulk, they speed to transit.
00:02:50.796 --> 00:02:52.556
This is things like cellulose and lignin.
00:02:53.076 --> 00:02:58.736
And the reason that they add bulk is because they don't dissolve in water, but they absorb water.
00:02:59.196 --> 00:03:03.156
So when the fiber moves through your digestive tract, it's pulling water towards
00:03:03.156 --> 00:03:05.456
it, and it's bulking up the stool.
00:03:05.796 --> 00:03:09.676
Now, this is great. Both of these are great things. We'll talk about why in a moment.
00:03:09.956 --> 00:03:17.716
And most plants or plant foods, plant-based foods, have a mix of both soluble and insoluble.
00:03:17.876 --> 00:03:21.036
So you'll hear like, oh, apples are rich in pectin, which is soluble.
00:03:21.216 --> 00:03:24.636
Yes, it is. That is true. But they also have some insoluble fiber.
00:03:24.776 --> 00:03:28.996
So we can't really categorize foods as soluble or insoluble because,
00:03:29.316 --> 00:03:31.476
like many things, they are complex.
00:03:31.696 --> 00:03:35.956
They have a bunch of constituents. And generally speaking, most of our plant
00:03:35.956 --> 00:03:40.256
foods have some soluble, some insoluble, maybe just more or less of one or the other.
00:03:40.963 --> 00:03:47.423
Okay, so in the colon, the soluble fiber, the type that is viscous and dissolves
00:03:47.423 --> 00:03:49.363
in the water, is fermentable.
00:03:49.523 --> 00:03:54.183
What that means is we can't digest it ourselves in terms of the stomach,
00:03:54.363 --> 00:03:57.103
the small intestine, it's not getting absorbed, and so forth.
00:03:57.223 --> 00:04:02.743
But when it gets down into the colon, where most of our gut flora live,
00:04:03.063 --> 00:04:05.203
they can eat this type of fiber.
00:04:05.583 --> 00:04:10.083
That's what we mean when we say fermentable. That means these gut flora are,
00:04:10.083 --> 00:04:14.263
quote, digesting this fiber, and that's the process of fermentation.
00:04:14.683 --> 00:04:20.043
And when they do that, they produce gases and they produce short-chain fatty acids.
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So when they eat the soluble fiber, they make gas, they make short-chain fatty acids.
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The short-chain fatty acids are quite good for health. The gas can be a little
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bit problematic depending on your tolerance. We'll talk about that in a second.
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Insoluble fiber, the bacteria that live in our gut and the other flora that
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live in the gut, they don't generally have the enzymes that break down the insoluble fiber.
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So they mostly pass through the colon unchanged.
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However, they do have this benefit of providing bulk. So really helpful for
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constipation and that sort of thing, right? Hopefully that makes sense.
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So they both have benefits.
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The soluble fiber are acting as prebiotics. They're feeding the gut flora.
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The insoluble fiber is bulking up the stool, making it easier to pass,
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preventing or treating constipation, and so forth.
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All right, so our soluble fiber has the benefits of doing things like lowering
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cholesterol, stabilizing blood sugar,
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supporting the healthy bacteria and other flora that live in the gut and suppressing
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the potentially pathogenic bacteria that.
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Normalizing immune function, regulating the gut-brain-nervous system axis, and so forth.
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And it does all of that via increasing the amount of short-chain fatty acids.
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So you need the soluble fiber that gets, quote, digested or fermented by the
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gut flora and produces short-chain fatty acids, which then have systemic effects that are helpful.
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They also have local effects that are helpful within the digestive tract themselves. Okay?
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So how do we get fiber? How do we advise clients about getting fiber and that sort of thing?
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Well, first of all, the main thing is just getting plenty of whole plant foods.
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So this would be things like whole grains, nuts, fruits and veggies, that sort of thing.
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It's pretty easy to look at what somebody's eating for a few days and get a
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feel for if they are in the appropriate range of fiber intake or not,
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but it can be helpful to track for a few days.
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If not, I'm really looking for something in the range of 25 to 30 or more grams
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of fiber overall per day.
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If somebody is not able to get that amount of fiber in their diet,
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or for whatever reason, a supplement seems like it might be a better choice,
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a lot of times psyllium is my go-to.
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And the reason that psyllium, I find, is a really optimal choice is because
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it has a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber.
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So it's mostly soluble. And remember,
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the soluble form of fiber is what is feeding the healthy gut flora.
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Okay, so I really like psyllium as a first choice for people.
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If somebody is primarily struggling with constipation, then sometimes you'll
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see supplements like wheat bran or cellulose, etc., that are more insoluble.
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However, I find that even when somebody is having constipation,
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the psyllium is going to provide some insoluble fibers and some bulking.
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So I find that it's a nice, happy medium for both. Now, you have probably heard
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about other types of prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharides and so forth, inulin, etc.
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These are also constituents of plants, and they are technically considered fiber.
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An oligosaccharide is basically a smaller chain of a bunch of sugars put together.
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So often we wouldn't think of it as a fiber. However, in terms of the action
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in the body, they are counted as fibers.
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So things like FOS, GOS, inulin, these are technically considered fibers.
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They are not broken down in the small intestine. We don't.
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Individually as humans digest them, but when they get into the colon,
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our gut flora can digest them.
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They are fermented just like some of the other fibers we were talking about before.
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Now, the reason that you aren't usually going to see like a fiber powder that's
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entirely made of FOS or inulin is because these types of fibers are,
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because they're shorter and smaller,
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they are fermented or digested by the gut flora very quickly.
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And they therefore produce a high level of gas, which for a lot of people can
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be uncomfortable, can cause some bloating, can cause some discomfort,
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some cramping, and that sort of thing.
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So these ones, while they are technically fibers and they are prebiotics in
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that they are feeding the healthy, beneficial gut flora, we generally do better
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with them in smaller amounts.
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And of course, we have some people, such as those with IBS and other types of
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digestive issues, where they may do better of whitting them mostly or entirely.
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So they're more rapidly fermented, they produce more gas, and so forth.
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So a few last things I'll say to you about fiber is that if somebody is starting
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from a low fiber situation, we want to build up really, really slowly.
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We want to start with just a small increase. We don't want to go immediately
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from 10 grams of fiber a day to 25, because what will happen is that person
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will have cramping, they'll have diarrhea, they will not be happy with you.
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So the recommendation that I provide for you as a practitioner is to gradually increase.
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My standard recommendation is let's add one or two servings of fruits and vegetables
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per day for a few weeks and then slowly go up from there.
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And if you need a supplement, same thing, start with a very small dose of the
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supplement and gradually build up from that point.
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We're not going to get into full contraindications, but I do like to mention
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that there are certain situations where fiber supplementation is not possible
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or not optimal, and perhaps we'll get into that in another podcast episode.
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But for right now, let's just say that these recommendations are for the general
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population who do not have any major digestive-related conditions.
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And if somebody does have something like diverticulitis, diverticulosis,
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any kind of surgery, Crohn's disease, etc., you may need to think more carefully.
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You want to have specialized training, make sure that you know what you're doing.
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This is just for the average person without any serious GI-related symptoms.
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Diagnoses. Okay, so I hope that helps clear up the differences between soluble
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and insoluble fiber and how they may or may not affect the gut flora.
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Just as a recap, soluble fiber serves as food for our healthy, beneficial gut flora.
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Insoluble fiber does not seem to directly impact the gut flora,
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but it does impact digestion by bulking up the stool, making it easier to pass,
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and therefore it probably has indirect effects on the gut flora.
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Okay, I hope that's clear. If you have any questions, let me know.
00:11:15.248 --> 00:11:20.128
And lastly, if you're interested in all this, the ins and outs of supplementation
00:11:20.128 --> 00:11:25.568
and things like that, next year in 2026, I am doing a supplement deep dive.
00:11:25.568 --> 00:11:30.588
This is one continuing education class per month for practitioners.
00:11:31.448 --> 00:11:37.168
You can sign up and get on the wait list if you go to camillefreeman.com slash supplement soon.
00:11:37.768 --> 00:11:40.288
And you can see all the different topics that we're going to be covering.
00:11:40.468 --> 00:11:43.548
You can get on the wait list, which also includes a special discount when the
00:11:43.548 --> 00:11:44.768
course opens in January.
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I'd love to have you there. We're going to do some really interesting topics
00:11:48.948 --> 00:11:53.288
and just learn more about how to advise clients about some of the different
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supplements that are on the market,
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including fad supplements, as well as some of the more standard ones that many
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clients are taking, but maybe not in appropriate doses,
00:12:01.588 --> 00:12:04.188
in appropriate forms, and maybe not for the appropriate reasons.
00:12:04.968 --> 00:12:08.348
So we're going to talk about all of that next year. I'd love for you to join us.
00:12:08.648 --> 00:12:11.888
If you have questions, please reach out to me anytime. I'd love to hear from
00:12:11.888 --> 00:12:14.388
you. Otherwise, I hope you have a lovely rest of your day.