Gastroenterologists Are Begging People To Avoid This One Common Fiber Mistake

Trend watchers claim “fiber is the new protein.” However, gastroenterologists say fiber is not a fad. This is a necessity.

“Fiber prevents constipation and may reduce the risk of hemorrhoids and diverticular disease [when small pouches form in the colon wall because of constipation],”explain Dr. Sara Yacyshyn, MD, CNSCis a gastroenterologist at Mercy Medical Center. “It nourishes healthy gut bacteria and promotes a diverse microbiome. Adequate dietary fiber may even help regulate blood sugar and support healthy cholesterol levels.”

Unfortunately, most people don’t eat enough fiber. However, increasing your intake to meet your daily needs, or if you’re one of the approximately 5% of people who consume enough fiber, maintaining your fiber intake is only one piece of the puzzle.

“We all know fiber is important, but how do you Add to This is important because your gut needs time to adapt,” says Dr. Vikas Taneja, MDis a gastroenterologist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Hackensack Meridian. “Best practices can help you reap the benefits while avoiding common side effects, such as gas, bloating or constipation, that can occur when people switch from a low-fiber diet to a high-fiber diet overnight.”

The goal of increasing fiber intake is to avoid these side effects, especially constipation. To do this, you need to develop fiber habits that are good for your gut. This common fiber mistake is no One of them.

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Common fiber mistakes gastroenterologists say to avoid

“Eating too much fiber without drinking water or increasing your fiber intake too quickly can lead to gas and bloating,” reports Dr. Yacyshyn.

If you’ve been feeling more bloated or bloated lately, despite eating more fiber, that might explain a lot. This may also be surprising. What is the relationship between water and fiber?

“Consuming enough water allows fiber to bind to water and prevents stools from becoming too hard due to fiber,” states Dr. Pratima Dibba, MDis a board-certified gastroenterologist in a Manhattan medical office and a contributor to labfinder.com.

This is where it falls short. “If you increase fiber significantly but don’t drink enough water, the fiber will become ‘too dry’ as it passes through the intestines,” explains Dr. Taneja.

He highlighted two specific types of fiber:

• Soluble fibers (oats, beans, and psyllium) absorb water and form a gel

• Insoluble fiber (wheat bran and many vegetables) adds bulk

“Without enough fluids, stools can become thick, hard, and move slowly,” Dr. Taneja says.

So when you don’t drink enough fiber-rich water, he says you may feel:

• Feelings of fullness or pressure

• Sometimes reflux or nausea worsens “because the bowels move slower.”

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How much fiber-containing water should I drink?

Your mileage, er, ounces, may vary.

“How much water you need to drink each day depends on factors such as your weight, activity level and health,” says Dr. Yasisin. “Continuing to drink water throughout the day is usually enough.”

To stay hydrated, she recommends:

• drinking water forward you feel thirsty

• Check your urine to make sure it is light, yellow or clear in color

• Make sure stool is passed easily

Additionally, you may want to experiment with when you drink water in relation to your fiber intake.

“During or after is usually best, and if you’re already dehydrated, ‘before’ can help,” says Dr. Taneja. “The reason is simple: When the fiber arrives, you want water in your intestines so it can swell or gel properly and keep your stool soft.”

He adds that waiting too long to drink water after a high-fiber meal can have painful consequences, such as harder and slower stools, especially in people who are prone to constipation.

“A practical routine is: drink a glass of water with a meal, then add another glass of water within the next hour if the dietary fiber content is particularly high or you are taking a supplement,” notes Dr. Taneja.

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How much fiber is too much?

A good rule of thumb is: “Consuming more than 40 grams of fiber may cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as gas or gas,” says Dr. Dibba.

But overall, your fiber needs and maximum intake really depend on one key factor: you.

“It depends on the anatomy, such as history of bowel surgery and underlying gastrointestinal disease,” Dr. Yacyshyn says. “For example, patients with flare-ups of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may benefit from a low-fiber diet to reduce inflammation and allow the gastrointestinal tract to heal.”

Dr. Taneja recommends that women consume approximately 25 grams of fiber per day and men consume 35 grams of fiber per day. People over 50 may benefit from consuming a small amount of fiber. Importantly, you don’t want to go from no fiber to these goals in one day.

“A practical approach is to gradually increase fiber content, spreading it throughout meals and pairing high-fiber foods or supplements with regular water intake throughout the day, using light yellow urine as a simple hydration check,” he said.

However, you may want to do a thorough inspection before trying any of the above.

“If you have certain medical conditions, such as heart failure, end-stage renal disease, or are restricting fluid intake, seek medical advice before aggressively increasing your fluid intake,” says Dr. Taneja.

Next:

RELATED: “I’m a gastroenterologist — here’s the one breakfast mistake I beg people to stop making”

Source:

• Dr. Sara Yacyshyn, MD, CNSC, gastroenterologist at Mercy Medical Center

• Closing the fiber intake gap in the United States. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

• Dr. Vikas Taneja, MD, gastroenterologist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Hackensack Meridian

• Dr. Pratima Dibba, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist at a Manhattan medical office and a contributor to labfinder.com

This article was originally published by Parade on February 9, 2026 and first appeared in the Health & Wellness section. Click here to add Parade as a preferred source.