I eat about 2400 calories a day. If I want about 40-45% of my calories to come from carbs, I definately get over 50 grams of fiber each day. I read that too much fiber can cause malabsorption of nutrients, but this all depends on how many calories you take in, correct? I don't see how I can make the fiber less-take out vegetables or what?!! The only way I can keep it under 50 grams is to keep my fat percentage at over 40, and my carb about 30, but I feel better the other way around. I don't have any serious digestive problems that I notice when I get over 50.

Greetings

Dr. Weil says in general:

I recommend getting 40 grams a day from bran cereals, beans, vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Ground flaxseed and psyllium seed are also excellent sources of fiber.



Andrew Weil, M.D.

So does this help at all?

Best of Health To You
Moderator/Dr.Weil Team
moderator44@drweil.com

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Well, it doesn't really answer my question...

Perhaps not and we are sorry. But we have nothing from Dr. Weil on that and can pass the question on for possible answer. We suspect that the answer is found in this from Dr. Weil:

Fiber refers to the parts of plant foods that humans cannot digest. It is generally classified into insoluble and soluble fiber. The American diet is generally very low in fiber because we have focused on refined grain products and eat very few vegetables and fruit. Insufficient fiber in the diet can contribute to constipation. Soluble fiber has been linked to lowering cholesterol levels

So soluable fiber in the plants and vegetables is not the same thing as fiber in grains.

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Moderator/Dr.Weil Team
moderator44@drweil.com

All information contained on our web site, including information relating to medical and health conditions, products and treatments, is for informational purposes only, and not as medical advice.

My thoughts on this, from my own experience is that, Yes, one can consume too much fiber.  Also, perhaps the wrong kinds of fiber.  The best fibers for me are from vegetables and fruit and limited amounts of sprouted grain.  I thnk that grain and legume fibers can interfere with absorption of certain nutrients and act more as an irritant to the digestive system.   Also, grains and legumes are toxic to just eat in raw form (unless sprouted) or cooked to death so I've always wondered why people make them such a cornerstone of their diet.  We certainly couldn't have evolved eating them since initially we would have had no understanding of the need to process them before consuming nor how to prepare them.

It also makes me wonder when cultures around the world, initially separated from each other by geography and distance, came to similar conclusions that grain fiber needs to be removed or reduced in order to make the final food product more acceptable to our digestive systems.

But, they don't seem to be causing you any problem so we are probably all a bit different.