In the school of nutrients, fiber is hardly ever the Cool Kid. It’s often eclipsed by other more popular nutrients like protein, but it certainly deserves your attention. Danielle Duboise and Whitney Tingle, co-founders of Sakara Life—the organic plant-based meal delivery service loved by celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow, Chrissy Teigen, Karlie Kloss, and Lily Aldridge—say only two percent of Americans get the recommended daily amount of fiber. But why should you care?
“Fiber is essential for digestion, regulating hormones, nourishing our detoxification organs, and circulating blood,” the duo tell ELLE.com. “Perhaps most notably: Plant fiber and water is what the bacteria in your gut—your microbiome—require to thrive. Fiber is gut food.”
According to integrative gastroenterologist Dr. Robynne Chutkan, a microbiome expert, fiber also helps boost the immune system and helps for smoother, more efficient digestion. It can decrease chances of developing colon cancer, gallstones, bloating, acid reflux, IBS, and every other ailment you can think of related to your gut.
Ahead, Tingle and Duboise, who are launching a new cookbook, Eat Clean Play Dirty, break down everything you need to know about easy ways to incorporate more fiber in your diet, which food provides the most of it, and which popular snack you should avoid.
Plants are the best sources of fiber.
Cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens
“One of the many reasons we love plants, beyond the phytonutrients, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, is the hydrating fiber they provide,” they say. Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, arugula, kale, collard greens, and bok choy.
Legumes
Legumes are another strong source of fiber. Favorites of Duboise and Tingle include beans (they call out adzuki, specifically), chickpeas, nuts and lentils.