Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hi - Hang in there, I know fiber can be confusing. Most plant foods have both soluble and insoluble fiber - check here http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/faq.asp#both_fibers .

And fiber charts are notoriously unreliable, so they're not an easy solution. There's a whole article about that here http://www.helpforibs.com/messageboards/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=diet&Number=284172&page=0&view=expanded&sb=5&o=&fpart=1 Food/nutrition labels are all deriving fiber numbers from the charts/databases, so they have the same problems.

The best rule of thumb is whether or not something is "smushy". It sounds silly, but it's a fast and easy - and pretty accurate - gauge of whether or not something can be considered safe. If you can "smush" a plant food - like bananas, cooked rice, cooked potatoes, etc. - that points to soluble fiber and a lack of insoluble fiber. If you couldn't "smush" it - think raw cabbage, kernel corn, wheat bran - that indicates insoluble fiber.

The smushier a food seems (and you don't have to actually conduct the experiment, it's usually easy to just visualize it and it's obvious) the safer it will be. The more seeds, hulls, tough skin, fibrous material, stems, etc. the more insoluble fiber you're looking at.

If something is not at all smushy raw, but much smushier cooked (spinach, celery, etc.) that is a good indication that the cooking process has broken down that insoluble fiber and made it much easier for your gut to handle.

Hope this helps, please let me know if you need more info.

Best,
H

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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!

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