Today I Learned

what are your two most common bean preps/recipes?

Came to say this: BEANS!!!
Just add half a can to every meal you eat while you look for some nice recipes.

Jackfruit is my weapon of choice.

Love me some simple spicy baked beans! But I also eat tons of leafy greens, so I'm probably one of the 5%

I eat a legume at pretty much every meal. Not all of them are high fiber foods, like peanuts or peanut butter, but most have some. Peas have 7g per serving. Peanuts have 2g per serving. Green beans have 3g. The actual beans start running away with it, though, with something like 15g of fiber per serving.

All those go a long way to hit 25g per day.

Basically legumes are how I get affordable protein, too, so it's hitting multiple needs with a cheap and easy ingredient.

Fiber is too hard to explain.

My teen is an athlete and very much into muscle building. He tracks macros, eats more calories than the rest of us (and still lost weight as a freshman with unlimited meal plan), and always looks for more sources of lean protein or omega 3’s.

But when I try to explain the importance of fiber, “I don’t get constipated and don’t need to shit more so why should I care?” Maybe it’s my problem not knowing how to reply to that in a way that communicates the importance

Whole grains, fruits (I shouldn't have to say it, but not the juice, and if you do drink juice have pulp), beans and lentils, and leafy greens. These are all things Americans don't eat enough of for some reason.

Bean tacos are amazing. Black bean burgers are one of the few vegetarian alternatives that havr gained popularity among meat eaters, and for good reason. Have a spinach salad or snack on kale chips. It's hard to find something more nutritious than lentils though they're hard to cook in a particularly appetizing way. Cabbage and other brassicae can be a challenge but when cooked well is amazing. Whole grain bread takes some getting used to but is excellent once you do.

And if all else fails, pscilium husk fiber supplements.

The problem with fiber in the American diet is that it's satiating and noticeable in ultra processed foods. It's most appetizing in it's natural sources, and the American diet really isn't conducive to cooking with whole plant products.

Thankfully for myself, I love me some refried beans. I can get over the daily recommendation in one meal.

This is nearly a decade old and pretty well documented reference-wise, so I trust it. I definitely understand the healthy skepticism.

Tangentially related, I’ve been buying “carb balance” tortillas instead of regular ones for a while now. They’re not quite as gummy (maybe not the right word but it’s what I can come up with right now) but still pretty damn good and they’re packed with fiber. It’s been a real easy way to work more fiber into my diet. Eating more veggies is still the best source of fiber though, from what I can tell.

When comparing it to the average US diet, it is crazy. They recommend around 32g for Adult Males, for reference, a serving of Metamucil (popular fiber supplement) has 2.4g of Fiber.

I’ve been eating “fiber one” breakfast bars for years as an easy way to boost my fiber. The gas never stops for me. It doesn’t even smell, but there’s a lot of it.

I definitely feel the difference in my body when I stop. The gas is unfortunate, but it’s preferable to no fiber.