Gundersen Lutheran Health System Inc.
03/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/19/2026 11:36
Add fiber to your diet to improve your overall health
During this Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, you may hear about the different ways to prevent the disease, and besides getting screened annually beginning at age 45, eating a diet rich in fiber is a helpful step.
But fiber isn't just good for your colon; it's a nutrient that's beneficial to your overall health. However, most people in the United States aren't consuming enough fiber each day - to the tune of more than 90 percent of women and 97 percent of men. That's a concerning statistic, considering everything fiber can do for the body.
"Fiber has all sorts of benefits for your health," says Halley Molstad, a registered dietician with Emplify Health by Gundersen. "It can help to lower cholesterol, it can help with good digestion, it can help with blood sugar management, so there are all sorts of reasons to add more fiber to your diet."
Luckily, there's a wide variety of foods that contain fiber, so working it into your regular routine shouldn't be difficult. That includes foods that contain whole grains, such as bread, oatmeal, popcorn, wild rice and brown rice. Then there are fruits like bananas and strawberries and legumes like lentils and kidney beans.
So, how much fiber is just right? Molstad suggests people consume 25 to 35 grams each day, accompanied by sufficient fluids. However, if you're one of the 90 percent who doesn't get enough, it's important to increase your intake slowly. Doing it too fast can result in bloating or upset stomach.
"It doesn't have to be complicated to add more fiber to your diet. There are more and more products coming out that have fiber added to them," Molstad says. "Sometimes those can be a little bit more expensive, or people can be intimidated by that. But really, it can be as simple as choosing whole wheat bread instead of white bread, adding some beans to a salad or soup, or having a snack of fruits, vegetables or nuts instead of chips."
For more information and tips on how to add fiber to your diet, please visit gundersenhealth.org/search?term=fiber.
Gundersen Lutheran Health System Inc. published this content on March 19, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 19, 2026 at 17:36 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]