Fiber - friend or foe?

We all know that fiber is good for us, right?

But can too much fiber be too much of a good thing?

Sure it can! Anything can be bad for you if you have too much of it. But most people today have the opposite problem, not enough fiber.

So how much fiber should you have?

My research tells me that 40grams a day is about right. Errr, good? What's that equal in terms of, you know, food?

Here's some examples

Whole-wheat bread	1 slice	1.6 grams
Rye bread	1 slice	1.0 grams
White bread	1 slice	0.6 grams
Brown rice (cooked)	½ cup	2.4 grams
White rice (cooked)	½ cup	0.1 grams
Spaghetti (cooked)	½ cup	0.8 grams
Kidney beans (cooked)	½ cup	5.8 grams
Lima beans (cooked)	½ cup	4.9 grams
Potato (baked)	Medium	3.8 grams
Corn	½ cup	3.9 grams
Spinach	½ cup	2.0 grams
Lettuce	½ cup	0.3 grams
Strawberries	¾ cup	2.0 grams
Banana	Medium	2.0 grams
Apple (with skin)	Medium	2.6 grams
Orange	Small	1.2 grams

(from http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Erg-Foo/Fiber.html)

So what happens if you eat too much fiber?

Your body might start missing out on nutrition. Fiber speeds up food through the digestive tract. Too fast and you don't have time to absorb important things like iron and calcium.

How will you know? Well, not to put too fine a point on it - excess gas and bloating. The painful kind.

You might also end up constipated if your diet is too full of fiber and you don't drink enough water.

But I'll talk about water another day.