Things get even more confusing when nutrition claims on product packages get stirred into the mix. “Many of the ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat convenience foods and packaged snacks are made with refined grains that are low in fiber.” “We simply aren’t eating enough of the foods that are naturally high in fiber including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes,” Hyman says. What’s more: Only 1 in 20 Americans consume the daily recommended amount of this nutrient, according to a 2017 article in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. The 2020 to 2025 United States Dietary Guidelines report that 90 percent of Americans don’t eat the recommended amount of vegetables, 80 percent fall shy on fruit, and a whopping 98 percent don’t get enough whole grains-all foods chock-full of fiber. SAD), adds Michelle Hyman, RD, a New York-based registered dietitian. What to Know About Fiber Intake for Athletesīut our fiber fails could also just be a factor of the Standard American Diet (a.k.a.
