Our daily requirement for fiber is approximately 25 to 35 grams. As noted previously, most of us get typically only about half that amount. If for example, your daily intake is 15 grams a day, you should not review your diet and immediately make the necessary changes to bring the level up to 35 grams. That is not a good idea. Your gastrointestinal system has gotten used to your present fiber level, and if you suddenly double the amount, your intestines will likely complain. Even if your new, improved fiber level is within the daily recommendation, your intestines see it as a sudden overload. What you need to be doing is to increase your dietary fiber gradually, something on the order of 5 grams more per week would make sense. Your system will be able to adjust to this. In fact if you eventually exceed your daily requirement, your intestines will continue to try to adjust, up to a point of course.
When More Isn't Necessarily Better - A classic example of too much to soon is when one decides to add psyllium to the diet. Psyllium seeds, ground into flakes, are a kind of a cure-all for the intestinal tract and the colon. Psyllum is essentially a high powered colon cleanser. It is also rich in fiber. If you take too much too soon, things can backfire, and you may end up with a bad case of constipation, the exact thing you were trying to avoid. Your intestines are complaining.
Just what then should you be doing to make certain you are getting enough fiber, while at the same time avoiding the possibility of getting too much fiber in your system? The best approach is to adjust your diet as needed to turn it into a well balanced, healthy diet. If you take some time to plan what your diet should be, the chances are good that you'll end up having about the proper amount of fiber. A small deficiency one day and a small excess the next isn't going to upset anything. You just want to avoid rapid or extreme diet changes. Avoiding fiber supplements such as pills is another good approach. As is often the case with supplements of any kind, more isn't always better for you. Drinking enough water will help the fiber in your system do its job. Sometimes constipation isn't solely a result of insufficient fiber, but is a result of there being insufficient moisture to allow the fiber to do its work.
Spread Things Out - Some of the top fiber-rich foods are apples, beans, berries, grains, avocados and bran. Eating too much of these food types during a single sitting could cause you some distress by overloading your intestines. A final suggested approach then is, once you've learned what the best sources of fiber are, avoid eating too many of those foods at one time, but spread them throughout the day. You'll get the same amount of fiber without upsetting anything. As with so many things in life, moderation is key.
Hopefully by now you realize that the effects of too much fiber aren't life threatening and typically only cause some discomfort. That's not to say that if you continuously overload, bad things won't happen, but that's probably not a likely scenario. Find out how much fiber you need and make adjustments as needed to reach that goal and you'll probably do just fine. If you slip up once in awhile, take a Tums and consider it a lesson learned.