A recipe for Your Gut & a Lil' Lesson on fiber

Consistent fiber intake is good for your overall health, but it can be hard to get in the right amount, and type, especially for your gut’s particular needs. You can tell a lot about your fiber intake by your regularity, type of bowel movements, and other GI symptoms such as bloating or abdominal cramping. Most Americans do not get enough fiber, and colon cancers are on the rise because of it¹. They have also recently lowered the age for you to begin getting colonoscopies to 45 from 50² – the more you know!

If you are irregular, have a hard time passing stool, or they are “bunny pellets” type poop (Bristol Stool Chart 1), or “grape” looking, lumpy poos– it’s time to increase your fiber. Fiber helps lower overall inflammation and protect against chronic disease. If eating certain fiber-rich foods (vegetables, broccoli, beans, lettuce) causes bloating, gas, and discomfort, it could indicate a need to be more regular with intaking those food items, OR you may be sensitive to fermentable foods and may need to adjust what types of fibers you can tolerate³.

If you are constipated often (especially in between bouts of loose stools), start your day with this high-fiber, high-protein smoothie:

¼ - ½ cup raspberries, fresh or frozen

1-3 medjool dates (make sure you have a strong blender!)

1 medium banana OR advance to higher fiber, ½ avocado (you won’t taste it)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

¼ cup uncooked rolled oats 

1 scoop vanilla protein powder 20-30 grams

1 cup water or almond milk 

Now this smoothie is not for the faint of heart! You may want to start with ¼ cup of raspberries and only 1 date and see how you respond. Then, increase gradually to ½ or 1 full cup of raspberries (1 cup=8 grams fiber), 3 dates (4g fiber, but dates have sorbitol which acts as a mild, natural laxative), and add ½ avocado (5g fiber) instead of a banana. Avocados are mostly insoluble fibers, which can help with regularity. Oats contain beta-glucan, a fiber shown to help lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar. Oats’ soluble fibers help soften stool, and insoluble fibers can help with motility (getting it moving!) so can work in both cases of constipation and diarrhea, and is a great staple to your daily diet. 

This smoothie can be 10-20 grams of fiber depending on how you dose it, so be careful not to “fiber-max” and over-do it. You want to spread your fiber intake over the course of the day, but this can help to get things started and increase your tolerance over time. Aim for 30-40+ grams of fiber per day⁴. Happy Poopin’! Feel free to stop me around the gym and ask more fiber and gut health questions!

Please review these resources for lots of good information about fiber’s benefit for us :)

Bristol Stool Chart (PDF LINK)

1. Quagliani, D., & Felt-Gunderson, P. (2016). Closing America's Fiber Intake Gap: Communication Strategies From a Food and Fiber Summit. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 11(1), 80–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827615588079

2. Gastroenterology Consultants of San Antonio. (2025, January 6). Colorectal cancer screening guidelines for 2026. https://www.gastroconsa.com/colorectal-cancer-screening-guidelines-for-2026/

3. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2020, August 10). What is the low-FODMAP diet? https://www.eatright.org/health/health-conditions/digestive-and-gastrointestinal/what-is-the-low-fodmap-diet

4. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. (n.d.). Fiber. https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-information/fiber

- Coach Kayla

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