[ChristineS123]

how much fiber should you eat in a day? I think I have too much fiber in my diet, because not to be gross or anything....I've had trouble going to the bathroom. I eat quite a bit of fiber, throughout a normal day I normally have a SoyJoy bar and an Alistro Bar (both have a bit of fiber), then I'll have a serving of grapes and a serving of cherries and sometimes I'll have a nectarine as well.

I should be getting enough fiber, but how much is enough and how much is too much? thanks!

[aphil]

Usually 25-35 grams a day is what is recommended. If you are having trouble in the bathroom, sometimes I think that is because of the SOURCE of the fiber, rather than just the fiber grams. If your daily fiber were just All Bran, and Fiber One bars and things like that...those things bulk up the stools, but if the main sources of your fiber intake were fruit/vegetables, those foods also have agents in them that SOFTEN the stools as well.

If you are having issues, I recommend that more of your intake maybe come from fruits, to make going more comfortable.

[Ilene]

Drink lots of water too that helps things keep moving too. If you do eat a lot of bran with no water it may block you rather than do the opposite. I find green veggies like romaine and broccoli, baked beans and other bean product make things flow smoothly for me.

Also, if you take lightly ground flax add a tablespoon to your cereal or juice morning and night, it will help a lot. Flax is one of those wonder grains that if you are constipated it will regulate and if you have diareha it will firm things up.... I know, I know, TMI, but it's the truth . A doctor recommended this to my dad when he had prostate cancer and the radiation was affecting his movements, it worked very well