Soluble/Insoluble fiber content in foods

From my understanding, soluble fiber is important for softening the stool but insoluble helps move it through faster so that it can't harden. We recently came to the conclusion that I was getting too much soluble, as compare to insoluble, because I would get hard stools even with huge fiber and water intake. It turns out that I was supplementing my fiber intake with mostly "fiber added" food (like "Fiber One" pop-tarts, yogurt, etc.), which, it turns out, has mostly soluble fiber. So we are trying to tilt the balance in favor of insoluble by being aware of the actual breakdown in foods.

Finding the actual fiber breakdown is difficult. The nutrition facts on food packaging will tell you how much fiber is in it, but not what kind of fiber that it is. So we did some searching and my wife came across a nice website with breakdowns on soluble/insoluble fiber for many common foods:

http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/nutrition/factsheets/fiber.html

Hopefully, you guys find this useful as well.

Thanks for the link - I am sure many members will find it useful !!!

Since you said that soluble fiber should make poop softer (and it should), why do you think you than need more "insoluble" ones . Is your digestive system too slow so that poop gets hard anyway and you want to increase speed of the "transit" time ? Definitely could work in right combo ! Just be careful since insoluble fiber tends to make poop bulkier and it can be "challenging " on the anal area . I know that after second LIS I had to cut back on fiber in general to make my poop small !!! I kept it ultra-soft with Colace till I healed.

It is all so individual and one rally needs to experiment until one finds a perfect "match" for his/her own butt and it always involves unwanted "surprises" .

Just one more info - many old members found oranges and tangerines to be just perfect poop "moderators" (no pun intended LMAO). Since they are in season you might try to eat one after each of your meals !!!

Best of luck with it all

Fissulyna wrote:Since you said that soluble fiber should make poop softer (and it should), why do you think you than need more "insoluble" ones . Is your digestive system too slow so that poop gets hard anyway and you want to increase speed of the "transit" time ?

That's my guess. I was getting lots of fiber but it would still be hard at the start, so I thought I was getting too little insoluble to move it through fast enough to keep it from re-hardening.

Fissulyna wrote:Just be careful since insoluble fiber tends to make poop bulkier and it can be "challenging " on the anal area

I thought soluble made it bulkier because it absorbs water into it(?) I guess I can see that if you get too much insoluble, though.

William,

It is important to drink plenty of water with all of your fiber. Are you doing that also?????

Cheryl

cherylk wrote:William,

It is important to drink plenty of water with all of your fiber. Are you doing that also?????

Cheryl

Absolutely! I'm pretty sure I get a minimum of a gallon (128oz) a day. If anything, I may be drinking too much.

I think my BMs have gotten better since replacing some of my soluble with insoluble. I would guess that I'm at about 60-70% insoluble now, where previously I was probably at that level for soluble.