Sometimes, to feel our best, we just need to get back to basics — like the not-so-glamorous but super beneficial topic of fiber.

Do I really need more fiber? 

Fiber aids digestion and regularity, feeds beneficial gut bacteria, helps manage weight and blood sugar, lowers inflammation, improves cholesterol and blood pressure, and even reduces the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and early death.

In short? It helps with almost everything.

⚠️ If you have gut health issues like IBS, Chron’s, ulcerative colitis, or SIBO, fiber can sometimes exacerbate symptoms. Always work with a qualified health professional to find what works best for you.

How Fiber Works 

There are two types of fiber: Soluble and Insoluble.

Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance that slows digestion, lowers cholesterol and blood sugar, and feeds your gut bacteria — which in turn produce powerful compounds called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that support your immune system, metabolism, and mood.

Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve. It acts like a gentle scrub brush 🧽, adding bulk to stool, keeping you regular, and helping prevent constipation or sluggish digestion.

What the science shows: 

🌸 Hormone Balance: Fiber helps bind and eliminate excess estrogen through the gut, supporting more balanced hormones in perimenopause and menopause.

🧠 Better Mood + Brain Health: Your gut microbes feed on fiber and produce compounds that influence serotonin and dopamine — meaning fiber literally supports a happier, more focused brain.

❤️ Heart Health + Longevity: Beyond lowering cholesterol, fiber helps reduce blood pressure and inflammation, supporting long-term heart health and healthy aging.

🦴 Bone Support: Some fiber types increase calcium absorption and improve bone strength — an underappreciated benefit for women in midlife.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to actually hit the daily goal of about 25-30 grams of fiber per day for women over 50 (most of us are getting closer to 15g).

My Favorite Fiber Hacks

☕️ Start your day strong: I make my morning collagen coffee with 5 grams of added fiber and a splash of MCT oil. (I love the dark chocolate mocha; Ken’s a vanilla guy.) Big thanks to my friend Stacey for this discovery!

💊 Keep fiber on hand: Speaking of Stacey — she keeps a bowl of fiber capsules in her kitchen and grabs a few throughout the day. I’ve started doing the same. It’s an easy way to stay consistent and support digestion.

👩🏻‍🍳 Stock Your Pantry: It’s hard to eat more fiber if you don’t have fiber-rich foods in your house 🫠. I’m a big fan of food prepping, so I have roasted vegetables, berries, and legumes at eye level in the fridge. Some of my faves?

• I mix raspberries (8 g per cup) and some old school Grape-Nuts (7 g per ½ cup) into high-protein yogurt for a fiber-rich, satisfying meal.
• I load up on beans🫘. Just ½ cup of black beans gives you 7 g of fiber and 7.5 g of protein. Toss them into your breakfast scramble, make a bean salad for the week, or try one of my high fiber Pinterest recipes.
• I’ve fallen in love with this simple sweet potato and zesty yogurt sauce I found on tiktok. Add some black beans in and 🤌🏼 chef’s kiss.

Fiber-Rich Foods 

The Big Picture

• Fiber binds to excess cholesterol, hormones, and even toxins, carrying them safely out of the body.

• Your gut bacteria feed on fiber, producing SCFAs that reduce inflammation and strengthen your gut lining.

• Fiber helps you feel full longer, stabilizes blood sugar, and prevents post-meal highs and crashes.

• Soluble fiber (like oats, beans, psyllium) literally wraps around cholesterol molecules, escorting them out of the body — prompting your liver to pull more from your bloodstream and lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol naturally.

Final Thoughts

When increasing fiber intake, start slow and remember to stay well hydrated – this helps prevent digestive discomfort

Getting enough fiber isn’t glamorous, but it’s one of the most impactful daily habits you can create for long-term health — especially in midlife, when hormones, digestion, and metabolism all shift.

Start small by adding one new fiber habit this week. Your gut, your hormones, and even your brain will thank you. 🌿

Love,

Tracey

P.S. I wrote about fiber before – if you want to dig further – get into here.