Fiber is a beneficial type of indigestible carbohydrate, meaning your body is unable to break it down. While it passes through your intestines, fiber helps your body fully absorb nutrients, keeps you feeling full and creates regular bowel movements. Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods ensures you get enough fiber from your diet, but if you have a poor diet or suffer from constipation, your doctor may suggest you take a fiber supplement.
Functions of Fiber
Fiber can be soluble, such as psyllium husk, or insoluble, like oat bran. Over-the-counter fiber supplements come in either form, but soluble fiber pills are more common. Soluble fiber attracts water in your gut, creating a slow moving substance. While passing, it slows digestion and gives you a greater sense of satiety. Insoluble fiber sweeps through your gut, like a broom, pushing out waste and creating soft, passable stools. You need both types of fiber in your diet, in relatively equal amounts.
Dosage
You need about 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you consume from your diet, explains the Linus Pauling Institute. For example, if you follow an average 2,000 calorie diet, make sure you ingest the recommended 28 grams of daily fiber. Read the nutrition facts on the label to determine how much fiber it provides per dose. Talk with your health care provider about which type of fiber supplement is most suitable for your specific situation.
Best Time of Day
There is not one particular time of day you should take your fiber pills, but you should spread out your doses throughout the day. For example, if the directions on the label say you should take two pills daily, take one with breakfast and one with dinner. Taking your fiber pill with a meal or snack helps your body digest the food you eat, but consuming too much fiber at once can lead to gastrointestinal distress.
Complications
Swallowing several fiber pills at once and getting all of your daily fiber in one sitting may lead to digestive problems. Spreading out your fiber pills throughout the day and taking them with meals allows your body to process the fiber efficiently. Too much fiber, especially if you don't normally have fiber in your diet, can cause gas, bloating, cramping, diarrhea or constipation in some people. If you're attempting to boost your fiber intake, start slowly and gradually increase your intake over a period of several weeks. By allowing your body to acclimate to the fiber pills, you are less likely to have uncomfortable complications.
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