Amanda Holden, 55, says she eats just two meals a day – a dietitian weighs in - Women's Health

Sophie Medlin is a colorectal dietitian. Sophie Medlin knows what it takes to keep a gut healthy. At this point, it's nearly second nature for the longtime colorectal dietitian. "I don't need to worry about counting because I'm just in the habit of doing things in a way that meets my needs," Medlin, who is based in London and has worked as a dietitian for 20 years, told Business Insider. Official dietary guidelines recommend eating at least 28 grams of fiber a day, but research suggests the majority of Americans eat around half of that. Fiber is found in plants and feeds the trillions of microbes that live in the lining of the digestive system, known as the gut microbiome. Eating a wide variety of plants increases the number of beneficial microbes in the gut, which is linked to health benefits. Whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and pearl barley, legumes such as beans and chickpeas, and fresh produce such as leafy greens and berries, are all good sources of fiber.