We Asked a Dietitian How to Get More Fiber the Lazy Way - Verywell Health

If you have Type 2 diabetes, you’ve probably spent plenty of time thinking about what to eat to help keep your blood sugar (glucose) steady. But did you know that the order in which you eat different foods can help, too? When it comes to meal order, fiber deserves first place. Registered dietitian Tegan Bissell, RD, LDN, CDCES, explains the benefits of dietary fiber and how eating it first can help keep your post-meal glucose in range. Fiber and its role in diabetesMost people think of fiber as the nutrient that helps keep you regular. But it also has many other health benefits, especially when you have diabetes. One of dietary fiber’s biggest benefits is its role in blood sugar management. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate, but it works differently from typical carbs. Your body can’t break it down, which means it doesn’t raise blood glucose the same way other carbs do. So, eating high-fiber foods can slow digestion. “When you eat fiber with a meal, sugar reaches your bloodstream in a more controlled manner, preventing blood sugar spikes,” explains Bissell.

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.