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Eating More Protein May Mess With Your Regularity If You Don't Eat More Fiber

Author:

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

January 23, 2024

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

By Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.

Image by Studio Firma / Stocksy

January 23, 2024

Many folks (myself included) are upping their protein game to get upward of 30, 40, to even 50 grams at each meal. And these are frankly the numbers needed to follow a high-protein diet—typically considered to be about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

While there are so many benefits to this eating pattern (i.e., feeling full, supporting muscle protein synthesis, and promoting metabolic health), there may be an unintended consequence if you ramp up things too quickly: problems pooping.

You may be prioritizing protein over fiber

organic fiber potency+

Now, some research shows that eating this type of high-protein diet for long periods may lead to digestive concerns like abdominal discomfort, queasiness, and changes in regularity. Likely what's most pressing, though, is the change of fiber intake.

Because protein is so filling, you may either inadvertently (or intentionally) start eating fewer carbs to balance out your appetite. (This was something I noticed when I bumped up my protein intake to 100 grams a day.)

While this isn't necessarily a bad thing—especially if those carbs are refined or sugar-filled grains—reducing the intake of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is definitely not ideal for your bowels.

Fiber is essential for healthy poops by adding bulk to your stool, regulating gut transit time, and helping create an easy-to-pass consistency. So, lacking fiber means that your digested food will just sit in your intestines hardening—becoming more difficult to pass—as nothing is helping to usher it along.

It's also very filling and helps blood sugar balance—so fiber isn't something you want to skimp on.

How much fiber do you need a day?

The National Academies recommends that women and men get at least 21-28 grams 1 and 30-38 grams of daily dietary fiber, respectively. And that requires eating a decent amount of high-fiber plant foods a day. For example:

1 avocado: 13.5 grams
1 medium apple: 4.4 grams
1 cup berries: 4-8 grams
1 cup broccoli: 5 grams
Sweet potato: 6 grams
2 tablespoons chia seeds: 9 grams

That said, this is just an estimate, and everybody is different; some digestive tracts require more fiber than others. Most people (95%2 of Americans actually) are falling pretty short on their fiber intake to begin with—so it's something to be especially cognizant of as you start increasing your protein intake.

How to eat more protein & aid abdominal comfort

It's absolutely possible to hit both your protein and your fiber goals daily to keep things moving (and to keep you full and your blood sugar balanced). Here are some tips for making that happen:

Fill in your protein-centric meals with veggies & whole grains: Your high-protein meal doesn't just have to consist of ground beef or chicken breast. Plan out what your main source of protein will be, and then keep a variety of vegetables and whole grains (like rice, quinoa, or barley) on hand to round out your plate into a complete meal.
Eat your veggies first: If you get full right away from eating high-protein foods—to the point where the rest of your plate looks unappealing—consider starting your meal with veggies first. Vegetables on their own aren't overly filling, so eating them first likely won't impact your appetite for the protein that's coming later.
Add a fiber supplement: Including a targeted fiber supplement like mindbodygreen's organic fiber potency+ is a convenient way to get more fiber. organic fiber potency+ provides 6 grams of fiber a serving from organic guar beans, organic green kiwi fruit, and an organic mushroom trio. Guar bean fiber is clinically shown to improve regularity 3, stool consistency, and gut transit time.* Oh, and it has prebiotic properties, meaning it nourishes the good bacteria 4 residing in the gut microbiome.*
Drink plenty of water: If you increase your fiber intake, you also want to up your water intake. Fiber pulls more water into your stool 5 (which is one reason it helps with stool consistency). If you're not hydrated, then stools may in turn be bulky but still hard to pass.
Go for a walk after a meal: As your body adapts to this new eating pattern, you may feel a little a little bulky and bloated. This should resolve with time as your body adjusts, but going for a walk after a meal 6 can aid digestion and even help relieve the pressure you're feeling in the abdomen.

The takeaway

Eating enough protein to thrive (not just survive) is here to stay. It's not just a fad. So, as you start increasing the amount of protein you eat in each meal, don't let that displace beneficial fibrous foods (like vegetables) from your plate, and consider adding a high-quality supplement for support. Otherwise, your bowels may stall in protest.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.