June 6, 2025 • 7 mins
In episode 11, we’re answering the question “Why does fibre make my IBS symptoms worse”? You’ve heard (or been told) that fibre is good for you - it can solve all your IBS problems! And yet, when you eat more, you get more gas, pain and bloating. What gives? We dive into why this happens, and what you can do about it in today’s episode.
⏱️ Chapters:
- (0:00) Welcome and intro to the GutFit Nutrition Podcast
- (0:49) Listener question: Why does increasing fiber worsen my IBS?
- (1:44) Visceral hypersensitivity explained
- (2:28) Research: IBS pain response to gut stretching
- (3:34) Connection between fiber, microbiome imbalance, and symptoms
- (4:00) Three keys: fiber amount, type, and balance
- (4:57) Recommended daily fiber intake for IBS
- (5:20) How fiber fuels gut bacteria and supports gut health
- (5:44) What happens when fiber intake is too low
- (6:08) Final thoughts: You can increase fiber with IBS strategically
—
👩🏻💻 RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED: ⤵️
📌 Visceral Hypersensitivity & IBS
📌 When the Body Says No by Gabor Mate
—
✉️ CONNECT WITH ME: ⤵️
🖥️ Shop the Resource Suite
👩🏻⚕️ Apply For Coaching
If the GutFit Nutrition Podcast is giving you value - helped your digestion and fitness, made you rethink how you approach your gut health, please consider leaving a review! 🎧
If you have questions for my listener Q & A episodes, you can submit them here, or send me an email at leigh@leighmerotto.com. See you soon!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Gut Fit NutritionPodcast, the show where we dive
deep into the world of gut health, nutrition and fitness to
help you unlock your best self from the inside out.
I'm your host Lee Morado, a registered dietitian, gut health
expert, long distance runner andmovement enthusiast on a mission
to empower you with science backed whole body strategies to
fuel your body, heal your gut, and thrive in your active life.
(00:23):
Whether you're here to finally break free from IBS and
digestive symptoms, optimize your fitness performance, or
learn how to support your got health with natural strategies,
you're in the right place. Each week, we'll explore topics
like conquering digestive symptoms, building a gut
friendly lifestyle, enhancing endurance and strength
performance, and more. So grab a cup of your favorite
(00:43):
gut friendly tea and settle in because we're about to get gut
fit together. Welcome back to another listener
Q&A episode. These episodes are where I take
the questions that you send me and quite simply answer them on
the podcast. Be sure to send me your
questions either as a comment onthis episode if you're tuning in
from YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or you can also send
(01:06):
me Adm over on Instagram at Lee Morado under Score Rd.
Today's question was sent in by Jane from Pennsylvania.
Jane asks, I have trouble when Iincrease fiber from my IBS.
What's happening? So I love this question and I
get many new clients who come tome and say that they've been,
(01:27):
you know, trying to increase their fiber.
They've done it before, they've tried to eat more fiber,
etcetera, etcetera. But then they get symptoms, the
bloating, the abdominal pain, the diarrhea, Constipation gets
worse. So what's going on?
So I think to really understand this, we need to dig a little
bit deeper in terms of what's contributing to your symptoms in
IBS. So in IBS, we know that there is
(01:48):
commonly what's known as visceral hypersensitivity.
So we do have an earlier podcastepisode on visceral
hypersensitivity. I did this with Dede Wilson from
Vodmap Everyday dive into that alittle bit more.
But if you're not familiar with visceral hypersensitivity,
essentially it means that the nerves in your gut and those
with IBS are more more responsive to pain and may
(02:08):
detect pain even in normal circumstances.
So sort of breakdown a fiber or FOD maps can actually cause
more, more pain receptors and more pain messages being sent to
your your brain when you get that stretching of your
abdominal wall. I love the book When the Body
Says No by Gaber Matte. So in Chapter 11 titled It's All
in Her Head, he discusses studies that involve balloon
(02:31):
distention in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.
And then these studies actually demonstrated that IBS patients
reported higher levels of pain when a balloon was inflated in
their intestines compared to thecontrol subject.
So same, same amount of balloon inflation.
However, the patients without IBS did not report as high a
(02:54):
level of pain as the patients with IBS.
So it's quite interesting. And additionally, PET scans
revealed that rectal distension activated the prefrontal cortex
in IBS patients, but not in controls, suggesting that there
is an emotional component to their pain perception as well.
So it isn't, you know, all in your head.
(03:15):
With IBS there is that level of visceral hypersensitivity where
you are more sensitive to stretching of your abdominal
wall. The nerves in your gut are are
hypersensitive. The interesting thing too is
that we actually are thinking that visceral hypersensitivity
is related to different factors,including dysbiosis or imbalance
in the gut microbiome. So I know that, you know, you
probably thought, yes, I want toincrease fiber because that's
(03:37):
going to help my microbiome to be healthier.
But then it's a bit of a catch 22 when you do try to increase
fiber, but you get more symptoms.
So all that to say, it's definitely possible to get more
fiber and there just are some considerations that we wanted to
take into account when you have IBS.
So this includes 3 things. So the amount, the type and the
balance of fiber. So with the amount, we want to
(03:57):
gradually increase it slowly so that your gut can can adjust to
the increase of fiber. I've had a lot of clients who
have been on really restrictive low FODMAP for years and only
eating 15 grams of fiber. So if you start going up to
3040, you're going to get symptoms for sure.
So we want to scale it up slowly.
The other part is the type. So focusing on lower FODMAP
(04:20):
sources of fiber can be helpful just to help to build up that
intake and then also the balance.
So those with IBS, especially IBSC, tend to respond better to
more soluble fiber and just being mindful of insoluble to
soluble fiber balance tends to be better tolerated.
So how much fiber you want to aim for?
The current recommendations are 25g per day at least for adult
(04:45):
women and 35 to 38g for adult men.
For my IBS patients, I like to see their range of 30 building
up to even 50 grams because of the beneficial impacts of fiber.
So why fiber is important is because it acts like a fuel
source for our good bacteria. It's actually an indigestible
(05:05):
plant material. Our bodies don't break it down,
but when it moves through our GItract and into our large
intestine, which is where most of our gut microbiome is housed,
then our gut bacteria, the good ones, break it down and they use
it for fuel and they actually produce these amazing chemicals
called short chain fatty acids or Scfas, which help to balance
(05:26):
out and maintain a healthy pH inour intestinal tract.
So conversely, if we don't get enough fiber, we're under eating
fiber, we actually see shift in the pH of our intestinal tract,
which can actually result in it being more susceptible to
disease state, an increase in inflammation, a weakening of the
digestive wall, and this can actually lead to IBS symptoms
(05:50):
being worse. So definitely, definitely fiber
is important. I would say, you know, there's a
very, very, very, very small population of people who do
better on a little bit of a lower fiber diet, but most
people could stand to get more in their diet.
So it's just doing it in a way that is strategic when you have
IBS. But it's definitely possible.
I've worked with 300 plus clients with IBS and I've I've
(06:13):
coached so many to increase their fiber and they feel better
when they do. So it's definitely possible.
That's a wrap for today's episode.
Thank you so much for listening and being a part of our
community here. If the Gut Fit Nutrition podcast
is giving you value, helped yourdigestion and fitness, made you
rethink how you approach your gut health, consider leaving a
(06:33):
review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you're getting your
podcasts. If you have questions for my
listener Q&A episodes, you can submit them as a comment on this
episode or send me an e-mail at lee@leemorado.com.
For more digestible IBS gut health and fitness tips, be sure
to follow me on Instagram at LeeMorado under score Rd. and to
(06:53):
apply for coaching, shop the resource suite or grab a
freebie, visit gutfitnutrition.com.
Thanks for tuning in. We'll be in touch soon.
Welcome to the Gut Fit NutritionPodcast, the show where we dive
deep into the world of gut health, nutrition and fitness to
help you unlock your best self from the inside out.
I'm your host Lee Morado, a registered dietitian, gut health
expert, long distance runner andmovement enthusiast on a mission
to empower you with science backed whole body strategies to
fuel your body, heal your gut, and thrive in your active life.
(00:23):
Whether you're here to finally break free from IBS and
digestive symptoms, optimize your fitness performance, or
learn how to support your got health with natural strategies,
you're in the right place. Each week, we'll explore topics
like conquering digestive symptoms, building a gut
friendly lifestyle, enhancing endurance and strength
performance, and more. So grab a cup of your favorite
(00:43):
gut friendly tea and settle in because we're about to get gut
fit together. Welcome back to another listener
Q&A episode. These episodes are where I take
the questions that you send me and quite simply answer them on
the podcast. Be sure to send me your
questions either as a comment onthis episode if you're tuning in
from YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or you can also send
(01:06):
me Adm over on Instagram at Lee Morado under Score Rd.
Today's question was sent in by Jane from Pennsylvania.
Jane asks, I have trouble when Iincrease fiber from my IBS.
What's happening? So I love this question and I
get many new clients who come tome and say that they've been,
(01:27):
you know, trying to increase their fiber.
They've done it before, they've tried to eat more fiber,
etcetera, etcetera. But then they get symptoms, the
bloating, the abdominal pain, the diarrhea, Constipation gets
worse. So what's going on?
So I think to really understand this, we need to dig a little
bit deeper in terms of what's contributing to your symptoms in
IBS. So in IBS, we know that there is
(01:48):
commonly what's known as visceral hypersensitivity.
So we do have an earlier podcastepisode on visceral
hypersensitivity. I did this with Dede Wilson from
Vodmap Everyday dive into that alittle bit more.
But if you're not familiar with visceral hypersensitivity,
essentially it means that the nerves in your gut and those
with IBS are more more responsive to pain and may
(02:08):
detect pain even in normal circumstances.
So sort of breakdown a fiber or FOD maps can actually cause
more, more pain receptors and more pain messages being sent to
your your brain when you get that stretching of your
abdominal wall. I love the book When the Body
Says No by Gaber Matte. So in Chapter 11 titled It's All
in Her Head, he discusses studies that involve balloon
(02:31):
distention in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.
And then these studies actually demonstrated that IBS patients
reported higher levels of pain when a balloon was inflated in
their intestines compared to thecontrol subject.
So same, same amount of balloon inflation.
However, the patients without IBS did not report as high a
(02:54):
level of pain as the patients with IBS.
So it's quite interesting. And additionally, PET scans
revealed that rectal distension activated the prefrontal cortex
in IBS patients, but not in controls, suggesting that there
is an emotional component to their pain perception as well.
So it isn't, you know, all in your head.
(03:15):
With IBS there is that level of visceral hypersensitivity where
you are more sensitive to stretching of your abdominal
wall. The nerves in your gut are are
hypersensitive. The interesting thing too is
that we actually are thinking that visceral hypersensitivity
is related to different factors,including dysbiosis or imbalance
in the gut microbiome. So I know that, you know, you
probably thought, yes, I want toincrease fiber because that's
(03:37):
going to help my microbiome to be healthier.
But then it's a bit of a catch 22 when you do try to increase
fiber, but you get more symptoms.
So all that to say, it's definitely possible to get more
fiber and there just are some considerations that we wanted to
take into account when you have IBS.
So this includes 3 things. So the amount, the type and the
balance of fiber. So with the amount, we want to
(03:57):
gradually increase it slowly so that your gut can can adjust to
the increase of fiber. I've had a lot of clients who
have been on really restrictive low FODMAP for years and only
eating 15 grams of fiber. So if you start going up to
3040, you're going to get symptoms for sure.
So we want to scale it up slowly.
The other part is the type. So focusing on lower FODMAP
(04:20):
sources of fiber can be helpful just to help to build up that
intake and then also the balance.
So those with IBS, especially IBSC, tend to respond better to
more soluble fiber and just being mindful of insoluble to
soluble fiber balance tends to be better tolerated.
So how much fiber you want to aim for?
The current recommendations are 25g per day at least for adult
(04:45):
women and 35 to 38g for adult men.
For my IBS patients, I like to see their range of 30 building
up to even 50 grams because of the beneficial impacts of fiber.
So why fiber is important is because it acts like a fuel
source for our good bacteria. It's actually an indigestible
(05:05):
plant material. Our bodies don't break it down,
but when it moves through our GItract and into our large
intestine, which is where most of our gut microbiome is housed,
then our gut bacteria, the good ones, break it down and they use
it for fuel and they actually produce these amazing chemicals
called short chain fatty acids or Scfas, which help to balance
(05:26):
out and maintain a healthy pH inour intestinal tract.
So conversely, if we don't get enough fiber, we're under eating
fiber, we actually see shift in the pH of our intestinal tract,
which can actually result in it being more susceptible to
disease state, an increase in inflammation, a weakening of the
digestive wall, and this can actually lead to IBS symptoms
(05:50):
being worse. So definitely, definitely fiber
is important. I would say, you know, there's a
very, very, very, very small population of people who do
better on a little bit of a lower fiber diet, but most
people could stand to get more in their diet.
So it's just doing it in a way that is strategic when you have
IBS. But it's definitely possible.
I've worked with 300 plus clients with IBS and I've I've
(06:13):
coached so many to increase their fiber and they feel better
when they do. So it's definitely possible.
That's a wrap for today's episode.
Thank you so much for listening and being a part of our
community here. If the Gut Fit Nutrition podcast
is giving you value, helped yourdigestion and fitness, made you
rethink how you approach your gut health, consider leaving a
(06:33):
review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you're getting your
podcasts. If you have questions for my
listener Q&A episodes, you can submit them as a comment on this
episode or send me an e-mail at lee@leemorado.com.
For more digestible IBS gut health and fitness tips, be sure
to follow me on Instagram at LeeMorado under score Rd. and to
(06:53):
apply for coaching, shop the resource suite or grab a
freebie, visit gutfitnutrition.com.
Thanks for tuning in. We'll be in touch soon.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.