95% of Americans don’t get enough fiber in their diet. If you want a way to make doing so cheap and easy, you need 2 things: your favorite flavor of yogurt, and a high fiber cereal (ideally in small pieces rather than flakes, I like Bran Buds or something like thar).
For yogurt, it can be one of the delicious high sugar flavors for kids, doesn’t matter.
40 grams of the cereal is usually 50% or more of the fiber you need for an entire day, I just stir it into the serving/ little cup of yogurt, adding more in as I make more room for it in the yogurt cup.
You don’t really taste it, the yogurt softens it a bit, and it’s crunchy.
LPT to the LPT: start doing this once or twice a week and see how your gut tolerates it, ramping up on fiber too fast can cause constipation.
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Good tip! For a little over a decade now my regular breakfast has been kashi go lean crunch, French vanilla yogurt with a banana. Tasty, filling and so much better than breakfast cereal with milk.
I didn’t realize how little fiber I was getting until my doctor made me increase my intake. It had a tremendous impact on my body. I wish it didn’t take me 40 years to see that I’ve basically been borderline constipated my whole life lol.
You can also just top your yogurt with Cheerios or raw oats.
My go-to breakfast was frozen berries 30 secs in the microwave, top with stevia and plain Greek yogurt, top with Cheerios.
Cheap, high fiber, high nutrition. And frankly, really damn delicious.
It is also full of wheat. So if you have any issues, be mindful of any potential undiagnosed ibs or gluten intolerances that could exist
Hay is an excellent source of fiber. I get it through my hamburbers.
Fresh fruits and cereal in yoghurt is delicious
I love doing this with Museli – so good! With raisin and seeds in it with the bran. Yum!
Just be ready to rip ass
I’ll add too the LPT: if you’re making anything ‘soupy’, you can add a spoonful or 2 or 3 of soluable FLAVORLESS fiber. Really helps get your intake as well as spread it out more throughout the day.
For people who don’t like dairy products, I highly recommend muesli bread (or “misery bread” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/03/i-hate-to-admit-it-but-my-daily-dose-of-misery-bread-has-been-a-life-changer).
I am reading this post while eating my breakfast bowl, which contains old-fashioned rolled oats, a spoonful of ground flax seed, a spoonful of chia seeds (all Bob’s Red Mill), and a 24-gram scoop of ON chocolate whey protein.
It may not be as cheap as yours, but it is much healthier and sugar-free.
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they sell this stuff called ‘kefir’ that’s just fermented milk with some kind of probiotic culture (it tastes really good to me, i get strawberry or blueberry). if you put a tablespoon or two of chia seeds (start at one) in a cup with that overnight and then drink it in the morning, digestion will definitely improve if you lack fiber.
personally, i can’t really eat in the morning. it makes me feel a bit ill. for some reason, that doesn’t. i use it a few times a week but you can totally make a habit of it daily safely. i’m just frequently absent minded and don’t end up doing it.
apparently it only takes like 20-30 minutes to absorb but the texture difference from overnight is noticeable and a lot easier going down. imo.
Following up to add:
The goal here isn’t to say that this is The Perfectly Optimal breakfast or whatever. I know there are better options. I’m trying to present a low-effort, low-cost on-ramp to a healthier dietary change using accessible ingredients.
Nice. I do oatmeal with fruit on the bottom yogurt mixed in.
LPT: eat fruits and vegetables along with whole grains. Just because you hit some magic fiber number doesn’t mean you’re hitting all your other vitamins and minerals.
Before anyone says it, no, taking a multivitamin isn’t a replacement for a healthy diet. Most of that hits your toilet as neon yellow piss.
GTFO advocating for diarrhea
Grape nuts in yogurt is perfection.
Alternatively, a medium sized avocado has 10g of fiber (1/3 of daily requirement) and won’t spike your insulin the way cereal does. One ounce of chia seeds also has 10g of fiber.
>For yogurt, it can be one of the delicious high sugar flavors for kids, doesn’t matter.
It kind of does matter. Youth-onset type 2 diabetes keeps rising, and it’s because we keep feeding kids refined carbs and sugary meals (particularly breakfast). Anything with fructose (namely HFCS) is especially bad, because unlike glucose which gets metabolized everywhere, fructose can only be metabolized in the liver. Fatty liver disease is linked with insulin resistance, and non-alcoholic FLD has become way more prevalent in the past several decades. Full fat yogurt may reduce a blood sugar spike, but having a lot of sugar in the first place is not good.
Tooo processed. Rather eat banana
True story. So I am kinda tired and read “Bran Cereal” as a persons name then saying that about yogurt and I was like “there is no fiber in yogurt”
Oatmeal is better and better for you
A fiber LPT is awesome to see. I couldn’t believe it when I looked up how important fiber is for your health.
Great tip! Mixing bran cereal with yogurt is a simple way to boost fiber intake. Just remember to increase fiber gradually to avoid digestive issues.
Man all these comments saying this isn’t perfect. Well this is an excellent idea for me. I already have Greek yogurt with Blueberries and honey, adding a scoop of bran in would be an easy way to increase my fiber! I’m gonna try it
I make bran muffins and top with plain Greek yogurt or cream cheese. My kids seem to think a serving of yogurt is what you can fit in a bowl, so muffins keep it a little more reasonable.
Bran cereal has a huge amount of insoluble fiber, but very little soluble fiber. In my experience, soluble fiber is especially beneficial for digestion, and it’s not very common so most people are lacking it (even if they’re eating a "high fiber diet"). For some reason it clumps your stool into the perfect texture so that nothing is left behind. It can actually help normalize your digestion regardless if it’s leaning towards constipation or diarrhea.
I recommend that everyone eat psyllium husk as their fiber source. It is flavorless and has essentially zero other content in terms of nutrition (no sugar or carbs). You can blend the actual husks into a smoothie, or mix them into any wet food (yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal, etc.). Psyllium husk is the active ingredient in Metamucil – I’ve never used that product, but I imagine it’s convenient. I recommend the Yerba Prima brand since it seems to be lowest in heavy metal content (something that’s unavoidable in psyllium), and I recommend the whole husks (as opposed to fiber). Aim for at least 5 g of husk fiber per day, ramp up to 10 g if you like. Stay hydrated since it tends to soak up water.
Other soluble-fiber-rich options are apples & oatmeal – these are good sources of both soluble & insoluble fiber, but they deliver calories & flavor you may or may not want. Pumpkin is also rich in soluble fiber – you have have heard this recommended to help dogs’ digestion. (Don’t get me started on my dog’s glorious digestion…)
I’ve been doing this for several years using Grape Nuts. Works great — thanks for publicizing this!
…why yogurt? Why not just eat cereal? The cereal is doing the heavy lifting in terms of fiber. Yogurt isn’t bringing anything to the table.
Eating the entire day’s with of dinner in a single meal is generally not advised. From someone with multiple gastro issues.
Muesli is the best cereal to get your fiber in my humble opinion. Perfect with blueberries & yogurt. Dorset cereals is produced in the UK.
LPT: eating fiber gives you fiber, and your sugar intake doesn’t matter.
Beans, beans are the way. Yogurt, some kind of fat, a little salsa, and canned beans.
I use "healthy" tortillas to wrap something like this up.
The carb-balance ones tend to have alot of fiber so I make my snacks with them.
I add chia seeds to my oatmeal to give me a tiny boost toward my fiber needs for the day.
I’ve done this forever with grape nuts. All bran is really good too but can be a bit too energetic.
And a few chocolate chips and it’s perfect!
Ok dr Kellogg we both know you’re really just trying to prevent me from touching myself
I love doing Oikos Pro for the high protein and adding granola. Lots of protein and good sources of fiber. Make that with coffee or something and it’ll clear you out.
It also supposed to make you less inclined to masturbate.
95%? Seems a bit steep…
Extra pro tip: make it Greek yoghurt and add in some protein powder to also get half of your protein needs for the day
I typically have yogurt with granola mixed into it. Getting the granola with almonds & dried cranberries or raisins adds a lot of texture variety and (to me) is more satisfying.
Start taking Metamucil daily, no matter what age you are. It makes everything run better.
Constipation you say?….
I don’t think you’re using that word correctly.
As gross as this may sound to others, I mix plain cooked oatmeal with blueberries and a flavored Greek yogurt.
Throw some fruit in there for some soluble fiber because too much insoluble fiber can cause intestinal blockage especially if you don’t get enough fluids
My go to: Metamucil sugar free and a fruit flavored protein. Usually 1 scoop is about 25 grams – if you can handle it double that and mix along with regular serving of Metamucil.
2 of those shakes a day (breakfast/lunch ideally) give you 50-100 grams of protein and full fiber.
You will poop and it will be glorious.
yoghurt and granola, drizzled with a bit of honey or golden syrup, is brilliant as well
Dip spoon in yogurt and then coat with cereal. Yum.
When I was cutting weight for wrestling, I would cut a banana in half, pour yogurt over it, and top it with Grape Nuts. I would add pineapple too if i had any left. I still make it now and then.
Bran buds in yogurt is a great hack!
Frosted mini-wheats in yogurt is also delicious and filling.
I read “in one shot” as “in one shit” and didn’t even question the LPT.
But I don’t like yogurt
I believe it, but did you make up the stat of 95%?
I bought a big bag of agave inulin, the same stuff that they use in those probiotic sodas, and add it to a smoothie in the morning. It’s low calorie and adds some sweetness.
Chia seeds mixed with Greek yogurt the night before. Plus my daily smoothie.
Also check out those Low Carb Tortillas they sell them at target and Costco (can’t remember the brand, clear bag blue label) depending on the size they have 18g to 30g of fiber which is most of what you need for the day. I started eating one everyday and it’s been a game changer for my gut health. Really helps lower bloating, but just make sure you’re drinking a lot of water too
Most of the daily recommendations are bare minimums. They wanted to know how much vitamin c it would take to not have a ship full of dead people on the other side. Forty grams of fiber is probably enough to not get ass cancer.
I’ve been taking small mason jars of overnight oats with yogurt, chia seeds, peanut butter and chopped strawberries to work for lunch. It’s absolutely delicious and very filling – my partner and I have started calling it "nutrient sludge".
FYI, they also make fiber pills that are 7% each. I take 5 every night before bed and I have nice two-tapered no wipes like George Brett everyday.
As a kid, I’d do Grape Nuts in Key Lime Pie yogurt. Was fantastic.
I eat All Bran, extra high fibre, while driving to work. It’s sweet enough by itself and the chewing stops me from falling asleep while driving. Do get a bit on the floor of the car, though.
But u don’t need any fiber, no one does, it’s a myth.
if I look it up, it says 4,3 grams of fiber for a serving, but I need 30 a day
i usually have 150 grams of berries with my breakfast and try to get some beans in my lunch or dinner
While this is an excellent suggestion, I feel like eating bran cereal is the first step in becoming an old person, and I’m far too old to simply walk into that trap!
Fiber is incredibly important, but eating bran only solves the regularity problem. One of the reasons (but not the only) fiber is so good for you is the things that contain fiber are so good for you. If the choice is between not getting enough fiber and getting enough fiber from an imperfect source, then getting enough fiber is absolutely the right choice, but you’d be much better off getting your fiber by eating properly in the first place.
You could have a large sweet potato, a serving of broccoli and a banana will get you about as much fiber as a serving of All-Bran, but with a bunch of vitamins and phytonutrients along with it.
And if you’re ramping up your fiber intake, Beano is your friend.
Good tip but why "ideally in small pieces"? I tried googling it and couldn’t find anything lol
Good tip, I just feel that a big component of health is not just about hitting the numbers, but also eating non processed foods.
An alternative is to mix some psyllium husk into yoghurt with banana and honey (and granola if you like!)