The Atlantic

Just Eat More Fiber

Diets can be overwhelming, but one small change can do a lot.
Source: Dado Ruvic / Reuters

In the spirit of Drynuary, I’d like to propose another health-oriented month of the year. Perhaps called Crunch-uary or Poop-tober, it would be 30 days in which Americans, for once, eat enough dietary fiber.

Currently, Americans only eat about 16 grams of fiber —the parts of plants that can’t be digested—per day. That’s way less than the 25 to 30 grams that’s recommended.

There are so many reasons why, from fast-food marketing, and the rise of the restaurant meal. Americans now spend more on food at restaurants than they do at , but restaurant food tends to have than the food we at home.

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