To consume 1 pound of steamed Brussels sprouts in a single sitting as part or all of a single dinner and to do so without — repeat, without — experiencing any bloating or intestinal discomfort afterward.

That’s the odd eating challenge I issue to you. But why?

It’s not because some health fanatic who’s a Belgian transplant, temporarily living in Trachsville, and homesick for the motherland suggested it. It’s for two reasons, the first being when the average person reads about it, they believe it to be ridiculous, something suitable for only the Joey Chestnuts of the world once they tire of speed-eating hot dogs.

If the veggies’s changed to 1 pound of French fries and served up at a fast food restaurant, however . . . then, my friend, for too many fatties it’s game on.

But I digress. The point of the challenge is to point out and repair something else that is indeed dietarily ridiculous.

The meager amount of fiber the average American adult consumes throughout the course of a day.

It’s estimated to be 15 to 17 grams, which is way off the 25 to 38 grams both the National Academy of Medicine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommend. It’s even further off the 60 grams per day fitness and nutrition expert Dr. Layne Norton aims for, or the 90 grams per day preventive cardiologist Dr. Danielle Belardo regularly gets.

Now I didn’t select Brussels sprouts as the contest vegetable because you probably have less than fond memories of eating them as a child or because many people associate eating them with getting gas, and foul-smelling gas at that. I did so because 1 pound of steamed sprouts — possibly with a few added dashes of garlic powder to bring out the sprouts’ subtly sweet savoriness — contains about the same amount of fiber that the average American consumes over the course of an entire day.

As for the reason for the challenge’s added proviso, to eat the sprouts and not experience any bloating or intestinal discomfort, that’s the second reason for the challenge. For to be able to do that part of the dare is a reliable indicator that you’re no longer (or maybe were never) part of the 93 to 95 percent American adults who fall short of the RDA for fiber.

As Belardo explains in a Chuck Carroll “Exam Room” podcast from August 2025, fiber doesn’t cause bloating and intestinal discomfort per se; both result from increasing the ingestion of it too dramatically. To remedy that, Belardo has her patients make small periodic bumps to reach the 40 grams per day she suggests to most patients.

When Carroll points out that’s a bit above the RDA, Belardo not only mentions that she herself regularly consumers 90 grams per day, but also that there’s really no upper limit to how much fiber you consume daily if you continually increase the amount gradually.

Proof of that is found in Tanzania. The Hadza live there and have ingested between 100 to 150 grams of fiber a day for tens of thousands of years. In the last three decades or so, as I’ve mentioned before, my diet’s been proof too.

During that time, I’ve averaged 150 grams per fiber per day with no adverse effects — unless you call clockwork bowel movements and the need to eat and eat to maintain a healthy body weight adverse.

Now if the Brussels sprouts challenge is not right for you, consider other ways to bump up your daily amount of fiber.

One option with broader appeal is to replace typical pasta with one that’s legume- or bean-based, the way Belardo gets a good deal of her fiber. Expect to get between 6 and 12 grams of fiber per serving from these.

Or you could select a pasta designed to be high in fiber, such as Fiber Gourmet’s Light Elbows. A suggested serving, two dry ounces, contains 24 grams of fiber, yet only 110 calories.

Other possibilities are to add beans and lentils to the soups, salads, and sauces you already eat and to eat more fruits that have fibrous peels, like apples, kiwis, peaches, pears, and maybe even mangoes, without peeling them.

To round things out, here are four reasons why you should make sure you’re getting at least the daily recommended amount of fiber, compliments of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.

1.) Fiber can’t be broken down and used by the body for energy. That means eating it doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar the way other carbohydrates can.

2.) Fiber prevents your body from absorbing some dietary fat and cholesterol. That lowers your triglyceride and cholesterol levels, which generally reduces your risk of heart disease.

3.) Fiber acts like a scrub brush and cleans your digestive tract. That reduces your risk of colon cancer and improves gut health.

4.) Since fiber can’t be broken down and digested, it moves slowly through the stomach, making you feel fuller for longer. This can help you lose or maintain your weight.