What if I told you there was a magic nutrient out there that could help you lose weight, keep your blood sugar healthy, and reduce your chance of a heart attack? Oh yeah, it also helps you have the best, most normal dumps of your life.
Well, dear reader, this magical nutrient is real. It is dietary fiber. And chances are you can’t get enough of it.
Read on for the wonderful benefits of roughage and how to start eating more this year.
What is fiber?
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate found in plant foods. Unlike other carbohydrates, fiber cannot be fully digested by the body. Instead, it passes through the digestive system largely intact, providing various health benefits along the way.
There are two main types of fiber: soluble and insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance in the large intestine. This type of fiber can help slow digestion, leading to a feeling of fullness and helping with weight management. The gel-like substance that soluble fiber forms helps the material in the colon slide along nicely and easily. Good sources of soluble fiber include oats, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, and certain fruits and vegetables such as citrus fruits, apples, strawberries, peas, and potatoes.
Insoluble fiber. IInsoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. It adds bulk to your stool and acts as a colon brush to push things up your intestinal tract, helping to keep your digestive system normal. Insoluble fiber can be found in the peels and skins of fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains such as wheat bran, whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat couscous, and brown rice.
The benefits of fiber
Fiber has many health benefits, which is why doctors and your mom encourage you to increase your intake.
Supports weight loss. If you’re trying to lose weight, increasing your fiber intake will go a long way. Like protein, fiber promotes satiety or the feeling of fullness. When you eat more fiber, you’ll feel hungry less often.
Soluble fiber, in particular, slows down digestion, keeping you fuller for longer. In addition, high-fiber foods tend to be less energy-dense, meaning they provide fewer calories for the same volume of food compared to low-fiber options. Two hundred calories of fruit and vegetables take up more space in your abdominal cavity than 200 calories of Devil Dog.
Regulates blood sugar. We talked about insulin resistance and all the bad health outcomes that come with it on the podcast. Besides increasing your exercise, one of the best things you can do to prevent insulin resistance is to increase your fiber intake. One study found that increasing your fiber intake to 30-40 grams per day can reduce your risk of insulin resistance and developing type 2 diabetes by 20-30%.
Fiber helps regulate blood sugar by slowing the digestion and absorption of dietary carbohydrates. Instead of having glucose spikes after eating a carb meal, fiber slows things down so your blood sugar stays in a healthier range.
It makes you a “normal” guy. Man, nothing feels better than having a daily constitutional. And nothing helps you have regular poops like fiber.
Both soluble and insoluble fiber work together to keep you regular. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool and helps keep it moving along the tubes of your digestive system. Soluble fiber forms a gel that keeps your stool smooth so you don’t have to strain when you go about your business.
Supports heart health. Soluble fiber can help lower levels of LDL cholesterol (also known as “bad cholesterol”) by binding cholesterol in the digestive tract and preventing it from entering your bloodstream. If you want to keep the ol’ ticker healthy, ask for an extra serving of veggies.
Supports a healthy microbiome. There is a lot of talk these days about “gut health”. When people refer to gut health, they are talking about your gut microbiome. This is a community of good bacteria that lives inside your digestive system and helps digest food as it passes through your body. In addition to aiding digestion, our gut microbiome plays a vital role in our immune system. The gut microbiome has also been shown to affect our mental health. Studies have shown a link between the health of your microbiome and depression.
You can improve your gut health by increasing fiber in your diet. This is because fiber acts as a prebiotic in your digestive system. Think of prebiotics as food for the healthy bacteria in your gut. When you increase your intake of fibrous foods, you give your gut bacteria the food they need to aid your digestion, boost your immune system, and improve your mood.
How much fiber do you need?
The American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association recommend that adults get 25 to 38 grams of fiber daily. The USDA recommends that you consume 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you consume. So if you’re eating 2,500 calories a day, you should aim to get 35 grams of fiber a day.
However, most people do not follow these recommendations. A survey found that only 5% of Americans meet the daily fiber intake recommendation. The average intake is about 16 grams per day.
Don’t overdo the fiber
Because of fiber’s ability to aid weight loss, it may be tempting to increase your fiber intake to the max.
Hang in there, man.
While fiber is good for you, too much is not good. First, eating too much fiber can make you feel bloated, gassy, and uncomfortable. Second, because the body cannot break down fiber into glucose, it cannot contribute to the synthesis of muscle glycogen. Fiber can’t fuel your muscles for heavy workouts or other strenuous activities.
So aim for the daily recommended amount. Work your way up to this slowly to get your body used to the extra fiber and avoid unpleasant side effects. Each week, add a few more grams to your daily diet until you get about 30 grams a day. Then flatten. If you go over that amount you won’t get much more benefits.
How to increase your fiber
If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance you’re not getting enough fiber. Fortunately, it’s very easy to achieve your daily recommended amount.
Increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Not only do fruits and vegetables provide fiber, they also provide many good-for-you micronutrients.
Consider whole grains. Bran, oatmeal, barley and whole wheat are all high in fiber. Oatmeal is my main source of fiber. I eat it for breakfast and even for lunch and dinner. (Yes, you can eat salty oatmeal!)
I have also used bran cereal to help me reach my fiber goals. Just throw in some Greek yogurt for a fiber and protein rich breakfast.
Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds provide both soluble and insoluble fiber in addition to protein, healthy fats and other vitamins and minerals. Chia seeds were my favorite high fiber seed. One tablespoon has 4 grams of fiber as well as a healthy dose of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. I just put some in my yogurt for a snack.
Beans. Beans are the musical fruit that makes you tired. They may cause flatulence, but they are a quality source of fiber. Cook yourself a big pot of pinto beans for the week and eat them for breakfast with your eggs or put them on nachos for dinner.
Fiber wraps. Eating low carb/high fiber wraps is a very easy way to meet your daily fiber goal. My favorite high fiber wrap is the Xtreme Wellness Tortilla. A large wrap gives you 17 grams of fiber, thanks to whole wheat and flax seed. If you’re aiming for 35 grams of fiber a day, that’s half your daily fiber in one wrap! Talk about bang for your buck. I mix eggs and whites with some cheese, put it in cling film and eat it for breakfast every day. (That’s why I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day.)
Fiber supplements. If you increase the amount of foods you eat from the list above, you should easily reach your daily fiber goals. If you still don’t have an appetite, consider supplementing with a fiber supplement. Most fiber supplements consist of either soluble or insoluble fiber. Either is fine, but if you have trouble with bowel regularity, go for an insoluble fiber supplement. If your stool is hard, use soluble fiber to make it easier to pass. If you’re looking for a good general fiber supplement, psyllium husk fits the bill. it is mostly soluble fiber, but it also has some insoluble fiber.
