Fiber! The nutrient that is one of the silent heroes to our health, yet, most people don’t even realize it, nor do they eat enough of it!
Shockingly, in America, roughly 95% of people aren’t eating enough fiber. Only getting up to around 15g per day, when the recommended intake is around 25-30g per day.
It’s also a nutrient that is quite misunderstood.
It just helps us poop right?! And the best sources are fiber supplements and Fiber One bars right?!
Well, not exactly. These are just some of the main misconceptions about fiber.
Fiber is simply a type of carbohydrate found in plant foods, it has numerous benefits, and there are many different types of it.
There is actually a seemingly endless amount of different types of fibers, but they’re usually broken down into two categories: soluble and insoluble fiber.
- Soluble fiber: dissolves in water, becomes gel-like, slows digestion, helps lower cholesterol & control blood sugar – oats, beans, citrus fruits, apples
- Insoluble fiber: adds “bulk” to stool, helps food pass through digestive tract – wheat bran, vegetables, potatoes, beans, whole-wheat flour
Most plant foods have some of both, but in different amounts.
Some might say we don’t need fiber to survive, and, although that may be correct, anyone who has studied and understands fiber would argue we definitely want to be getting more of it if we want to thrive.
The thing is, I am not a doctor, and fiber is a topic that could be explained in great depth for an entire book.
**As a matter of fact, I highly recommend the book Fiber Fueled by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, if you’re into in-depth books about health, nutrition, and especially fiber!**
So my goal here isn’t to get crazy into the science of fiber, but rather, to share some of the basics I’ve learned about why fiber is important, what it can help with, and how to eat more of it!
Also, since there are plenty of misconceptions out there about it, I’ll cover some of those, as well
**Speaking of me not being a doctor, I want to clarify I am not providing any sort of medical advice, rather I am only seeking to educate, and share knowledge. Always talk to a qualified physician before making any diet or lifestyle changes!**
WHY FIBER IS IMPORTANT
GUT HEALTH
One of the biggest impacts fiber has on our health is the impact on gut health.
Essentially, gut health refers to the state of our microbiome.
Our microbiome is home to trillions of living microbes – basically bacteria (not all bad) – and these microbes play a critical role in the health and function of 5 important areas of human health:
- Digestive system
- Immune system
- Cognitive (brain) function – mood, mental sharpness, etc
- Hormone regulation
- Gene expression – yes, these microbes even impact how our genes are expressed! (example – if being overweight runs in your family, that doesn’t guarantee you will inherently be overweight, but rather, depending on the state of your microbiome, you may be more susceptible to easier weight gain than others)
Basically, having a healthy microbiome is crucial to feeling good, and being healthy, overall.
Where does fiber come into play?
Fiber happens to be food for our microbes, also known as prebiotics. Some fiber haters might say we can’t even digest fiber, so why eat it?
And well, we can’t, but our microbes can. And if we want to be healthy, we have to keep our microbes healthy.
And we do that by feeding them what they love, which is fiber!
Our microbes (the good, health-promoting ones, at least) feed on fiber, and then they essentially multiply, and grow stronger – providing better health outcomes.
“Bad” microbes, or one’s that could negatively impact our microbiome & health, grow and multiply due to things like:
- Alcohol
- Ultra-processed junk food
- Refined grains/added sugars
- Saturated fat
- Diet lacking in fiber
An ideal scenario would be a microbiome that has a lot more good, or, health-promoting bacteria, than it does bad bacteria.
Another important thing about fiber and gut health to note is diversity.
Because there are many different types of fiber in nature – a different type in each plant food – each type will feed a different species of microbe.
Creating diversity of microbes, which has been shown to lead to a healthier gut.
The more diversity of microbes in the microbiome, the better the gut-health outcomes.
This was discovered in The American Gut Project where numerous gut-health experts studied around 15,000 microbiome samples from around 11,000 participants.
In regards to fiber and diversity, they had two fascinating findings:
- The more different types of plant foods a person eats, the more microbial diversity they had
- Eating up to 30 or more different types of plant foods per week lead to more diverse microbiome than those who ate 10 or less different types of plant foods per week
These, along with several other findings they had, lead them to the conclusion that the single greatest predictor of a healthy gut is the diversity of plants in one’s diet.
Aka, diversity of fiber!
They also noted how the most optimal form of fiber is, in fact, from whole food sources, and not from fiber supplements or replacements.
So if you want to optimize your health in the 5 areas mentioned earlier – digestive system, immune system, cognitive function, hormone regulation, gene expression – focus on optimizing gut health. And one of the best ways to do that is to, of course, eat more fiber! (focusing on the diversity of whole plant foods!)
HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS & MANAGEMENT
Healthy weight loss and weight management is another great benefit of including more fiber in your life!
I emphasize healthy because this isn’t a form of weight loss that involves drastically cutting calories, or starving yourself. It’s also not a form of weight loss where you’re primarily losing water weight and muscle mass.
But rather, including more fiber in your diet has been shown to help with fat loss primarily. As well as helping to keep off unwanted weight/fat gain.
Fiber helps to provide satiety, or, feelings of fullness and satisfaction from a meal.
One of the main contributors to unwanted weight gain is overeating calories.
This happens when people eat foods that are void of fiber, and are overall not very satiating, while also having a lot of calories. These are foods such as ultra- processed foods, fast food, refined grains, cheese, dairy milk, etc.
Fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes naturally are lower in calories, and are able to provide feelings of fullness and satisfaction without overeating.
This not only helps to lose unwanted weight, but it also helps to prevent unwanted weight gain.
This also works because fiber has the ability to manage and control cravings, and blood sugar.
The more fiber-rich foods someone eats regularly, the less they will come to crave things like junk food or fast food, making it easier and more effortless to stick to eating the right foods.
And the controlling of blood sugar provides a steady release of energy without having a “crash” or cravings for more unhealthy food.
Eating more fiber helps with fat loss by controlling calorie intake without you even realizing it, helping to control and manage cravings, and also helping to keep you both full and satisfied while still providing steady energy, and a boost in metabolism!
CANCER PREVENTION
Because fiber has the ability to balance hormones, and estrogen levels, it has been shown to help decrease the risks of breast cancer.
It has also been shown to keep the colon healthy, helping aid in the prevention of colon cancer.
PROTECTS THE HEART
Cardiovascular disease is the number 1 killer of humans. Including more fiber in the diet can help lower your risk! Fiber has heart-protective benefits including:
- Lowering blood pressure
- Lowering/balancing cholesterol
- Managing blood sugar
FIBER MISCONCEPTIONS
JUST HELPS YOU POOP?
Hopefully now you have some more insight to the many benefits of fiber! But yes, lol, the insoluble form of fiber has been shown to help things “get moving”.
CAUSES MORE CONSTIPATION?!
This is a misconception those fiber-haters love to bring up, without realizing they’re not getting the full picture.
Fiber has been known to help with constipation, so what’s the deal?
The idea is that when fiber is broken down by our microbes, it causes gas that leads to slower bowel movements, and can exacerbate constipation. What they don’t realize is this is only really an issue if someone already has bowel or digestive issues.
Constipation can arise from many different things – stress, changing of routine, drastic diet or lifestyle changes, etc – and if you add a lot of soluble fiber to the mix, it can potentially slow things down more. This, however, doesn’t mean fiber is the enemy.
It would be similar to someone injuring their knee, for example, and then experiencing pain when they try to workout. But, instead of focusing on fixing the knee, they just demonize working out altogether.
When obviously, there’s more to the picture than just that.
So again, to make things clear, fiber does not cause constipation, however, if you’re already experiencing it, soluble fiber can exacerbate symptoms – remember, soluble fiber helps to slow digestion, whereas insoluble fiber helps to get things moving.
**Also, pro tip: Kiwis & ground flaxseed have been shown to help naturally relieve constipation after introducing them into the diet for a few days to a week.**
THE BEST FORM?
There are many various fiber supplements and powders that are all the rage, and they may in fact help with stools, or what have you, but they’re simply not optimal.
All of the research on fiber, along with expert opinions, say that the best form of fiber is from whole food, plant sources. Where the fiber originates.
So if you really want to optimize your healthy fiber intake, whole, plant-based sources are your best bet
GAS AND BLOATING?!
One of the next biggest concerns about fiber is that it can cause uncomfortable gas and bloating.
Although it can be uncomfortable, it’s completely normal.
This happens when our microbes break down the fiber.
The real reason it happens often is simply because most people don’t eat enough fiber to begin with. And the gas and bloating means that their microbiome isn’t very adapted to it. Yet!
As I mentioned, fiber helps our microbes multiply and grow stronger. The more fiber someone eats, and the healthier and more diverse their microbiome is, the less they will experience gas and bloating.
This is because at this point, the microbes are adapted to the fiber, and are able to break it down much easier than when they’re first introduced to it.
Imagine your microbes being a person who’s new to working out. And fiber is a tough workout program.
They will struggle initially, and feel sore. However, the more they adapt to it, and the stronger they become, the better they will be at handling the workout. And overtime, they’ll be able to handle more and more tough workouts with ease.
Our microbiome works in a similar way with fiber.
The best way to combat this if it’s something you’re experiencing (assuming you have no other digestive issues) is to slowly introduce high fiber foods a little at a time, overtime.
HOW TO GET MORE OF IT
Here is a list of some fiber-packed foods to include in your daily routin
BREAKFAST
- Whole grain cereals
- Oatmeal
- Whole wheat or whole grain toast or bagel
- Serving of your choice of fruit
- Fruit & greens smoothie
LUNCH & DINNER
- Including whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat bread) over refined grains (white rice, white bread)
- Whole grain pastas (whole wheat, lentil pasta, bean pasta, etc.) rather than refined grain pasta such as white pasta
- Including legumes to your dishes, or as sides (beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, etc.)
- Veggies, veggies, veggies in main dishes and as sides (side of frozen veggies is an easy choice!)
- Including whole potatoes (white, red, sweet, etc) – avoid/minimize the fried kind! (aka fries and potato chips)
- Bean or plant-based burger rather than beef burger
SNACK
- Fruit
- Fruit & nuts
- Veggies w/ hummus
- Fruit & greens smoothie
- Piece of whole grain toast w/ avocado
- Popcorn
FOODS THAT DON’T HAVE FIBER
- All animal products – meat, dairy, eggs – 0 fiber but a lot of death and cruelty
- Junk food – chips, processed snacks, desserts, candy
- Fast food
- Refined grains – white bread, white pasta, white flour, added sugars
- Oils – oils are pure fat, even vegetable-based oils the fiber is eliminated
Thanks for reading!