The newest research in the diet and weight loss field is shifting from pushing protein as the main player in weight loss/maintenance toward fiber. As more research emerges about gut health, the importance of fiber is getting more and more attention.

Protein is still very important- but it’ll be very helpful to take a deeper look at fiber and the role it can play in your health/weight as well.

Fiber was traditionally not given a lot of attention because the human body can’t digest fiber. We don’t have the enzymes needed to break it down so it can be absorbed. We knew it added bulk to our stools and helped us stay full longer but it turns out the role of fiber in the diet is much more critical than that.

Why We Need Fiber in our Diet:

In our gut (or intestines) live billions of microscopic bacteria. Some of these are incredibly helpful in producing beneficial short-chain fatty acids and some of them just cause metabolic problems and cause us to retain more calories than we otherwise would. I’ll get to the importance of short-chain fatty acids in a minute.

The amount of good/bad gut bacteria we have depends on what we feed them. The beneficial kind of bacteria like to feed on fiber in whole, unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The damaging type of bacteria tend to grow more when fiber is absent, or low, in the diet and more ultra-processed food is eaten.  

Benefits of Eating More Fiber:

Producing short-chain fatty acids can sound like a negative thing when you first think about it (Wait- my gut is making more fat????) but the cool thing is those short-chain fatty acids don’t actually contribute to your fat. They do all kinds of other cool things though. Here is a list:

1. Used as energy in cells

2. Reduce inflammation

3. Help your body absorb critical minerals

4. Improve your metabolism. This is because short-chain fatty acids benefit the cells in the pancreas, which release insulin and glucagon, which regulates blood sugar levels. Better control of blood sugar levels helps lower your risk of weight gain and type 2 diabetes.

5. Helps regulate your appetite. Feeling full longer makes it naturally easier to eat less calories without resorting to restriction or calorie counting.

Research into the benefits of short-chain fatty acids is new and still emerging but these findings are very exciting!

Another benefit of fiber is because it is undigested those little globs of fiber can bind to fat in the digestive system and take it down into the bowel where you’ll poop it out. This means less fat gets absorbed which means less calories get absorbed! This isn’t a huge amount but every little bit helps!

They’ve found lean individuals have very different gut bacteria than obese individuals. An unhealthy gut could make weight-loss harder because all the benefits of the short-chain fatty acids are missing. There was one study where they took obese mice and lean mice and swapped their poop. (I’m not sure how they did this…. Let's not speculate. Ha ha). After the swap the lean mice gained weight and the obese mice lost weight. Just from swapping out the type of bacteria in their gut! They found that for this change to be permanent they had to change the diet of the previously obese mice to foods the good gut bacteria would eat so they could continue to have that good gut bacteria. If they didn’t change the diet, the mice would revert right back when those good gut bacteria starved to death because they didn’t have fiber to feed them.

Instead of eating a healthy-gut person’s poop- you could just eat more fiber to feed your good gut bacteria. Seems much more palatable!

The bottom line is more fiber = healthier gut = easier weight control.

It is critically important to maintain lasting health by including good sources of fiber in your diet!

Ways to Include More Fiber:

Here is a variety of foods containing fiber I have been enjoying recently:

1. Vegetables: Spinach, sugar snap peas, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts and cauliflower.

2. Fruits: apples, bananas, blueberries, cherries, peaches and watermelon.

3. Whole grains: Joseph’s Lavash Bread tortillas, oats (as oatmeal or granola), quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, flax seeds, chia seeds, and plant-based protein powder.

Start with whatever type of fruits, vegetables, or whole grains you enjoy, and eat them more often.

If you'd like help incorporating more fiber into your diet go here to set up a free Strategy Session with me. I'd love to help! 

Eat more fiber and you are going to feel amazing!