Fiber: An Unsung Hero
In the internet era where there’s a trendy new superfood every week it’s easy to overlook the basics, including our gut’s favorite friend: fiber.
It is estimated that our hunter-gatherer ancestors usually consumed at least 100 grams of fiber per day. Today the commended daily amount of fiber is only 25-30 grams yet approximately 95% of Americans don’t reach that goal. A big reason for this is the amount of ultra-processed food we consume, peddled by corporations who stand to profit from shelf-stable cheap-to-produce foods lacking, you guessed it, fiber.
So what is fiber anyway? Fiber is a type of starch found in plants that the human body is unable to digest. Since our bodies are unable to absorb fiber, it instead passes through our digestive system, providing a host of benefits along the way. Additionally, some species in our microbiome can break down fiber, creating nutrients in the process.
There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. As the name suggests soluble fiber can dissolve in water whereas insoluble cannot. Both types of fiber provide our bodies with unique benefits.
Why Do Our Bodies Love Fiber?
Fiber Lowers Blood Sugar (Glucose) Spikes After You Eat
Because our bodies do not digest soluble fiber, it moves through our digestive system slower than other forms of carbohydrates. When fiber is eaten with foods that may spike our blood sugar, the fiber slows down the absorption of glucose-containing foods, reducing a blood sugar spike after eating.
Less of a glucose spike helps you maintain energy and focus. It also reduces inflammation and decreases the risk of damage from high blood sugar and insulin levels.
Short-chain fatty acids made by the bacteria that feed on fiber can also encourage insulin production which is needed to lower blood glucose spikes.
More on blood sugar to come in a future blog post!
Fiber Can Lower Cholesterol Levels
Soluble fiber can form a gel in our intestines and there it can trap LDL cholesterol, stopping your intestines from reabsorbing the substance back into the bloodstream.
LDL cholesterol then leaves our body with the fiber in our poop.
When our gut microbiome feeds on the fiber we feed it, they create short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which our body does absorb. SCFAs can tell our livers to decrease LDL production.
Fiber Cleans Out Your Colon
As fiber passes through our digestive system without being digested, it picks up buildup in our intestines along the way, which can decrease the risk of colon cancer.
Toxic substances are excreted with the fiber.
Fiber Feeds Our Good Gut Bacteria
Fiber is food for our gut microbiome. Using fiber, it can produce beneficial substances for us such as short-chain fatty acids (SFCAs) and vitamin K.
SFCAs are anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-diabetic and protective of our cardiovascular, immune, and neurological systems.
Having a healthy microbiome also helps protect the mucous lining of our gut.
Fiber Can Help You Poop
Probably one of the most well known benefits of fiber is that insoluble fiber helps bulk up our stool which makes it easier to poop.
Fiber can also soften stool, again helping to keep us regular.
So how can you get more fiber in your diet? Capitalism may try to convince us we need to buy fancy fiber supplements but real, whole foods provide plenty of fiber options.
A brief interruption for a disclaimer: Nothing in this article is medical advice or is intended as such. Please work with your medical provider to safely improve your fiber intake. Be careful not to increase too much fiber too fast as it can lead to unpleasant side effects (ahem bloating and gas). Allow time for your gut bacteria to get used to a higher fiber intake slowly.
Here are some ways I enjoy adding fiber to my diet.
5 Ways to Increase Fiber Intake
1. Pre-make “Fiber Preload” Veggies
My partner Garrett and I love to meal-prep veggies to have on hand for the week. Lately we’ve started calling these veggies our “fiber preload” because starting a meal off with fiber helps reduce blood sugar spikes and improves meal satiety.
This can be any veggies you enjoy and it’s fun to mix it up from week to week.
Even if you don’t enjoy full-blown meal-prep, having a few pre-made vegetables makes it so much more realistic to actually add them to meals rather than having to cook from scratch every day.
See some of my previous blog posts for ideas: Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, Cabbage
2. Mix it Up with Sauerkraut or Kimchi
Sometimes cooking vegetables takes too much effort but you also don’t just want to snack on a raw veggie. Enter sauerkraut and kimchi.
These fermented foods can be bought pre-made and easily added to meals that might not otherwise contain much fiber such as sandwiches, soups, or rice.
Bonus: They’re full of beneficial bacteria for your gut
Extra tip: Look for versions that contain little to no added sugars.
3. Include More Nuts and Seeds
Chia, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower, flax seeds and walnuts, almonds, pistachios etc.
These can be fun toppings to add to salads, soups, yogurt or smoothie bowls, etc.
Enjoy them on their own as a snack.
Make them the star of the show such as with chia pudding (an easy breakfast to meal-prep, recipe to come in a future blog post)
You can even add chia seeds to your water for some added fiber! It’s even better if you added some fresh citrus juice for a splash of flavor.
4. Enjoy Some Berries
While all fruit as some fiber, berries really pack a fiber bunch
Consider snacking on blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries or add them to yogurt bowls, chia pudding, oatmeal, etc.
Tip: frozen are usually cheaper and last waaay longer before going bad.
5. Don’t Forget Beans and Lentils
With so many different varieties of beans and lentils there is no shortage of ways to enjoy these legumes.
Between dense bean salads, dal, soups, hummus, etc. there are also plenty of ways to mix it when it comes to beans and lentils. Many of these foods can be easily prepared in bulk to enjoy throughout the beak.
Soaking your beans and lentils ahead of cooking them makes them easier to digest. While I haven’t gotten into sprouting them yet, that can make their nutrients even more bioavailable. Definitely something I want to try!
What’s your favorite way to sneak more fiber into your diet? Do you notice a different in how you feel when you eat more fiber?
Sources:
Belluz, J. (2019, July 15). Nearly all Americans fail to eat enough of this actual superfood. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2019/3/20/18214505/fiber-diet-weight-loss
Feng, Y., & Xu, D. (2023). Short-chain fatty acids are potential goalkeepers of atherosclerosis. Frontiers in pharmacology, 14, 1271001. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1271001
Knudsen, M. & Warwick, K. W. (2022, February 11). Does fiber lower cholesterol? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fiber-and-cholesterol
Mayo Clinic Staff. Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Medical Specialists. (n.d.). Why fiber is so good for you. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Patient Education A-Z. https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/why-fiber-is-so-good-for-you#:~:text=When%20you%20eat%20whole%20grains,your%20risk%20for%20colon%20cancer.
Xiong, R. G., Zhou, D. D., Wu, S. X., Huang, S. Y., Saimaiti, A., Yang, Z. J., Shang, A., Zhao, C. N., Gan, R. Y., & Li, H. B. (2022). Health Benefits and Side Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 11(18), 2863. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11182863
