Benefits of Fiber

Fiber...When I think of fiber, I think of all those commercials about old people with constipation and their doctors recommending fiber to keep them from being stopped up.  And my mind goes back to my third year of medical school when my Family Medicine attending (the brilliant, charismatic, iconic great Don Newell, Jr, DO) telling me his thoughts on old people.  "If you can keep them pooping, they will love you!"  Little did I know that getting old included more than gray hair, wrinkles, hormone replacement, and viagra.  It also included longing for the good old days when one could poop regularly.  

But when it comes to essential gut health, fiber can not only reduce constipation, but it improves the gut microbiome (those healthy bacteria), and reduces the risk for colon cancer.  Studies indicate fiber rich diets reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes).  

So what is fiber and how does it play a role in weight loss?  Fiber is a natural form of food that is not digestible.  Foods that have peelings like apples, pears.  Berries.  Nuts.  Hearty (not the instant) oats.  Brown rice, barley, whole wheat.  And green veggies, carrots, cautliflower.  Sweet potato (including the peeling).  These foods slow down the rapid absorption of food - this prevents a spike in blood sugar.  It is the spike in blood sugar that causes the release of insulin whose job is to store those calories in the fat cells.  Simply put, by adding fiber to our meals, we reduce how much of what we ate gets stored into fat.  

We know that foods containing white flour and white sugar are rapidly absorbed leading to spike in blood sugar > spike in insulin > shove it into the fat cells.  But what if we are really wanting a pancake.  A pancake alone is all going to storage.  But if we load that up with some blueberries, that fiber is going to somewhat counteract the effects of that storage because that fiber is going to slow down how rapidly that pancake gets absorbed.  Less of the pancake on the lips goes to the hips. 

The new weight loss shots semaglutide (Wegovy/ozempic) and tirzepatide (mounjaro/zepbound) also slow down absorption but they do so by slowing down how rapidly food gets presented to the gut.  They slow down how quickly the stomach empties.  

Dieting is not all about restrictions.  And sometimes it can be such a mind game when we feel deprived making it unsustainable.  Sometimes small changes can make big impacts and fiber is one of those changes.  After all food is delicious and should be enjoyed.  Fiber can be the sidekick when you want to enjoy something off plan that can help you "have your cake and eat it too".