Is Fiber the Secret Ingredient to Weight Loss

Rewind a few years, people gave a stink eye to fiber or roughage. People never like this f-word and failed to include it in their diet. But over the years people have realized the importance of nutrients. Scientists have established the fact that roughage is beneficial for your health. What’s more, it can help you reduce stubborn fat triggering different health issues. According to studies, food rich in roughage can combat different health issues such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and others. Roughage can help you shed those excess pounds without making you feel hungry. Increased intake of roughage can help people maintain their weight and avoid gaining pounds over several years. Want to know how you can use roughage as the main weapon to fight fat.

What Is Fiber?

Fiber or roughage refers to the carbs present in the plants. Your digestive system cannot digest roughage. So, it reaches the large intestine without any changes. In the large intestine, it is either broken down by the bacteria present in the gut or passed out of the body through the stools. There are two types of roughage namely:

Soluble Fiber

When soluble roughage absorbs water, it has a gel-like consistency. It helps the gut bacteria to break down food with ease. Oats and Chia’s seeds are examples of soluble fiber that you can include in the diet.

Insoluble Fiber

Contrary to soluble fiber, insoluble roughage has a rigid microscopic structure. It cannot absorb water easily. Instead, insoluble roughage adds bulk to the stools. Vegetables and fruits are a good source of insoluble fiber.

These two types of fiber make food high in roughage. Usually, a high roughage can contain both, but they are rich in one type compared to the other.

Right Amount Of Fiber

For a healthy body, you need to eat fourteen grams of fiber per thousand calories a day. Women need twenty-five grams a day while men need thirty-eight grams. But, only 5% of the total population can reach the recommended dose of roughage a day. Others get less roughage from their diet that can affect the health negatively. People who do not include enough roughage in their diet can suffer from digestive issues. A low-fiber diet is linked to health issues such as dysbiosis (the condition promoting the growth of harmful gut bacteria) and constipation.

Working Of Fiber In The Body

So, how do fiber work in the human body and offer benefits? Roughage is nothing but a part of plant foods. It is a part of foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. This part of the plant food is difficult to digest by the body. You have already read about the classification of roughage. In that, the insoluble ones aid the food to pass through the digestive system while the soluble ones eliminate fats from the body and lower cholesterol levels. Soluble roughage causes the fats and sugar to enter at a slower rate. Hence, it provides you with a constant supply of energy. Eating food lacking in fiber can increase the sugar levels in the blood quickly. The sudden spike and crashing of blood sugar levels result in hunger pangs. You tend to overeat resulting in obesity.

With an increased intake of foods containing fiber, your body feels better. The high-roughage content in the foods tends to have low calories. So, you can eat more without any concerns about calories. Also, roughage in the food can make you feel full. It is because it tends to swell in the stomach when it starts absorbing liquid. Fiber is also good for your heart health. It can reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It also facilitates increased blood circulation. The potent effects of soluble roughage on cholesterol levels have resulted in the FDA allowing oatmeal companies to advertise it on their products. Roughage can also bring down the C-reactive protein levels (CRP) that act as a marker to indicate inflammation. Inflammation triggers problems like cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Is Fiber The Secret Ingredient To Weight Loss?

Now, you know how dietary fiber or roughage works. But, how can it serve your purpose of losing excess body weight? Here are some of the reasons why you need to include roughage in your diet regularly or think about switching to a high-roughage diet:

Fiber Feeds Your Friendly Gut Bacteria

According to scientists, more than a hundred trillion bacteria live in the gut of human beings. These friendly bacteria reside mainly in the large intestine. Scientists refer to these bacteria as gut microbiome or gut flora. There are gut bacteria that can help with several aspects of health including weight management. Lean body weight is scientifically linked to Christensenella minute and Akkermansia muciniphila. Scientists have found these two, but bacteria in individuals who maintain a slim physique. People with obesity have a weal gut lining. Akkermansia can come to the rescue of such people as it strengthens the intestinal barrier by feeding on the mucus gut lining. These gut bacteria also produce short-chain fatty acids referred to as acetate. It aids in the regulation of your appetite and body fat storage.

Boosting Gut Bacteria

Boosting the abundance of good gut bacteria can keep weight in check. Gut bacteria also need good food to stay healthy. Including roughage, especially soluble ones will help these gut bacteria to flourish. Soluble roughage can pass through the digestive system without undergoing any change. Ultimately, it reaches the friendly gut bacteria to convert it into usable energy. Prebiotic foods or fermentable fiber offer greater benefits as it will fuel good gut bacteria’s activities. Hence, the intake of such foods can aid in the growth of friendly gut bacteria and ensure greater protection against obesity. Maintaining body weight is possible by eating insoluble roughage like resistant starch. They mimic the functioning of prebiotics.

Fiber Foods Can Help Fight Inflammation

Enhanced production of friendly gut bacteria can fight inflammation. It is renowned for its positive effect on chronic inflammation. Good gut bacteria can produce nutrients that can feed on the cells lining the colon. So, it can reduce inflammation developing in the gut and offer relief from inflammatory disorders. Before you misunderstand the importance of gut bacteria, you need to realize that short-term or acute inflammation can offer great benefits to your body. It aids your body in fighting infection triggered due to foreign invaders and repair cells suffering from damage. But, developing long-term or chronic inflammation can result in serious problems as it combats the tissues of the body considering it as harmful invaders.

Inflammation is linked with many lifestyle disorders, including excess weight. Consuming roughage can reduce inflammation. So, it can play a major role in combating many Western diseases like metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease. Weight gain and obesity trigger inflammation. According to different studies, a high intake of foods containing fiber can reduce the inflammatory marker levels in the bloodstream. With an increased intake of roughage, you can lower the chances of suffering from inflammation.

Viscous Fiber Promotes Weight Loss By Controlling Appetite

For losing weight, you need to eat less. A calorie deficit diet can do the trick. It means your body must burn more calories or energy than the calories entering it. While counting calories can help you keep on track of your weight loss goals, choosing the right foods will eliminate the need for calorie counting. Anything helping you reduce appetite can bring down the calorie intake. When you have less appetite, you will shed pounds without thinking too hard. Roughage can suppress your appetite. Not all types of roughage can have this effect. A specific type of roughage can help lose excess fat.

Evidence Indicating Effectiveness Of Viscous Fiber

According to a study, people taking roughage with a high viscosity can reduce their food intake due to feeling full. Increasing the consumption of viscous roughage will help reduce appetite and lower food intake. So, what is this viscous fiber? It is the soluble roughage known for its thickness and stickiness. You can take the example of water and honey for a better understanding. Honey is thicker compared to water. Hence, it means honey is more viscous. Similarly, certain types of soluble roughage can thicken when combined with water. It can form a gel-like substance that can sit in your stomach and make you feel full. Some of the examples of such type of roughage are:

• Beta-glucans
• Pectins
• Glucomannan
• Psyllium
• Guar Guam

This gel-like substance can slow down the emptying of the stomach. It increases digestion along with absorption times. Ultimately, you feel full for a long time. It brings down your appetite. Some evidence points to the effectiveness of the viscous roughage in targeting the belly fat and promoting weight loss in that area. Abdominal fat accumulation is bad for your health as it can trigger several metabolic diseases.

Rich Source Of Viscous Fiber

You can find the presence of viscous fiber only in plant foods. The food items with increased levels of viscous roughage are:

• Flax seeds
• Beans
• Legumes
• Asparagus
• Oats
• Brussel sprouts

But, you need to remember that switching to a high-fiber diet without giving your body the time to adjust to it can trigger several complications. Without easing into the diet, you can develop the following problems:

• Abdominal cramps
• Severe discomfort
• Diarrhea

Can You Opt For Fiber Supplements For Effective Weight Loss?

Most people believe fiber supplements have the same power as natural roughage. But, it is not true. Fiber supplements are manufactured by isolating fiber from the plant source. These fiber supplements can indeed offer some health benefits. But, the evidence for weight loss remains mixed. Some people have seen changes while others have not experienced any weight loss effects. According to a study, guar gum and psyllium (the soluble, viscous roughage promoting weight loss) cannot provide the same effect when converted as weight loss supplements. Only glucomannan, the roughage extracted from konjac root can work effectively as a weight loss supplement. Hence, this viscous dietary roughage can promote modest weight loss.

Isolated nutrients taken as supplements will hardly make a difference. They can only make a great impact when you combine these isolated nutrients with other techniques. So, to promote weight loss with roughage supplements, you need to include other weight loss strategies. Focusing on whole plant foods can make a better impact compared to taking glucomannan and other soluble roughage supplements.

Choosing Fiber for Weight Loss

Do you know that many people fail to get enough fiber recommended for safeguarding their health? The majority of the population worldwide does not get enough roughage from their diet. You need to get 25 grams of roughage a day. It is the basic recommendation from a doctor for safeguarding your health. But, we manage to get just ten to fifteen grams of fiber a day. It is a far cry from the actual amount needed. Experts believe more roughage (around 30 grams to 40 grams) a day will aid in weight loss. So, including roughage will help you reduce your body weight. When combined with an exercise routine, the high-fiber diet will help you shed excess fat. But, before you start picking healthy-looking bread and cereals, you need to read the label on the products carefully.

Checking the roughage content before opting for the product is essential to get the right level needed for the body. It is essential to look carefully at the roughage content before opting for the item. Anything less than three grams of roughage per serving in bread or two grams per hundred calories in cereals may not offer benefits. Here are some of the label buzzwords you need to understand to make the right decision.

Ingredients Listed As “Whole”

If the label on the product reads whole grain oats or 100% whole wheat, you can take it. Any food item with the first ingredient listed is whole grain can offer great benefits to your health.

Label Mentioning Excellent Source Of Fiber

When the label indicates an excellent source, it means it has at least five grams of roughage with every serving. While product coming with the label “good source” points to roughage of at least 2.5 grams per serving.

Products Containing Graham Flour

It is a type of whole wheat flour offering the benefits of whole-grain when consumed. But, before you choose the product, check the roughage content.

Food Containing Whole-Grain Label

Choose food with a whole-grain label containing at least 51% whole grain with each serving. Even you select such a food item, depending on the product, the roughage levels may still measure low compared to what you exactly need each at. Not following? Let’s check an example of bread. Since making bread requires more water compared to cereals, bread may not offer the necessary roughage even when they have a whole-grain label. So, better to check the serving list.

Made With Whole Grains

If you see the whole grains appear down in the ingredient list, you can put the product back on the shelf as they may not offer the desired results.

Multigrain

The products with the label of multigrain indicate it contains more than one type of grains. But, it does not mean it contains only whole grains. To detect the roughage content, you need to check the ingredient list.

Product With 100% Wheat Label

If the label of the food you choose does not say it is whole, then it means it comes under the refined flour category. So, irrespective of the 100% wheat claim, it has no necessary nutrients due to stripping them away during the processing.

Enriched Label

It is the term indicating the addition of vitamins and minerals after processing. But, it does not indicate the inclusion of roughage. As processing strips vital nutrients, it may not contain roughage needed for your body. Hence, it is better to skip it.

Tips To Include More Fiber In Your Diet

While knowing about the right roughage you can include in your diet can enlighten you, the challenge lies in how to add it to your daily routine. Here are some suggestions to include roughage in the diet:

Choose The Right Breakfast Containing Fiber

You can jump-start your day by eating breakfast with high roughage content. You can opt for breakfast cereal containing five grams or more roughage in it per serving. When you select the breakfast cereal, you can select labels like whole grain, bran, or fiber in its name. If you do not feel like switching your cereals, you can include few tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran into the cereal you eat.

Opt For Whole Grains

Instead of bread made from refined flour, you need to switch to whole grains. Consuming at least half the quantity of daily needed grains as whole grains can offer great benefits to your health. When you purchase bread, check the ingredient list to note if it lists whole-wheat flour, whole wheat, or another whole grain as the main ingredient in its label. It must also have at least two grams of roughage per serving. You can replace the common items you eat with the following:

• Whole-wheat pasta
• Brown rice
• Barely
• Wild rice
• Bulgur wheat
• Bulk Up The Baked Goods

If you like to make a healthy switch, choose baked goods made out of whole-grain flour instead of white flour. You can make your baked stuff good for weight loss by using uncooked oatmeal, unprocessed wheat bran, or crushing bran cereal and adding it to cakes, muffins, and cookies.

Lean On Excellent Sources Of Fiber

You can choose legumes like lentils, peas, and beans as they have high levels of roughage. You can eat canned soup containing kidney beans or make a salad out of it. Try to include nachos made of refried black beans or opt for whole-wheat tortilla chips with salsa to make your meal fiber-rich.

Include More Fruits And Vegetables

So you know that fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals, and roughage? Try to include it in your diet and eat at least five servings or more a day to get the desired results.

Make Eating Snacks Count

If you eat snacks, choose the ones with a high amount of roughage for your well being. Here are some of the options you can try:

• Whole-grain crackers
• Low-fat popcorn
• Fresh fruits
• Raw vegetables

While munching on nuts or dried fruits can also provide enough roughage, they have a high-calorie count. So, it can cause hindrance with the weight loss goals.

When you plan a diet, take these factors into account to ensure you include high amounts of roughage that will aid in your weight loss goals.

Pros And Cons Of Including A Diet With High Fiber Content

To promote weight loss, you can include a diet high in fiber. This diet will have an abundance of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. While it may seem similar to other heart-friendly diets, it also aligns perfectly with the current dietary guidelines.

Pros Associated With Fiber Diet

The pros associated with following such a diet are.

Bowel Regularity

Roughage can aid in the perfect working of your colon. When it does the job well, the colon produces bulky yet soft stool that can pass with ease. So, including roughage in the diet will regulate bowel movement. It can prevent constipation and avoid the development of hemorrhoids. So, you can bring down the chances of developing colon cancer.

Fiber Aids Weight Loss

Fiber is the secret ingredient to weight loss. Roughage will make you feel full while it has low calories. So, when you include high-fiber foods, it means you have little or no room for foods like refined carbohydrates in your diet. Avoiding food with no nutrients means you refrain from consuming empty calories. Roughage is a good source of lean protein. It is a good option you can switch to instead of high-fat red meat to get the necessary protein. Simply adding roughage to the diet can result in weight loss and reaching the ideal weight goal.

Supports Heart Health

Roughage is good for the heart. It can improve your blood cholesterol levels and regulate blood pressure. So, apart from shedding excess pounds, it can lower the risk of heart disease by managing the factors contributing to the condition. According to a study conducted in 2016, including dietary-fiber in your diet can reduce the risk of fatal complications caused by heart disease.

Cancer Prevention

According to research, reviewing different studies, scientists discovered, including roughage in the diet can reduce the chances of death due to cancer. The study, published in 2016 points to the effect of roughage on preventing colon cancer. It is because of how roughage aids the function of your digestive system.

Cons Of Including Fiber In Your Diet

The excess fiber in the diet may not seem good for some people. You need to know its con before including roughage in the diet.

Fiber Can Cause Intestinal Gas

High-fiber foods such as beans can cause gas to develop in the body. If you already suffer from abdominal gas, taking roughage in high quantities can worsen gas. It can cause embarrassment as passing gas in a social setting can make people self-conscious. While it is a harmless sign indicating the effectiveness of good gut bacteria, you feel reluctant to go out due to smelly gas. To eliminate such issues, you can take prebiotics.

Abdominal Bloating

While it is beneficial for your gut health, consuming too much roughage in too little time can cause bloating and gas. So, when you are planning to follow a diet rich in roughage, ease into it gradually. Add a little bit at one time and increase it over time. It will aid in the digestive system handling it.

So, you can get more benefits by adding roughage to the diet compared to its cons. The far-reaching benefits make the drawbacks seem minor. Hence, you can easily overcome the problem.

Conclusion

While you can lose weight by consuming food rich in fiber, especially the viscous roughage form of it, you need to make some lifestyle changes for long-term results. It is an effective strategy that will keep the excess weight off. So, you need to include exercise and avoid consuming empty calories for better results. Also, keep in mind that supplements may not have the same results as including roughage in your diet. Fiber-rich whole food items have a greater impact compared to fiber supplements. So, adding foods containing roughage will reduce your body weight and offer other health benefits.

References

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/diet/fiber-benefits-food-sources-supplements-side-effects/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146935