Nourish With Intent: What’s The Deal With Fiber?

Good morning. We have Indi with us this morning. How's everyone doing today? I'll give everyone a minute to pop in. I have been not here for the last two weeks, so I'm happy to be back and talking to you today about fiber and all things fiber because it's having its moment, and rightfully so. I want to give it its spotlight and talk about all of the benefits and, yeah, technical difficulties today. Good morning. Good morning. See if anyone pops in. Cool. I'll go ahead and get started. Good morning.

Hey, mom. So today we're talking about fiber. And let me get the fan out of here. It's distracting. Like I said, fiber is kind of having its moment, and rightfully so, because it has a ton of benefits. And I think that over the last couple of years, a lot of focus has been on protein and the benefits of protein in the body, which, don't get me wrong, there are many, and oftentimes fiber is left behind. So I can't remember the year that the most research, the most recent research was done, but most americans get about ten to 15 grams of fiber day.

And recommendations when, typically when I'm working with someone, we shoot for something closer to 30. And that's in between recommendations for male versus female, because I don't love the way that we break those up. I think it depends more on your, you know, how much are you eating, what are your needs rather than by gender? So good morning, Jules. Having GI issues. So balance of fiber is important. Yes. Good morning, JC. Yeah, so a lot of people are not getting quite as much fiber as they could be, and I want to just highlight it.

Obviously, there's a lot of factors that go into it, and a high fiber diet is not for everyone. So as Rhonda mentioned, certain GI conditions, diverticulitis, gastroparesis, if you're in an active flare of IBD, if you have Crohn's or ulcerative colitis, it would be not recommended. But for the general population, fiber has a lot of benefits. So kind of going back to just give a little bit of nutrition education on what the heck fiber is. Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate that is found in plant foods.

And there's two types, soluble and insoluble. All plant foods have a mix of both, but the amounts just vary depending on the food you're eating. So soluble fiber are things like your pectins and gums and pectin. If you've ever made jam, that is what causes it to thicken. Up. So that is that soluble fiber that was bringing your jam together and thickening dissolves in water and forms a gel. Another example of this is chia seeds. When you put it in water, they expand a ton. You get kind of this like, goop, good morning.

Speak wonder. So soluble fiber gels up. It can be helpful for someone if you're struggling with acute diarrhea. Yes, we talk about poop here. I'm a dietitian and can help to prevent constipation. And soluble fiber specifically can be beneficial in helping to lower cholesterol. So when you're eating that soluble fiber, you get that gel. That soluble fiber can bind to excess bile and fatty acids that are in your digestive system so that you excrete them rather than absorbing them and having them circulate.

I also love chia seeds. Speak wonder. I know they're kind of a controversial texture for a lot of people, but there's also so many ways to eat them besides just, I think most popularly people make chia seed pudding, which is a texture nightmare for a lot of people. Totally understandable. But if you have a favorite way to eat chia seeds, let me know because I am about to go by. I'm almost out. I need a big bag and I get my bag at Costco. So I'm about to have a lot. So yeah, that's soluble fiber.

And sources of that are things like oats, barley, nuts, those seeds. I was talking about anything with pectin. So your high pectin fruits, like apples, citrus fruits, pears, carrots. Best way to eat them fast. Yes, yes. Insoluble fiber. So that's the second type that is not going to absorb water in your digestive system, but it will attract water. So what that does is add bulk to your stool and that is really helpful for treating and preventing constipation. So if you are struggling with that, maybe looking at finding some insoluble fiber that is think more of like your roughage, like that classic representation of fiber.

Blend them in a smoothie before they go be. Yes. I've also jc blended them into like, I made like a chocolate mousse and it set because I had like, blended chia seeds in it and it was blended so you didn't taste the, like, gritty, goopy seed, if that makes sense. Use them to thicken my overnight oats. Yes. Love that. I. It's funny, my husband doesn't like overnight oats, but he will just make essentially that in the morning and eat them. Not softened, but we do the same thing with our chia seeds.

For those so insoluble fiber, that is gonna be things, like I said, roughage. Whole grains, wheat, bran, nuts, your cruciferous vegetables. So kale, broccoli, cauliflower. Couldn't think of that word. Oh, my gosh. Haven't finished my coffee yet. So that's a little rundown of what fiber is. Now, what are the benefits of getting your fiber in first, promoting regularity. And I also want to say if you are setting a goal for yourself to increase fiber for whatever reason, you'll notice both of the two types of fiber I mentioned interplay with water.

So if you are not staying hydrated, it's going to have the opposite effect and things are going to get stuck, and that will not be very fun. So make sure you're staying hydrated as well when you're being more mindful of increasing fiber. So, number one, fiber promotes regularity as long as you are consistent and staying hydrated with it as well keeps things moving. Because fiber is undigestible by our GI tract, it gets through to your intestines, where your gut bacteria, that microbiome, actually feed on the fiber.

And that is, you know, a lot of people say, I'm eating a lot of fiber, and now I'm really gassy. How do I prevent that? Or I'm really bloated. That is, to a degree, right. Obviously, if it's excessive, maybe something's going on, but I, that is to be expected because that fiber is feeding those gut bacteria. And as they're eating this fiber, they are producing gas. And that's not a bad thing. It's probably uncomfortable. And like I said, if it's extreme, we got to get something checked out. But you're feeding those good gut bacteria down there.

So when you think about probiotics, those are what diversify the gut microbiome. Those are your fermented foods. If you take a probiotic supplement, those live bugs. So once those are in your digestive system, we have to feed them, and that is your fiber. If you don't feed your bacteria fiber, there is some newer research showing that they can start to eat your gut lining, which can cause more digestive distress, which we don't want. So that's, number two, feed your good gut bacteria. Number three is just satiety.

And people talk about this with protein. A lot of fiber does a similar thing. Fiber is slower to digest, so it's literally sitting in your body a little bit longer. It helps you to feel full and satiated typically when people are feeling really hungry and snacky throughout the day. And a few weeks ago, I talked about this. One of the things we can look at is how can I add some fiber to kind of help with that? Because fiber is also associated with all of the foods where you're getting a lot of micronutrients.

That's number three, four, along those same lines. Because it's slower to digest, it can help to regulate blood sugar. So slowing the absorption of glucose into the blood. And really, when I talk about regulating blood sugar for the average person, it really comes down to energy levels. When you have a more consistent, more stable blood sugar, you're going to have more consistent, longer lasting energy. Rather than having a, you know, I eat a bunch of non fibrous carbs, I have a ton of energy, and then you kind of have that crash.

Nothing wrong with that. But if that's something that you're trying to avoid, adding some fiber can help to lengthen your energy. So that's four. Number five, I already touched on this with soluble fiber, but it can help to lower your cholesterol. Whether maintaining healthy cholesterol levels or lowering elevated LDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is the one that gets stuck to the walls of arteries and can increase your risk for heart disease. So I, this is something I'm working on right now. I actually have genetically high cholesterol.

So I've had cholesterol that has elevated my whole life, and it is a little higher than I would like it to be right now. So I am being very intentional with my soluble fiber intake and working on getting that down. So that's, if you're on that journey with me, let's chat. Love it. There is some research. Fiber can help to lower blood pressure as well. So in the theme of heart health, keeping cholesterol in range and also lowering blood pressure, also worth noting, a ton of other things will affect that.

So this is not going to be like the cure all for that. Rhonda. Prebiotic in addition to probiotic? Yeah. So probiotic diversifies the gut bacteria. Fiber is the prebiotic that feeds that gut bacteria that you've put in there. So you, a lot of supplements now are marketing as pre and probiotic, which is fine. And sure, there's probably, I have not seen anything spectacular. That's a double pre and probiotic. Because your prebiotic is your food you're eating, it's your fiber. So you can, depending on how much fiber you're getting, if you are struggling, might be worth having a supplement that's both.

If you are eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, you probably don't need to spend your money on something that's a prebiotic supplement. I guess that'll kind of take me into because we're talking about supplements. I wanted to mention fiber supplements can be a huge tool. I know a lot of people struggle or just like similar to kind of greens powders. My recommendations tend to stay consistent for the both of them, is they can be a tool, but they should not be the only thing that you're using to get you to that, if possible.

Again, barring people have texture issues, people have taste preferences, people have accessibility issues, all of that kind of stuff. But the goal is, I'm a dietitian, I'm annoying, I'm always going to say food first, but fiber supplements can be a really useful tool. Most of them are a soluble fiber that you just mix into water. They do have some capsules and they generally are like three to. I've seen like seven on the high end of grams of fiber per serving. If you want to use a supplement, I typically.

What I found to be most helpful in a lot of the research, a lot of the research is on psyllium husk, which every brand has one, and that is it, like I said, a soluble fiber. So that one has been studied in cholesterol. Um, it's generally on the cheaper end, even like metamucil. Some of their products, not all of them are psyllium husk. Acacia fiber is gaining popularity. It's not as studied as psyllium husk, but it is a little finer and a little more dissolvable. So if you struggle with the texture of a psyllium husk, that could be worth trying.

Rhonda Sunfiber helps me. Yes. So sunfiber is, I believe it's guar gum, if I remember right. So it's still a soluble fiber and it is a low FODMap supplement. So if you are someone who struggles with IB's, you are sensitive to specific fodmaps. Sun fiber is a really wonderful option if you're using it to kind of help reach your fiber goals and help with some of that digestive, those digestive symptoms, that one is a little bit more expensive. I do think they sell it at target now, but it is a good option if you're looking for something.

And then there's a brand called thorn that in general is really high quality supplement brand. They have one called fibermend, which is a base of sun fiber, plus a couple other things, including green tea, which could potentially have additional benefit for blood pressure and cholesterol. Those are a couple recommendations there. Metamucil gets the job done. It's cheaper than all of the other ones. Some of the products, like I mentioned, are not psyllium, but inulin. And if you have any sort of GI issues, if you are sensitive to fodmaps, inulin is a fodmap, so would not recommend that one.

But if you are not concerned at all about that, you do not have any digestive issues, that could be an option, too. So those are, that's my little spiel on supplements. Fiber supplements can interfere with some medications, including lithium, bile acid sequestrants, which are a type of cholesterol medication. There's another big one. There's some antidepressants that it interacts with. So generally, if you're taking any other medication, it's recommended to take a fiber supplement. Like, I think it's not within an hour before or 2 hours after taking your medication.

So just not at the same time, because it can delay absorption of the medication, among other things. So that's my little caveat. There other benefits of fiber. Where do we stop lowering blood pressure? I have my notes over here in case anyone's like, what is she looking at? Potentially anti aging. So I was reading a really interesting study yesterday, and it's not a new study, it's from 2018. But they looked at dietary fiber intake and telomeres, which are the pieces at the end of your DNA. Think of like the little egglette aglet the Minnesota's coming out, the little plastic piece on the end of a shoelace, kind of like that.

On your DNA. Your telomeres are what allow for DNA replication and cell division, and they shorten every time your cell divides. And then when they get too short, your cell can't divide anymore. And that is associated with aging. So they looked at fiber intake and the length of the telomeres, and for every, there was a linear relationship. So the more fiber you ate, the longer your telomeres were. 3 less years of biological aging. And then there's been a couple studies since then that have shown this similar thing with, like, the mediterranean diet, which is not a diet.

It is an eating pattern that can be applied to many different ways of eating, but is generally very high fiber. So is it the fiber or is it all of the other vitamins, minerals, antioxidants that are in those foods, who's to say? But I just thought that was kind of a fun, fun fact about fiber. Fiber can also help detox excess estrogen if that's something that you struggle with, and it's just generally associated with lower risk of chronic disease. Also want to note caveat there. There's so many factors at play, including accessibility and affordability of these foods.

And yeah, that could be a whole topic of its own. But is fiber available in capsules? Yes, I believe for sure. Metamucil has capsules and gummies. The brand now, it's like yellow or not yellow, orange, like a sun. I found at most stores. I think, like hy vee has it, they sell a psyllium husk capsule. So that's a good one. I can't remember if Ben Fyber has a capsule, but I know those other two brands do. So good question. I'm trying to think if there's anything else that I wanted to touch on high fiber, affordable foods.

Beans, lentils, corn, frozen fruits. So frozen berries. I know fruit is expensive, and it's always hit or miss, too, depending on seasonality. Frozen fruit is a wonderful option if that's something that you can get. Really, beans are such a wonderful option. And root veggies, those tend to be really affordable if you try to go buy, like, jicama at the store or like, parsnips or carrots. Can telomeres be lengthened after they are shortened? No, not that I've seen any research on, and I don't want to speak too much to that because I think I don't.

Well, I don't want to say anything wrong, but the telomere is just like the repeating sequence of DNA over and over again. So once it gets too short, you don't have the full sequence to divide and your DNA doesn't expand. But I just thought that was a really fun fact. Yeah. So that's my little spiel on fiber for you all. Hopefully it was helpful. I'm on a journey to eat more fiber to help my cholesterol and also all the other things that it does. But if you have any other questions about fiber, let me know.

I'm really excited about it. I love that this is the year. There's the year fiber. I think it was one of the trends that was forecasted in the nutrition world. And there's a dietitian. Her name is Steph Grasso, who is big on social media. She is wonderful, and she has coined it the year of the bean. 2024, the year of the bean. And I am 100% on board with that. So that's all I have for y'all today. Thanks for tuning in. There are quite a few more lives after me today, so if you want to stick around and tune in to those.

I can't remember where I think the next one's at. I wanted to say ten my time, so eleven central. No, not nine my time. Ten my time. Yeah, I don't know. It's on there. I forgot to look. I'm so sorry. Thank you. Thank you all for tuning in. I can't talk today. I'll see you back here next week. I know. Like I said, I took a couple weeks off in the mountains away from cell phone service, but I'm back for the foreseeable future. Although it's very hot here in Colorado now, and we're about to get another heatwave into the hundreds.

So we may be going up to the mountains a little bit more, but speak wonder. Thank you for coming in, popping in. It's always fun to see who's here joining and spending time with me. All right, I might post a few fiber resources in community chat. If you want to pop in there. Want to share your favorite, like, high fiber meal? Those overnight oats? If you have a specific recipe, drop it in there. Otherwise, I'll see you guys next week, and I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your weekend. It's early.