Fiber is your body's natural guide to weight management – rather than cutting carbs out of your diet, eat them in their original fiber packaging instead

• Research suggests that carbohydrates are meant to come packaged in nature-balanced ratios of total carbohydrates to fiber.
• Your microbiome transforms fiber into signals that stimulate the gut hormones that are the natural forms of these drugs.
• The research is clear – fiber is important not just for happy bowel movements, but also for your blood sugar, weight and overall health.

Carbohydrates without their wrappers

• In fact, only 5% of Americans eat the recommended amount of carbohydrates with enough of their natural packaging intact.
• One popular approach to mitigating some of the ill health effects of low fiber and high refined carbohydrates has been to limit carbohydrate intake.
• Each diet is a variation on a similar theme of limiting carbohydrates to varying amounts in different ways.
• Research shows that limiting carbohydrates induces ketosis, a biological process that frees energy from fat reserves during starvation and prolonged exercise.

Is a carb a carb?

• Limiting simple sugars and refined carbohydrates may improve certain aspects of metabolic health, as these are some of the most easily digested and absorbed calories.
• They come in ratios of total carbohydrate to fiber that rarely exceed 10-to-1 and are often 5-to-1 or lower.
• Eating mostly whole foods is a simple way to ensure you’re consuming quality carbohydrates with the right ratios.

Listen to your body

• While almost all fiber is generally good for health in most people, not all fiber affects the body in the same way.
• Consuming a range of different types of fiber generally helps ensure a diverse microbiome, which is linked to gut and overall health.
• Listen to how your body responds to different high-fiber foods.