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.
- 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.