Fiber and its Role in Weight Management

If there is one thing that we should have learnt by now, it is that dieting for the general population just does not work. There are millions of people at any one time on diets of one sort or another. From the latest trendy Paleo diets to intermittent fasting and the more regular calorie counting and exclusion diets, there are so many "ways" to lose weight that you would think we should have succeeded by now in finding out exactly how we can all lose weight - successfully.

The secret about weight loss that is hiding in plain view, is that there is no secret! We are being constantly bombarded with advertising that sells us the latest fad diet on the basis that this is the real deal, the diet that we have finally been waiting for.  Of course this is untrue and the same companies will be selling the next fad diet the following year, sadly to the same people all over again.

We need to wake up from this vicious cycle and go back to basics.

Just for a moment consider life before television, mass advertising and convenience foods. What did people eat and how did they live? Of course there were no vitamins and nutrients back then. There may have been health tonics that people used, but generally all people's nutrition had to come from their food. They also led a more active lifestyle.

So how does this help us today to manage our weight problems? When we look at the type of foods we are eating these days, it is easy to see them as normal foods, but if you step back and really look at what they are you will see that many of them are so artificial and unreal that it is a surprise that we ever accepted them into our mainstream diets.

Take breakfast cereals as an example. How on earth are Cheerio's considered a viable choice for starting the day in a healthy nutritious fashion? Sugar-laden processed hoops that bear no relation to any food that this author can think of. Alternatives are honey or chocolate coated inventions that form no part of a healthy diet for anyone, let alone children that need the best nutrition of their lives when they are growing up.

There are many other examples (cookies, cakes, biscuits, sugared milk, pastries, processed meats) of foods that are neither natural or wholesome. We have become so adept at creating new "foods" that we are so accustomed to seeing new products on the shelves on a weekly basis. Of course, advertising has a lot to do with this, as well the sheer amount of fast food restaurants on every corner.

One of the ways we can get back to basics is to eat more like our ancestors did a hundred years back or more. A diet that was filled with local produce and loaded with vitamins and minerals that our present day versions just do not contain unfortunately.

Probably the best way to start any weight loss program is to start increasing the amount of fiber in your diet. Increasing fiber will make you feel full a lot quicker than any other food type. Fiber triggers the sensors in our stomachs that tells the brain that we have eaten enough and are satiated. When you have eaten a lot of fiber-rich foods it naturally means that you are unable to eat any other foods that are calorie-rich but not nutritious.

Examples of fiber rich foods:-

• Vegetables - All vegetables contain good amounts of fiber
• Beans - such as black beans, kidney, navy and black eyed are wonderful sources of fiber
• Fruits - Berries, Apples, Bananas - increase fruit intake and your fiber intake increases too

There may be reasons why you cannot increase fiber intake. Maybe you just don't like the above foods or you don't have access to fresh fruit and vegetables. In this case there are other options available. You can take certain supplements to increase fiber.  Products such as Psyllium are extremely high in fiber and are used by many to regulate bowel movements. There are also weight loss fiber supplements which can help to increase the fiber levels and create that feeling of fullness that will help you to naturally cut down on the foods that are less nutritious and weight promoting.

However you choose to increase your fiber intake, be confident in the knowledge that it is a worthwhile modification to your nutrition plan. There are many published studies that have reported on additional benefits to increased fiber intake, such as lower blood cholesterol levels.

In conclusion, there are many ways to lose weight but to do it in a manner that is sensible and beneficial long term to your health is most important. Increasing fiber intake is a step that can be made without putting yourself at any risk, unlike some of the other fad diets that sold and advertised almost daily.