"As if sensing my presence, he let out a great bellow, I said Easy Big Fella!" George Costanza
What could possibly go wrong with engineering dietary fiber in a lab to become a colorless, odorless, tasteless additive, that's magically sprinkled on processed foods, all in the effort of helping people get enough fiber in their diets?
Aside from the cha-ching’s hitting the cash registers, I understand the intent.
It's akin to meeting people where they are. You see only about 5% of humanity gets the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber.
So, the thinking is if people aren't going to eat the fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, etc. necessary to get fiber in its natural form, let's try putting fiber "pixie dust" on donuts, pizza, and in sugar-sweetened beverages.
Do I have that right?
Yep, it's about to happen. In this Forbes article, a few startups are barking up this very tree.
One example is a company seeking to alter the typical, long-chained sugar molecules we know as fiber found in fruits, vegetables, their pulp, skins, rinds, and much, much more.
They aim to clip these long, complex chains into shorter, less detectable forms of fiber that can still benefit gut bacteria, without compromising the hyper-palatable tastes of ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
After all, these UPFs are the very foods housed on a daily basis from the 95-percenter's who are fiber deficient.
Here's what this 5-percenter (me) has learned from nearly six years of trafficking in fiber:
There are no shortcuts.
Fiber from real food is most helpful when it is introduced intentionally and gradually to allow your system time to adjust.
Additionally, in my experience, there's a difference in how effective fiber is in its natural form versus fiber from a capsule or additive.
In whole foods, fiber is part of a larger nutritious package of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, polyphenols, and the like. And for me, this equates to smaller quantities of natural fiber needed to be effective.
For example, 10 grams of fiber from chia seeds added to my morning kefir will have a much greater effect on my system than the same 10 grams of fiber additives in a protein bar.
But don’t get me wrong.
Some supplemental forms of fiber added to healthier offerings like protein bars or meal replacement shakes can be beneficial to your system, especially in the absence of natural fiber.
I’m not fiber supplement-averse. I’m just a fan of the “food first” mentality when chasing fiber.
But my “spidey senses” tell me that if we add engineered fiber to less nutritious, traditionally hyper-palatable foods or plain old "junk food”, it reminds me of one word—Olestra.
Who can forget the 1996 debacle known as Olestra? In 2010, this FDA-approved additive ranked 38th among Time magazine's Top 50 Worst Inventions.
In the article, Olestra is described as the answer that could achieve zero calories, zero grams of cholesterol, and zero grams of fat. In their words:
"Cut out the unhealthy cooking oil. Shred the package of shortening. Bury the stick of butter."
The problem was that achieving this revolutionary effect of eliminating all the fat and cholesterol also gave the body’s GI tract the added bonus of not absorbing any nutrients.
It resulted in a digestive runaway freight train.
One of the first companies on the Olestra train was Frito Lay. They rolled out this invention in their potato chips. They had the slogan “Betcha can’t eat just one” and the jingle "No one could eat just one".
Olestra or not, people tend to eat an entire bag of chips in one sitting anyway so consequently this spelled disaster.
Ironically, number 39 on the Time Magazine 50 Worst Inventions that year?
The Comfort Wipe.
I can't make this stuff up.
Listen, I'm no expert and I'm not a scientist, but I do know my way around fiber. When it comes to fiber, I tend to channel my inner Aretha Franklin- treat it with
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
If you are indeed a gut pilot, you know that fiber garners superhero status. I think of it as the Clark Kent of macronutrients. It’s quiet, unassuming, yet very powerful when there's a phone booth nearby.
So, adding “magic” fiber to traditional foods that we tend to overeat already, or even occasionally enjoy as a treat, under the guise of a healthy alternative to hitting daily fiber intake goals sounds like an Olestra encore if you ask me.
Fiber in a lab? This 5-percenter gives a parting recommendation, "Easy Big Fella!"
And as an early Christmas gift, I’m leaving you this link to my reference for “Easy Big Fella”.
It's 4 minutes and 41 seconds of some of the best TV you’ll ever see, compliments of George Costanza, the Seinfeld character and wannabe Marine Biologist.
Happy Holidays and thanks for reading,
Jeff
