​

​

“Fiber, an important macronutrient, is meant for your gut microbes, not you.” Scott Anderson

​

With the rise of keto and carnivore diets and the ensuing elimination (or near elimination of carbohydrates), fiber is a toxic word to many. Fiber resides in the carbohydrate family so it’s “guilt by association” to the aforementioned diet tribes.

Fiber is found in plants so it’s easy to see how the "meat crowd" and the low-carb crowd can attack the plant-based crowd, vegetarians and vegans alike as enemy factions. It’s so petty at times. I proudly reside in the omnivore lane- I eat everything.

The debate usually ends down the rabbit hole of whether fiber is “essential”. In other words, can the human body survive without fiber? When I see or hear these food fights on the “essential” question regarding fiber, I feel like a poor, sap wrestler on the receiving end of a Ric Flair Figure 4 Leg Lock. ( His signature submission move is designed to get his opponent to “tap out”.)

​

Fiber is found in plants. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, and nuts are all good sources of fiber, in varying quantities and types.

Soluble and insoluble are the two types of fiber and really boil down to whether the fiber can be dissolved in water or not. Pretty controversial right? (Sigh.)

Over the years, fiber has been most identified as a laxative for constipation issues. It does have the ability to assist, rather effectively I might add, in the bulking and movement of stool. But it provides so much more benefit than that.

Fiber has been researched extensively and is linked to lower cholesterol, blood sugar, and better weight management.

Over the years, fiber has been largely removed, engineered, and processed out of the foods found in the Western diet.

Take bread for example. We needed bread to last longer on the shelf and be cheaper to produce so we:

Our guts and bodies have adapted to the food sources we eat, and are largely without any real fiber in our diets.

The average American male should be getting roughly 38 grams of fiber and females in the 25-gram range. Only 5% of the population gets the recommended amount of daily fiber.

So what happens when someone used to eating a Western, crap diet wakes up and starts to intentionally eat fiber in large quantities, haphazardly?

Their guts send out alarms to foreign invaders coming into their GI tract and instruct the body to eliminate or pass the invaders at once. Usually that entails running to the bathroom.

So there is a natural association that fiber equals diarrhea and therefore is bad. How could this be essential for the human body?

Stay tuned- it is.

This metropolis of bustling bacteria, when given a chance to thrive, has a direct impact on our gut barrier defenses, our immune system modulation, and our brain function, and touches damn near every other bodily system.

All the research indicates and supports the fact that dietary fiber is the preferred nourishment for good gut bacteria to thrive and produce metabolites that enhance these processes.

The functioning of our gut still makes my head spin in amazement- more today than when I first started on this journey.

I often say I was drafted into the fiber and fermented food movement. I didn’t enlist. My colonic dumpster fire required me to take immediate action and ferments and fiber were the focus.

If you remember nothing else today, remember this very simple statement by Scott Anderson:

“Fiber, an important macronutrient, is meant for your gut microbes, not you.”

Last week we talked about fermented foods and their ability to send probiotics through your GI tract to your colon to stimulate the good bacteria.

Very few bacteria stick around long-term. Almost all bacteria just pass through and leave your system.

But before they do, they give your existing bacteria a shot in the arm, some “fertilizing” help for the lack of a better term. They leave your good bacteria better than they found them. That’s the probiotic effect.

Fiber delivers indigestible material that the good bacteria consume and ferment, creating numerous metabolites, short chain fatty acids come to mind, that directly help the cells of your gut lining. That’s what I needed to work on immediately.

Fiber done right is a beautiful thing. Fiber done wrong is a problem. So how does the average mortal do fiber right? It’s done gradually, as in very slowly, working up to a quantity that your system can handle.

It’s also done right by consuming fiber-filled sources that agree with YOU. Not me, not a random Twitter person, not your friend…YOU!. Full stop.

I assure you I tolerate many different fiber sources because I’ve tried tons of different fiber sources. This didn’t happen overnight. That’s how you need to approach fiber too.

Gradually, intentionally, and cognizant of what works and what doesn't.

I began with the standard cast of fiber characters- good ole’ fruits and vegetables.

It really was that simple.

I knew from my early reading of The Good Gut, your gut bacteria need to eat. So I eat fiber-filled foods to accomplish this task.

I also knew that to get to the recommended daily intake of fiber, I would have to consciously count the grams of fiber in a given food. There are a ton of apps that specialize in this tracking but Google worked wonders too:

“How many grams of fiber in an apple?”

I didn’t know how successful this would be until I started doing it. I have never counted calories, still don’t. I’m mindful of fermented food servings and ensuring I get enough fiber to keep the bacteria fed.

So I started by switching my focus to whole foods that had plenty of fiber.

Once I rewired my brain to focus on fiber, I started exploring different types of foods.

I wanted to make sure I got as much as I could tolerate, and then I tried to find the sources with the most fiber per serving.

Here are a few of my all-stars:

In this list of 3 foods, there are roughly 32 grams of fiber. You can see how intentionally focusing on adding fiber, and increasing your ultimate goal is very attainable. It just has to be a focus. Explore, sample, and tweak your choices as necessary.

Introducing fiber needs to be done GRADUALLY. (Or as the Progressive Insurance guy says, all CAPS so it sounds like you’re yelling):

INTRODUCING FIBER NEEDS TO BE DONE GRADUALLY!!!

Again, our normal diets do not have enough fiber in them. There will be some trial and error. This does not necessarily mean you have Irritable Bowl Syndrome, you’re not fiber intolerant, or unable to ever eat fiber again.

It means your system, albeit appreciative of FINALLY sending something down the hatch that the good bacteria have been begging for, might not be equipped to handle it in the quantity received.

Don’t throw in the towel! This is a process that requires patience and a gradual ramp-up period. I assure you the benefits are absolutely worth the effort.

Any of my results can be your reason to start:

2. Better mentally and physically than I’ve ever been

3. 32-inch waist

4. Blood sugar numbers have my type 2 diabetes in near remission

​

This was longer than 4 minutes. But it’s important. And it’s not rocket science.

If you’re reading this email, and you need more help, or you think someone you love needs to hear this, please forward them this newsletter. Forward them my email address.

I will help.

But I can’t help until the million-dollar question gets answered….is this change happening someday? Or is this Day One for change?

Next week, I’ll share what I learned during the 22 days from my cancer diagnosis to surgery and how you too can benefit…without the scar.

Thanks for reading.

Jeff

​