It appears that fiber has become America's new weight loss miracle. We really don't understand why and most Americans don't really even understand what fiber is. Fiber is great and serves as a very important role in the body but it may not be what you think it is. Can fiber help you lose weight? Yes. Whether it will or not, depends entirely on you.
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Fiber is not only really crunchy cereal that tastes like cardboard. Fiber is the word for fibrous foods that our body cannot digest. The cell walls of plants are made out of cellulose which require the enzyme cellulase to break down. Our bodies do not naturally make this enzyme, so fibrous foods stay whole in our body. Fiber adds bulk to digestive material, making it easier to move through the digestive tract and out of the body in fecal matter.
Many foods are naturally rich in fiber, mostly vegetables but this doesn't mean people are rushing to add more vegetables to their diets. People generally don't like to eat vegetables so most are finding fiber in another form. The rise in popularity of fiber supplements, either in pill or husk form, has given way to a nation of fiber-happy people.
As seen on The Dr. Oz Show, he often promotes fiber as a weight loss aid. Glucomannan, which is one of his favorite fiber supplements is a fiber that expands in your stomach, preventing you from eating more than you should. This supplement is also recommended for people who who are trying to lower cholesterol. Fiberforweightloss.com points out that fiber is also vital to the management of diseases like diabetes, Crohn's disease, and heart disease. Obviously an important component in a diet, fiber may also be important in preventing and managing diseases.
However, fiber is not a magic bullet. According to National Center for Health Statistics, more than 66% of American adults are overweight or obese and according to medical journal The Lancet, by 2030, over half of Americans will be officially obese. These numbers are disturbing because while it's clear we're not starving to death and we are physically able to get full, our obesity levels are continuing to rise. Therefore, there must be another factor at play here: our stomachs have the ability to get full, but apparently our brains do not.
Fiber can help you get full, but that isn't the issue. Your ability to "feel" full is the issue. This is an issue that is entirely mental and something that needs to be addressed so you can begin to achieve your weight loss goals. Start by listening to your body instead of your thoughts. Just because you're thinking of ice cream after a big meal doesn't mean you should eat it. Reshape the things that drive your eating habits to find a much happier, healthier you.
