You may have seen a book in stores several years ago with a...similar...title to this post. This post serves as a sort of counterpoint-slash-confirmation.
Lately I've been made even more aware of how dumb and lousy critical thinkers most doctors are. Ever notice how their egos are inversely proportionate to how intelligent they are? If it's not a textbook case that can be treated with pills, most doctors don't know what to do with themselves. And specialists are almost worse because they end up treating the same things over and over again. When something new comes, their brains are scrambled. I recently went to a GI doctor and she told me my constipation was psychological and suggested an antidepressant. I felt like I was in a sitcom after that comment. Honestly!
So, in the spirit of stupid medical advice, I am here to tell you the truth about what the doctor recommends. Today I'm going to discuss the well-known "gut cure-all" that is fiber.
All about FIBER!
Fiber comes in two forms, insoluble and soluble. Both are unabsorbable by the human body and thus devoid of nutrition. These both should already be hints that we weren't meant to consume it. Not only that, fiber can actually inhibit nutrient absorption. This is why you're instructed to take fiber away from supplements. Insoluble fiber is insoluble, meaning it doesn't dissolve in water (become a solution). This makes food stick together and passes through the intestines completely unchanged. Soluble fiber is soluble (duh) and when combined with water becomes a thick gel. This is why you should NOT dump Metamucil down the drain. You will need a plumber.
The problem is that fiber is always given as the cure for constipation and diarrhea. Do you see the problem here? It's for two opposing problems. How can it soften and harden poop at the same time? It can't. Insoluble fiber passes through the body unchanged, doing nothing for diarrhea and only making constipation bulkier and harder to pass. Soluble fiber just attracts more liquid, making diarrhea no better than it was without it, and attracts more water in the intestines which, again, hardens the stool and creates blockage and constipation. Nothing like adding more cars to make the traffic go faster, am I right?
Fiber isn't just bad for your poop. Not only is it unnecessary, it's not meant to be digested for a reason. Fiber is one of many natural plants' self-defense mechanisms to prevent you from eating them. That's right, plants actually don't like being eaten, just like any living organism, and do their best to survive, thanks to a little thing we call evolution. (And if we can't agree on that concept you should probably just leave this blog right now.) Insoluble fiber actually scrapes your intestines (no, this is not good). If leaky gut is a thing this is certainly not going to do any favors for it.
Now let's discuss some other issues that fiber is known for helping.
Weight loss. High fiber diets are touted as healthy because fiber is meant to fill you up. There is some truth to that in that those who eat more produce generally consume less calories due to bulk. However, calorie for calorie, fiber isn't doing anything special to help your weight woes.
Colon health. Fiber has not been proven to prevent colon cancer and there is no reason to think that it would. It does not help with IBS symptoms (and as seen above can actually worsen them).
Gut bacteria. Vegetables and fruits are known as prebiotics, meaning they feed gut bacteria (biotics = living organisms). The problem is, they feed ALL the bacteria, good and bad. SIBO, which I've mentioned in a previous post, is the overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. The small intestine is meant to contain only a small number of bacteria. SIBO leads to problems with digestion, food intolerances, gas/bloating, IBS, weight gain/loss... that's right, produce can indirectly make you fat! (But it most likely won't unless you've already got SIBO). Fiber slows down digestion and makes food ferment in the gut. Fermentation = more bacteria. That's why fermented foods are recommended for gut dysbiosis, to correct the bacteria imbalance. Unfortunately for the reasons listed, this isn't necessarily a good idea.
Fiber FAQ:
But isn't fiber good for your blood sugar?
Good question. It can reduce your blood sugar... by about 10%. Which isn't bad, but it's not really worth mentioning.
What about LDL cholesterol? I read it reduces it.
Yes, it does, but only by about 5%. Again, not even worth mentioning. Not to mention the fact that traditional LDL tests aren't very indicative of health, because they don't test particle sizes. Additionally, cholesterol isn't the big bad bogey-man it's made out to be. It's actually necessary for the production of hormones, and the lower the better isn't really true at all. Better tests of metabolic health are CRP and fasting insulin.
But...but...vitamins! And minerals! They're in plants, right?
They are, yes. Don't get me wrong, you don't need to cut produce out of your diet. But you can easily exist without it. Carnivore diets are a thing and meat has plenty of iron, B vitamins, and other tasty things your body likes that will keep you healthy. Some people have had luck improving chronic illnesses, curing them or putting them into remission, switching to this diet when all else failed.
Didn't cavemen and older generations eat fiber, though?
They did, but not nearly in the same amounts as we see today, and certainly not in the highly processed forms we see today. And on a similar note, their crops weren't exposed to as many pesticides or bred to be high in sugar and low in crop diversity. So no bragging to your friends you're healthier because you eat high-fiber celery (one of the most contaminated vegetables in circulation).
Why are we being taught this? Is this some sort of fiber conspiracy?!
Well, yes and no. Some of it is due to medical misinformation (see: high-fat, low-carb diets and the like). But some of it is due to the food industry (a.k.a. "big agriculture"). Wheat is a cash crop, corn is a huge cash crop (it's in everything, really), cereal grains are all cash crops. When people see "high fiber" on a label, no matter if it's intrinsic to the food or not, they mistakenly think it's healthier because that's what's drilled into our heads. Think about it. How many times have you heard "complex carbs" are better than "simple carbs"? They are all carbs. They all turn to sugar in the body eventually. Fiber just slows down the process.
There you have it. Throw out your Metamucil and psyllium husk powder, they're doing you no favors. If you like fruits and vegetables, by all means eat them. But for goodness sakes don't go full-on Whole 30 and fill your entire plate with them. If you're not getting the "recommended" 25-30 grams of fiber a day, hell even if you're getting 0, you'll be just fine. "Forks over knives", my friends, is bullshit.
Now eat your damn steak.
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