Close
Healthy High-Fiber Meal Plan
But what exactly happens in your body when you consistently don’t get enough fiber? We dug into the science to find out about six things that can happen when you don’t eat enough fiber.
1. You have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease is theleading cause of deathfor adults in the United States, leading to over 659,000 Americans deaths every year. Scientists have identified key nutrition and lifestyle factors that help prevent heart disease, and eating a high-fiber diet is at the top of the list.
2. You might not live as long
Another big benefit of eating more fiber: It can help you live longer even if you don’t have cardiovascular disease. According to a large body of observational research, people who eat more fiber have a lower risk ofall-cause mortalitycompared to people who don’t eat enough fiber.
3. You may have increased inflammation in your body
Chronic inflammationis a major risk factor for several diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Diet and lifestyle factors like stress, smoking and—you guessed it—not eating enough fiber can increase inflammation and make us more susceptible to chronic disease. (Try eating more ofthese top inflammation-fighting foods.)
We still need more research to understand the benefits of fiber for inflammation, but recent research has found that consumption of high-fiber foods like whole grains was associated with decreased markers of inflammation. Add that to the list of whole grain’s health benefits.
4. Your immune system won’t be as strong
5. It’s harder to manage your weight
Losing weight and keeping it off is hard—not eating enough fiber makes it even harder.
Eating more fiber is a helpful tool for weight loss because it helps youfeel full and satisfied after eating. Dietary fiber helps slow down the digestion and absorption of food, giving your gut enough time to communicate with your brain that you are full and it’s time to stop eating.
Fiber also helps balance our blood sugar and insulin response, which can help stabilize our appetite and promote fat burning instead of fat storage.
Another win for weight management: fiber has zero calories. Since fiber is a nondigestible carbohydrate, we can’t metabolize it for fuel. Fiber also binds to fats and other sources of calories from food, decreasing your overall calorie intake from other macronutrients.
Still not convinced that fiber is a weight-loss superfood?Researchshows that high-fiber diets are associated with a lower body weight and less body fat, even when calories are not restricted. So if you want to lose weight and keep it off, eat more fiber. If you find it difficult to consistently incorporate fiber into your diet, you might want to considerfiber supplements.
6. You’re going to the bathroom too much, or not enough
If you want a healthy digestive system, adding more fiber to your diet can definitely help your cause.
Millionsof people around the world suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that causes uncomfortable symptoms like constipation, diarrhea and bloating. While the causes of IBS are not entirely known, eating more dietary fiber has been identified as an effective treatment for the disease. Fiber has a unique ability to both slowgastrointestinal transit time(which helps treat diarrhea) and stimulate gastrointestinal motility (which helps treat constipation).
Eating more fiber can also help strengthen the lining of your colon, which researchers think might be why high-fiber diets are associated withlower colon cancer risk. High-fiber diets may also lower your risk ofhemorrhoids,diverticular diseaseandinflammatory bowel disease.
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Tell us why!
