How Does Fiber Help With Weight Loss?
Fiber may not be as trendy a term as keto, paleo, or flexitarian—hey, it makes us think of bran muffins and carpet fibers, too!—but let’s give that five-letter word a little love. After all, you can use fiber for weight loss. (One large study published last year in the Journal of Nutrition found that increased fiber intake helped subjects lose weight independently of other factors in their diet; a 2018 study in Nutrition found that when subjects focused simply on increasing the amount of fiber and lean protein in their diet, they ate few calories and lost weight as a result,)
“Fiber slows the speed of digestion, which makes you feel full and may help you eat less and stay satisfied longer,” explains Marisa Moore,R.D.N., L.D., a culinary and integrative dietitian. When you feel full after your meal, you’re less likely you reach for a bag of chips or cookies an hour later, adds Krista Linares, R.D.N., who specializes in diabetes management and prevention in the Latino community.
In addition to making you feel full, fiber plays another important role in weight loss: “Because fiber helps slow down digestion, it also slows down how quickly your body responds to the carbohydrates you eat, and can help you better manage your insulin and blood sugar response to food,” says Linares.
Excerpted from Prevention
