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at capella.edu. You're

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listening to LifeKit from

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NPR. Hey

0:21

everybody, it's Marielle. When

0:23

I say the word fiber, what do you think about?

0:26

Maybe pooping? You

0:28

were probably taught that fiber keeps you regular.

0:30

And it does do that, but also so much

0:32

more. NPR science correspondent Maria

0:34

Godoy says fiber is kind of like

0:37

the Peter Parker of food. You think

0:39

it's kind of this nerdy new tramp,

0:41

but it's actually really secretly a dietary

0:43

superhero? Yeah, a superhero. Because

0:46

this carbohydrate, which occurs naturally in

0:48

plants, has a ton of health

0:50

benefits. It lowers cholesterol, it helps

0:52

regulate blood sugar levels, it keeps

0:54

your hunger in check, and

0:56

it is the primary food source

0:59

for the trillions of microbes that

1:01

live in our guts. And those

1:03

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1:05

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1:07

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1:09

don't get enough fiber in our diet. That's

1:12

true for an estimated 95% of Americans. So

1:16

let's change that. On today's episode

1:18

of LifeKit, Maria and I talk all

1:20

things fiber, how it works in our

1:22

bodies, the best ways to get it,

1:24

whether you should take supplements, and how

1:26

to avoid some of the uncomfortable side effects

1:28

that can come with upping your fiber intake.

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you get your podcasts, only from NPR. I

3:30

feel like for a long time, I

3:32

just thought fiber was something that was

3:34

kind of like a room sweeping your

3:37

digested food through your intestines.

3:41

It does play that role, right? But it

3:43

also does all this other stuff. Right. There's

3:46

actually a huge body of research that

3:48

shows diet time, fiber, boost health, and

3:50

lots of ways. For example, there was

3:53

this big review of nearly 200 studies

3:55

and dozens of clinical trials and it

3:57

found diets rich in fiber were linked to

4:00

a lower risk of major

4:02

health problems like obesity, tattoo

4:04

diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular

4:06

disease, even dying prematurely

4:09

from any cause. Do

4:11

we know why it's so beneficial, like

4:14

how it's working in our bodies? One

4:17

of the big things that scientists have learned over the

4:19

last two decades is that one

4:21

of the reasons it's so important to health is

4:23

that fiber is the primary food source for

4:26

those microbes in our gut.

4:28

Those microbes we've learned play

4:30

a critical role in regulating health, not

4:33

just in our guts but throughout our

4:35

whole bodies. They

4:37

influence health in everything from immunity,

4:39

really important to immunity, allergies,

4:41

heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease,

4:44

even mental health. Scientists

4:47

are still untangling those mechanisms,

4:50

but it's pretty clear that they play a

4:52

critical role and fiber is the

4:54

primary food source for these microbes, especially

4:56

a type of fiber called prebiotic fiber,

4:58

which is the kind of fiber that

5:01

these microbes can ferment. Let's

5:03

linger here for a second on the gut

5:06

microbiome because this is so fascinating.

5:08

Could you explain what the

5:10

gut microbiome actually is? What

5:12

is the gut and what

5:14

are these microbes? Okay,

5:16

so your gut is your gastrointestinal

5:18

system, so it includes your stomach

5:20

and your small and large intestines,

5:22

which the large intestine or colon,

5:25

and it is home, especially

5:27

your large intestine, is

5:30

home to this community of

5:32

very diverse trillions, trillions of

5:34

very diverse microbes.

5:37

Those microbes play a critical

5:39

role in influencing health throughout

5:41

your body. Those

5:44

microbes are adapted to

5:47

work with different fibers,

5:49

so that's one reason why you want to eat a

5:52

diversity of fiber in your diet because I like

5:54

to think of them kind of like a team

5:56

of builders building a house, right? You want to

5:58

have your gut as the house. And so

6:00

some microbes are like plumbers and some are electricians and

6:02

some of them are, you know, masonry

6:05

experts. And so they all need different tools and

6:07

the fibers are those different tools to build different

6:09

things. So you don't want to rely on one

6:11

kind of fiber. You want to eat lots of

6:13

different fiber from foods. But

6:16

what we do know from research is more diverse

6:18

types of microbes living in your gut equals

6:21

better health. I feel like

6:23

a lot of people have heard of

6:26

taking probiotics either in

6:28

a pill or through what

6:30

they eat, kombucha or kimchi,

6:32

something like that, yogurt, in

6:35

order to help their gut microbiome.

6:38

But fiber is the other

6:40

element here, right? Like fiber

6:42

is called a prebiotic. Yeah.

6:46

So both prebiotics and probiotics

6:48

are great for the health

6:51

of your gut microbiome. Probiotics

6:55

are foods or supplements that

6:57

contain live microorganisms that have

6:59

a proven health benefit. So

7:01

think foods like kombucha or

7:04

yogurt. Prebiotics

7:06

are the food or fuel for

7:08

those good microbes in your gut.

7:11

All known prebiotics are fiber,

7:13

but not all fibers are

7:15

prebiotic. So prebiotic fibers

7:17

are those that gut microbes ferment

7:19

to produce chemical messengers that go

7:21

throughout your body. But

7:23

not all fibers are easily fermentable by

7:26

microbes. But just because

7:28

microbes can't break them down doesn't

7:30

mean that they're not beneficial. For

7:33

example, cellulose is a type of fiber

7:35

found in foods like celery. And

7:37

gut microbes don't do a great job

7:40

of breaking it down. But

7:42

we have lots of research that

7:44

shows that cellulose can help keep you

7:46

regular, which I think

7:48

we can all agree is pretty

7:50

important. The human body is amazing.

7:53

I know, right? Amazing. It

7:55

really, really is. It's

7:57

fascinating. And I'll tell you the reason I got

7:59

interested in. fiber years ago was I thought I

8:01

was eating super healthy as having salads every day

8:04

and whatnot and I read an article about the

8:06

benefits of fiber and I got curious like hmm

8:08

I wonder how much fiber I eat in a

8:10

day and I started tracking it and it actually

8:12

wasn't that much because you know so

8:14

fibers to found in plant-based foods and I was

8:16

eating a lot of salads but the thing is

8:18

like iceberg lettuce

8:20

it doesn't really have a lot of fiber

8:23

in it so I started

8:25

sort of targeting high fiber foods in

8:27

my diet and so one thing I'll

8:29

do nowadays is like I'll sprinkle tablespoons

8:31

of chia seeds on my yogurt and

8:33

that one tablespoon of chia seeds has

8:36

four grams of fiber and

8:38

I think you'd have to eat like a truckload of

8:41

iceberg lettuce to even get anywhere near that but I

8:43

know or a cup of

8:46

raspberries or blackberries have eight grams of fiber

8:49

which is a lot and those can be

8:51

expensive I was gonna say maybe that's why

8:53

they're right

8:56

but but actually you could just buy them frozen

8:58

right and like throw them in a smoothie and

9:00

they're a lot cheaper when they're frozen okay the

9:02

main issue I have with raspberries and blackberries which

9:05

also have a lot of fiber is like they

9:07

get moldy before I can even look at them

9:10

oh yeah yeah no I eat them up first because

9:12

if I'm paying like six bucks for a little pint

9:14

or whatever I'm gonna eat how

9:17

much how much fiber should we be getting

9:19

a day so the formula is

9:21

basically 14

9:24

grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories

9:26

you eat and that translates

9:28

usually for women something around 25 grams

9:31

of fiber and for men it's something like 38 grams

9:33

of fiber but it's in a way

9:35

it's moot because the vast majority of Americans get

9:37

nowhere near that less than 10% of

9:40

Americans eat the daily amount of fiber they're

9:42

supposed to most the average I think is

9:44

something like 16 grams a day so that's

9:46

where like you know maybe being a little

9:48

more conscious about what you eat can help

9:50

without being obsessive but really what you

9:53

want to think about doing is eating the rainbow which

9:55

is something you've probably heard a million times from like

9:57

registered dietitians say it all the time and that just

9:59

means eating a variety of plant-based

10:01

foods that are rich in fiber.

10:03

So like sweet potatoes or avocados,

10:05

very rich in fiber, asparagus and

10:07

artichoke, you know,

10:10

brown rice can help, lentils

10:12

and other beans, navy beans, black

10:14

beans, etc. Very high in

10:16

fiber and not expensive at all. I mean, I

10:19

eat lentil soup, you know, at least

10:21

half of the week. Do

10:23

you count your fiber every

10:26

day or periodically? I

10:28

do, but that's because I'm a little bit obsessed with

10:30

fiber, but I don't think the average person needs

10:33

to at all. Really, if you're just sort of

10:35

trying to eat a variety of plant-based

10:37

foods, you know, like fruits, vegetables,

10:39

and obviously whole grains, legumes,

10:42

like all of that can just help

10:44

you get closer to your goal. Yeah.

10:47

What is the difference between soluble

10:50

and insoluble fiber? Because I feel like

10:52

those terms are a little confusing, and

10:54

I'm not sure whether I need to

10:56

be keeping track. No,

10:59

I don't really think you do for the

11:02

average person who's got a million things going

11:04

on and isn't kind of a fanatic like

11:06

I am. I don't think so. It's really

11:08

easy to get really in the weeds pretty

11:10

fast when it comes to fiber. But basically,

11:13

soluble fiber means it can dissolve

11:15

in water. Soluble fibers bind with

11:17

water and kind of turn

11:20

into this gel-like consistency that slows

11:22

digestion, and that can be helpful,

11:24

can lower glucose levels and blood

11:26

cholesterol levels. Again, like

11:29

chia seeds, oat brands, lentils, nuts and

11:31

seeds, apples and pears have soluble fiber.

11:34

Insoluble fiber means it doesn't dissolve in

11:36

water, and that's helpful because it can

11:38

help food move through your digestive system

11:41

and add bulk to your stool and

11:43

help keep you regular and prevent constipation.

11:45

So you can think of foods like

11:48

quinoa or brown rice, kale, walnuts,

11:51

that falls into that category. And the

11:53

thing that's Important

11:55

to remember is that different kinds of plant

11:57

foods have different kinds of fiber in them.

12:00

And they're all important to health in different

12:02

ways. So again, that's why you wanna eat

12:05

the rainbow? You know eat lots of different

12:07

fruits and and whole grains, nuts and seeds

12:09

and beans. Just make sure you're getting you

12:11

know a variety of fibers in your diet

12:14

way. So. Is it ever

12:16

a good idea to get cyber from

12:18

a supplement or up hill? Very good

12:20

question. Every researcher I've spoken to tell

12:22

me your best bet is to get

12:24

cyber from a variety of plant based

12:26

foods. Plant our lives, That and millions.

12:28

And now I'm and but that's really

12:30

for a couple of reasons. One is

12:32

in a when you eat cyber it's

12:34

berries are sweet potatoes. You're also getting

12:36

all the vitamins and minerals and Fido

12:38

nutrients. and as soon as soon not

12:40

just the fibers to they're good for

12:42

you and multiple ways but another reason

12:44

as the fiber. Use and settlement and

12:46

highly purified the simplest structure than the

12:48

fiber that sort of bound up in

12:51

complex structures naturally inside of plant foods

12:53

and so the simpler fibers tend to

12:55

get for men's had faster by gut

12:58

microbes, but that means they might not

13:00

travel all the way down the full

13:02

length of your large intestine and see

13:05

the microbes there too. So basically they

13:07

might. Not reach all the microsoft

13:09

need. It throughout your. Thats that

13:11

said, if you don't that enough

13:13

Fiber supplements are probably helpful. They

13:15

just. Don't. Seem to be

13:17

as helpful as getting your fiber through.

13:19

Plant based says. Care

13:22

I I notice too that like I

13:24

was taking cyber supplements for a while

13:26

and then once I realized how much

13:28

fiber we needed days I looked at

13:30

the label and it was like I

13:32

did. Six five capsules to get two

13:34

grams of fiber. I

13:37

was like this is. Wild.

13:39

Late. What is even in these? It

13:41

was like term mostly caramel coloring. My

13:44

advice is like eat a bowl of

13:46

black bean soup. Essential

13:48

says spray. It's gonna be taste

13:51

year hopefully. Of

13:53

of a So if you're someone who

13:55

does not eat a lot of cyber

13:58

right now. We're. idiots Because

14:00

if you start really abruptly and crank

14:02

it up, you could get gas and

14:05

bloating and just like gastrointestinal

14:07

distress, right? Right, right.

14:10

And I think that's a

14:12

really important point. If you don't eat a

14:14

lot of fiber, I would definitely say the

14:17

key is to start slowly. Just be very

14:19

gradual about increasing your fiber intake. So,

14:21

for instance, if you like to eat white bread, maybe the first week

14:23

you're trying to increase your intake, switch

14:26

out one serving with whole grain bread. And

14:28

the second week, do two servings until you've

14:30

done all your servings of whole grain instead

14:32

of white bread. The other

14:34

thing is drink lots of water because

14:36

this can help the fiber bind. It

14:39

prevents it from hardening. And

14:42

try cooking vegetables or eating fruits without

14:44

the skins or seeds that can

14:47

help make foods a little less likely to cause gas. One

14:50

thing you might want to do is if you're eating more food

14:52

with fiber and noticing gas, maybe take

14:54

note of which foods cause symptoms. You might

14:56

want to adjust your diet. If you're particularly

14:58

sensitive to something, like for instance, I've said

15:01

I'm a fiber fanatic, but I've realized I've

15:03

got to moderate my Chia seed intake. Like

15:05

one tablespoon with my yogurt is fine, two

15:07

tablespoons and I'm in trouble later. That's

15:11

just me personally, you know?

15:13

Totally. Yeah, and the other

15:15

thing, you know, I find that taking

15:17

a walk after meals can also be

15:20

helpful with gas and bloating discomfort. And

15:22

so, yeah, just moving a little bit afterward.

15:24

And it can help with digestion and help

15:26

release some of that gas. All

15:29

right. Well, I

15:31

am like kind of pumped now to go eat fiber

15:34

all day. Yay! Okay,

15:36

yeah. But

15:38

like do it in moderation. All right,

15:40

well, thank you so much. This has

15:42

been great. It has been my pleasure

15:45

as your official NPR fiber fanatic.

15:52

For more Life Kit, check out our other

15:54

episodes. We have one on how to handle

15:56

constipation and another on weightlifting. You can find

15:58

those at npr.org. And

16:01

if you love LifeKit and want

16:03

even more, subscribe to our newsletter

16:05

at npr.org/LifeKit newsletter. Also, we

16:08

love hearing from you, so if you have episode

16:10

ideas or feedback you want to share, email us

16:12

at lifekit at npr.org. This

16:17

episode of LifeKit was produced by Claire

16:19

Marie Schneider. It was edited by Sylvie

16:21

Douglas. Our visuals editor is Bec Harlan,

16:23

and our digital editor is Malika Garib.

16:26

Megan Kane is our supervising editor, and

16:28

Beth Donovan is our executive producer. Our

16:31

production team also includes Andy Tegel and

16:33

Margaret Serino. Engineering support

16:35

comes from Neil P. Vault. I'm

16:37

Marielle Sagara. Thanks for listening. This

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