Welcome to Chasing Eden!
Sept. 12, 2026

The Fiber Comeback

The Fiber Comeback
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Fiber is making a comeback—and scientists are discovering that its role in human health goes far beyond keeping us regular. In this episode of Chasing Eden, Caroline Thompson explores why Americans are being encouraged to rethink fiber, how U.S. intake compares with recommendations in the UK and Europe, and what soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, resistant starch and fermentable fibers actually do inside the body.

We look at how different fibers feed the gut microbiome, support beneficial bacterial activity, influence blood sugar and insulin response, affect cholesterol and fat absorption, and may contribute to long-term metabolic and digestive health.

Caroline also explores why simply adding a scoop of psyllium husk may not provide the diversity found in a fiber-rich diet, drawing on insights from Dr. Rupy Aujla, Dr. Emily Leeming and nutritionist Dominique Ludwig, along with international research.

You'll learn why increasing fiber too quickly can cause gas and bloating, why your gut may need time to adapt, why chewing matters more than most of us realize, and why hydration becomes especially important as fiber intake rises. From oats, beans and lentils to berries, vegetables, nuts and seeds, this episode makes the case for something refreshingly simple: different plants provide different fibers—and feeding your gut well starts with real food.

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Welcome back to the Chasing Eden podcast, where we begin

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to rediscover our body's divine design. I'm your host, Carolyn Thompson,

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and it feels great to be back. There is something

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interesting happening in nutrition right now. For years, the conversation

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seemed to revolve around everything except fiber. We counted calories,

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then we counted carbohydrates, Then fat became the enemy. Then

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carbohydrates became the enemy. Then protein became the nutrient everyone

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wanted more of. Grocery store shelves filled with high-protein yogurt,

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high-protein cereal, protein bars, and protein shakes. Also, protein cookies

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and even products that probably never needed protein added to

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them in the first place. Now, protein is important, especially...

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as we age. But quietly, another nutrient has been making

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its way back into the conversation. Fiber. Something our grandparents

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probably never called a superfood. Something that doesn't come in

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a flashy bottle. Something that is naturally found in beans, lentils, vegetables, berries, apples, oats, barley, nuts, seeds,

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and whole grains. And suddenly, social media has even given

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eating more fiber a name. Fiber maxing. But here's what's fascinating.

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Scientists didn't suddenly discover fiber in 2026. We've known for

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decades that diets containing adequate fiber are associated with better

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digestive health and lower risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes,

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and colorectal cancer. What we're beginning to understand much more

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deeply is why. Fiber isn't simply roughage that helps you

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go to the bathroom. Different fibers behave differently. Some absorb water.

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Some create gels. Some slow digestion. Some interact with cholesterol

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and bile acids. Some are fermented by bacteria living inside

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your colon. And then those microbes consume certain fibers. They

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create compounds called short-chain fatty acids, including acetate, propionate, and

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butyrate that may influence the intestinal lining, inflammation, and metabolism.

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In other words, when you eat certain plants, you aren't

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only feeding yourself, you're feeding an ecosystem living inside of you.

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And that changes the entire fiber conversation. Today, we're going

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to investigate why fiber has returned to the center of

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nutritional science. We're going to compare American recommendations with Britain

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and France. We'll talk about soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, fermentable fiber,

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resistant starch, and prebiotic fibers. We're going to look at

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what happens to blood sugar when fiber is present in

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a meal. We'll look at insulin, cholesterol, fat absorption, sachety, constipation,

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the microbiome, and yes, bloating. Because that's where many people

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run into trouble. Someone hears that fiber is healthy, goes

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from barely eating any to loading breakfast with bran, chia,

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and flax, eats a giant bean salad for lunch, takes

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psyllium in the afternoon, and by dinner they're wondering why

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their stomach feels like a balloon. We'll explain why that happens.

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We'll also answer another important question. If fiber is so important,

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why can't I just take psyllium husk every morning and

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call it good? Psyllium can absolutely be useful. But psyllium

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and a fiber-rich diet are not biologically identical. And finally,

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we're going to talk about something astonishingly simple that almost

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nobody discusses when talking about digestion. Chewing your food. And today,

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we're asking whether one of the biggest nutritional breakthroughs of

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the moment isn't actually something new at all, but something

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modern food gradually removed. So let's begin with the simplest question.

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What is dietary fiber? It's not as simple as you think.

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Broadly speaking, dietary fibers are carbohydrates found primarily in plant

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foods that aren't completely digested and absorbed into the small

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intestine the way sugars and many starches are. Instead, much

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of that material continues toward the large intestine. But calling

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all of it simply fiber can be misleading because fibers

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can behave very differently. You've probably heard fiber divided into

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two categories, soluble and insoluble. That's useful, although modern nutritional

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science also classifies fibers according to characteristics such as viscosity

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and fermentability. Let's start with soluble fiber. As the name suggests,

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soluble fiber can interact with water. Some soluble fibers from

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viscous gel-like material inside the digestive tract. Sources include foods

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such as oats, barley, Beans, lentils, peas, apples, citrus fruits, carrots,

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and psyllium. These viscous fibers can slow the movement of

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nutrients through the parts of the digestive process. That's important

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when we get to glucose and cholesterol. Then there's insoluble fiber.

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It doesn't dissolve in water in the same way. It

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adds bulk to stool and helps material move through the

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digestive tract. You'll find it in foods including wheat bran,

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many whole grains, vegetable skins, nuts and seeds. But there's

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another characteristic that's arguably even more fascinating, and that's called fermentability.

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Some fibers can be fermented by microbes living in the colon.

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Those microbes break them down and produce metabolites. including the

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short-chain fatty acids I mentioned earlier. One particularly important one

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is butyrate. Cells lining the colon can use butyrate as

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an energy source. Then there are naturally occurring prebiotic fibers.

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You've probably heard the word probiotic. A probiotic is generally

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a beneficial live microorganism. A prebiotic, on the other hand,

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is a substrate selectively used by microorganisms that can confer

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a health benefit. Foods containing prebiotic compounds include onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, chicory,

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Jerusalem artichokes, legumes, and certain whole grains. And then we

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have resistant starch. This starch that resists digestion in the

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small intestine and reaches the large intestine where microbes can

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ferment it. You can find resistant starch in foods such

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as legumes and green bananas, and the amount can also change,

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depending on how certain starchy foods are cooked and cooled.

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So already we have a problem with saying, I got

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my fiber. Which fiber? From what food? Was it viscous?

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Was it fermentable? Did it come packaged inside a bean

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containing resistant starch, polyphenols, minerals, and protein? Did it come

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from oats containing beta-glucon? Did it come from an apple

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containing pectin? Or did it come from a scoop of

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isolated fiber? Those things aren't necessarily interchangeable. And this leads

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us to one of the most important lessons of today's episode.

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Fiber isn't one nutrient doing one job. It is a

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family of compounds performing different jobs throughout the digestive system.

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Now let's compare recommendations. American dietary guidance has traditionally expressed

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fiber needs as approximately 14 grams for every 1,000 calories consumed.

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For many adults, that works out somewhere in the neighborhood

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of the mid-20s to upper 30s, depending upon age, sex,

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and calorie needs. Britain took a very clear approach. Adults

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are advised to consume 30 grams of fiber per day.

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France also lands around that neighborhood. French guidance commonly recommends

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approximately 30 grams per day with current French public health

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information describing a range of about 25 to 40 grams,

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including soluble fiber. So you might expect Europeans to be

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eating mountains of fiber while Americans live on cheeseburgers. Not exactly.

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This is where the story gets more interesting. Britain's latest

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National Diet and Nutrition Survey found adults averaging only about

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16 to 17 grams per day Only around 4% of

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adults in that survey met the 30-gram recommendation. France has

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also struggled to meet its target, with national intake data

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placing average adult consumption around 20 grams per day in

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previous surveys. So this isn't America is bad and Europe

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is perfect. It is something much larger. Modern industrialized societies

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appear to have developed a fiber problem. But there are

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still cultural differences worth examining. Traditional Mediterranean eating patterns naturally

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include foods such as beans and lentils, chickpeas and vegetables, fruits,

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nuts and seeds, as well as whole grains and minimally

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processed plant foods. Traditional British diets also contain fiber-rich foods too,

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like oats, barley, peas, beans, root vegetables, and whole grain breads.

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Traditional French food culture contains lentils, beans, vegetables, fruit, and

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whole grains alongside animal proteins. Compare that with the modern

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American food environment. White bread, refined breakfast cereal, pastries, french fries, chips,

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and sugary drinks. Also, refined snack foods, fast food buns,

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and pizza made from refined flour, as well as desserts,

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and ultra-processed convenience foods. We're eating plenty of carbohydrate. But

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carbohydrates and fiber are not synonymous. You can eat a

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very high-carbohydrate diet that's surprisingly low in fiber. Take wheat.

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The intact grain contains multiple structures and nutrients. Refining it

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into white flour removes much of the bran and germs.

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The resulting product can still provide carbohydrate calories, but it

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is not nutritionally identical to the original grain. I recommend

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milling your own wheat berries. In that way, you are

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keeping the bran and germ intact, and also the nutrition

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is going to be higher because wheat loses nutrition once

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it has been milled. The same principle applies throughout our

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food system. Processing isn't automatically bad, but cooking is processing

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and freezing is processing as well as pre-milling your wheat.

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Fermentation is also processing. Canning is processing. The issue is

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what happens when our dietary pattern becomes dominated by highly

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refined foods that have had much of their original structure

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and fiber removed. We didn't necessarily stop eating carbohydrates. We

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changed the kind of carbohydrate we were eating. and the

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consequences may reach far beyond constipation. So now let's talk

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about the forgotten organ, your microbiome. Imagine hosting trillions of

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microorganisms and never feeding them. That's essentially part of the

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modern fiber problem. The large intestine contains a complex ecosystem

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of bacteria and other microorganisms. They don't all eat the

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same things. different dietary substrates can favor different organisms and

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metabolic pathways. When fermentable fibers reach the colon, microbes can

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metabolize them. The result can include gases, which we'll come

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back to in short-chain fatty acids. One of those is butyrate.

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Butyrate has attracted enormous scientific attention because colon cells use

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it as an important energy. You can purchase butyrate in

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capsule form, very inexpensively. There is also a relationship between

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the intestinal barrier function and immune signaling as far as

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butyrate is concerned. Another one is called propionate, and another

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one is acetate. This is one reason why fiber diversity matters.

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Eating oats isn't exactly the same as eating lentils, and

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eating lentils isn't the same as eating onions. Eating onions

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isn't the same as eating berries. Eating berries isn't the

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same as eating flaxseed. Different plants contain different combinations of fibers,

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resistant starches, and polyphenols. And they encounter different microbial populations.

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Think of your garden. You planted one crop in every

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square inch of soil year after year, and you wouldn't

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call that ecological diversity. Yet sometimes that's how we approach

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fiber consumption. we find one fiber supplement and we assume

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we're done. But the gut microbiome isn't a drainpipe, it's

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an ecosystem. And ecosystems generally thrive on diversity. This is

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why the resurgence of fiber may ultimately become less about

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hitting one magic number and about restoring a broad range

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of plant foods to the diet. When we come back,

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We're going to follow fiber through an actual meal. What

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happens when you eat carbohydrates with fiber? What happens to glucose?

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What happens to insulin? And what happens to dietary fat

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and cholesterol? Then we'll tackle a question millions of Americans have.

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If psyllium works, why isn't a scoop of psyllium enough?

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Stay with me. Let's talk about what fiber actually does

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inside of you. Let's imagine two meals. Meal number one

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contains refined carbohydrate that is digested relatively quickly. Meal number

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two contains carbohydrate inside an intact or minimally processed food

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matrix with viscous fiber. These foods can behave differently during digestion.

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Certain soluble viscous fibers absorb water and create a thicker

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environment inside the digestive tract. That increased viscosity can slow

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gastric emptying and slow the rate at which digestive enzymes

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and nutrients interact. As a result, glucose may enter the

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bloodstream more gradually. That can reduce the size of speed

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of the most meal glucose rise in certain contexts. And

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if glucose enters the bloodstream differently, the insulin response can

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also change. So we're talking about the speed of the

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post-meal glucose rise in certain contexts. If the glucose enters

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the bloodstream differently, the insulin response can change. So insulin

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is not really, it's not the enemy. And let me

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say again that because the internet has done terrible things

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to this conversation, insulin is not a toxin. It's an

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essential hormone. Without insulin, we cannot properly regulate our blood

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glucose levels. The issue is chronically impaired insulin sensitivity and

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metabolic dysfunction and not the existence of insulin. Research on

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viscous soluble fibers is particularly interesting here A meta-analysis of

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28 controlled trial comparisons involving nearly 1,400 people with type

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2 diabetes found that viscous fiber supplementation improved several measures

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of glycemic control. Average HbA1c fell by roughly 0.58 percentage

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points compared with control conditions along with improvements in fasting

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glucose and insulin-resistant measures. That doesn't mean fiber replaces diabetes medication.

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It doesn't mean everyone gets that exact result either. And

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it certainly doesn't mean someone with diabetes should change treatment

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without their clinician. But it does demonstrate something important. Food

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structure and fiber can meaningfully influence metabolic physiology. And that's

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one reason the question shouldn't simply be, how many carbohydrates

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did I eat? A cup of lentils and a cup

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of candy aren't metabolically interchangeable simply because both contain carbohydrates.

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One comes packaged with fiber, protein, minerals, and a complex

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food structure. The other doesn't. Context matters. Dr. Rhonda Patrick

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points out that fiber, she says, quote, unquote, Fiber is

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our best bet against microplastics, unquote. The best way to

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excrete plastics is to poop it out. So now let's

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talk about fat. Certain soluble viscous fibers can interact with

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bile acids. Your liver uses cholesterol to produce bile acids

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which help digest fats. Normally some bile acids are reabsorbed

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and recycled, but viscous fibers can increase the amount that

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leaves the body in stool. The liver is then needs

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to make more bile acids. That process and one mechanism

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by which certain fibers can help lower LDL cholesterol. Beta-glucon

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from oats and barley has been studied for this. So

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has psyllium. And if you're looking for a great website

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that will help you get started in your fiber journey,

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I highly recommend The Doctor's Kitchen with Dr. Rupi Hajula.

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This website allows you to easily plan for eating a

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diverse group of fibers in your meals, and it makes

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it easy and delicious. My husband Eric and I have

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really enjoyed these last few weeks eating Dr. Rupi's recipes.

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A major meta-analysis found that soluble fibers, including oat, psyllium,

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and pectin, produced modest but significant reductions in LDL cholesterol.

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And on Dr. Rupi's website, The Doctor's Kitchen, he has

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an app. And it really does help you include all

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of these wonderful different types of fibers into your meals

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without really having to think about it too much on

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your own. So notice that in the meta analysis, the

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soluble fibers, which included oats, psyllium, and pectin produced modest

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but significant reductions in LDL cholesterol. Notice the word modest.

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This is where responsible natural health conversations matter because Diet

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can influence risk factors, and dietary patterns accumulate effects over decades.

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The more interesting question isn't, can one bowl of oatmeal

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lower my cholesterol? Give the body what it needs to

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function optimally, and it will obey. What happens when someone's

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daily diet repeatedly contains beans, oats, vegetables, fruit, and nuts, seeds,

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and intact grains, instead of primarily refined foods? And that

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is a different question. So let's give psyllium the credit

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it deserves. Psyllium husk is a legitimate source of soluble

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viscous fiber. It absorbs water. It forms a gel. It

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can help normalize stool consistency. It can also help with constipation.

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There is evidence supporting beneficial effects on LDL cholesterol, and

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viscous fibers can help moderate post-meal glucose responses. So this

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isn't a section where I tell you psyllium is useless.

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Quite the opposite. It's important to address the issue of

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diverse microbectory in the gut and make sure that we

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are eating a diet that allows the gut to get

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the different microbes it needs to function properly. So just

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for a second, I want to talk about poop implants

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in mice and the microbes. They actually did a study

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and they took the microbes from a skinny mouse and

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put it into a fat mouse and watched as the

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fat mouse got skinny. Then they turned around and put

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the microbes from a fat mouse into a skinny mouse

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and watched the skinny mouse get fat. So microbes in

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the gut are so complex and so important, not just

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for our health but they also help regulate our weight

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in ways that is still a mystery. Psyllium is an

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excellent tool for this, but it's a tool, not a diet.

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Suppose someone eats white toast for breakfast, a fast food

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hamburger for lunch, chips in the afternoon, pizza for dinner,

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and then takes 10 grams of psyllium, which a lot

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of people do. Have they suddenly recreated the physiological environment

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of someone eating 30 different plant foods? No. Psyllium provides

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a particularly type of fiber with particularly physical properties, and

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A bowl of lentils provides fiber plus resistant starch, protein, minerals,

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and phytochemicals. Oats provide beta-glucan plus other components. Berries provide

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fibers plus polyphenols. And flax provides fiber plus lignans and fats.

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Beans contain multiple fermentable substrates. Vegetables provide different fibers and phytochemicals.

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The issue isn't merely quantity. its variety. This is also

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where microbiome research becomes interesting. Different fibers produce different microbial responses.

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Studies comparing fiber supplements have demonstrated that psyllium, wheat dextrin,

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and more complex fiber preparations don't affect microbial communities identically.

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And research on psyllium in people with constipation has found

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microbiome changes that depend partly on the person's starting microbial community.

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So depending on what your microbial community already is, is

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going to have an effect on how your body reacts

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with the psyllium supplementation. Your gut bacteria aren't simply asking

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for fiber. They're asking for different microbes and glycogen. because

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different microbes can use different substrates. So taking psyllium can,

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it may help you reach a fiber target and provide

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real health benefits, but it shouldn't become nutritional absolution. Like,

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I took my fiber and now I can eat whatever

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I want. Think of psyllium as one instrument in the orchestra.

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A healthy plant-rich diet is the orchestra. So I've been

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listening to some fascinating conversations from Dr. Rupi Ajala from

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the Doctor's Kitchen podcast, and they raise an important point

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about where nutrition culture is right now. We've become protein obsessed. Dr.

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Rupi recently spoke with nutritionist Dominic Ludwig about building meals

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with both adequate protein and fiber. The conversation described them

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as a dynamic, And I love that phrase because it

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corrects the false choice. We don't have to choose protein

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or plants. Protein supports muscle maintenance, recovery, sachety, and healthy aging.

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Fiber supports digestive health, microbial metabolism, bowel function, and cardiometabolic health.

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Especially after midlife, why would we want to sacrifice either

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of them? Dominic's practical framework emphasizes meals that can deliver

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meaningful amounts of both, roughly. Roughly about 30 grams of

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protein and 10 plus grams of fiber in a meal.

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You don't need to hit those exact numbers at every meal,

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but conceptually, it's powerful. Look at your plate. Where is

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my protein? And where are my plants? Chicken breast and

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white rice can provide protein and energy, but where's the fiber?

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Add lentils, add broccoli, add roasted vegetables, add beans, use

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brown rice from another intact grain if that works for you,

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and herbs and seeds. Suddenly, we've changed the biological complexity

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of that meal, and we didn't have to eliminate protein

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to do it. When we come back, we're going to

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address the part nobody talks about, gas, bloating, cramping, and

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why eating more fiber can initially make some people feel

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worse instead of better. We'll also talk about something you

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can change at your very next meal without buying a supplement.

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Slow down and chew. And we'll explain why hydration becomes

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increasingly important as fiber goes up. Stay with me. Why

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fiber makes you bloated? Here's the irony. Someone eats a

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low-fiber diet for years, then hears, fiber is good for

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your gut. So tomorrow, they decide to become the healthiest

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human alive. And for breakfast, they eat oatmeal, chia, flax,

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and berries. For lunch, they eat a huge lentil salad.

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For a snack, they have apple and almonds. For dinner,

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they have black beans, brown rice, and broccoli. Then they

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take psyllium. And by bedtime, they're miserable. Their abdomen is distended.

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They're passing gas. Maybe they have cramps. And they conclude,

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fiber doesn't agree with me. Maybe, but another possibility is

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that the dose changed far faster than the digestive ecosystem

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could comfortably adapt to. Fermentation produces gases. When microbes metabolize

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fermentable carbohydrates, gases including hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and depending on

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the microbial community, methane can be produced. That's normal biology.

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Isn't it interesting some people are willing to transition to

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a keto diet with uncomfortable side effects or what we

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call that breaking-in period? But when it comes to fiber,

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they are less enthusiastic about the discomfort and the adjustment period. Dr.

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Emily Leeming discussed exactly this with Dr. Ruby Ajala on

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The Doctor's Kitchen. One of her practical messages is that

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increasing fiber doesn't need to be done in an overnight event.

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Your gut needs time to adapt. This is kind of

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funny too because she also talked about If you do

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start adding fiber back into your diet and you happen

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to have bloating and you're uncomfortable, there is a thing

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that they called a fart walk. And she says, go

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take a walk, and that will actually help work out

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the gas and help reduce your bloating. It's kind of funny,

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but it works. So that's why gradual increases make sense, though,

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because you don't want to be uncomfortable. So start making

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your changes a little bit at a time. If you're

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eating perhaps 15 grams of fiber per day already, don't

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necessarily eat 40 tomorrow. Just add one change, maybe beans

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several times a week, then increase the portion. Maybe switch

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one refined grain for a whole grain and add berries,

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add seeds, add another vegetable, and let your digestive system

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have time to adjust to these changes. And remember that

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not every person tolerates every high fiber food equally. We're

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all individual, not one size fits all. People with IBS

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may be sensitive to particular fermentable carbohydrates, often discussed under

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the FODMAP, which is the short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly

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absorbed in the small intestine and ferment in the colon.

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So that is the FODMAP umbrella. Someone may tolerate oats

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beautifully but struggle with onions. Someone may tolerate lentils but

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struggle with large amounts of wheat bran. Someone else may

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have the opposite experience. That's why eat more fiber should

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not mean force-feed yourself foods that make you miserable. Variety

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gives you options. Now, for perhaps the least expensive digestive

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intervention imaginable. Chewing. Sounds kind of simple or too simple, right?

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You don't need a supplement. You don't need a subscription.

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No powders, no gadgets, just chewing. Dr. Ruppe raised this

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in his conversation with Dr. Emily Leamy. When we eat quickly,

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we often chew less thoroughly. Now, when I was overseas

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and I watched a French man eat in a restaurant,

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I was absolutely fascinated by how slow he ate his food.

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And I remember hearing about how the French really have

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mastered digestion in that sense. It's a very natural thing

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for them to do culturally. And Americans, we tend to

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grow up eating quickly. I mean, I remember eating lunch

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in my car on the way back to work. I'd

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go through a drive-thru, and I would just eat on

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the way back. So again, in our culture, we tend

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to eat quickly. We eat while we're looking at our

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iPads and our iPhones. We eat while we're stressed out.

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We eat fast. We do this and we just think

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it's natural because it's a part of our culture. But

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places like France, they'll eat slowly and they actually mindfully eat.

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And when I watched him do this, I started kind

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of getting this mentality that, you know what, I'm going

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to start eating mindfully. Um, at the time I didn't

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realize also that you shouldn't be eating when you're stressed

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out and you shouldn't be eating when you're distracted. Um,

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because that also slows down your digestion. It can also

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cause trouble with your digestion. So a part of chewing

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less thoroughly, chew less thoroughly. Oh wait, I'm sorry. We

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00:33:24.250 --> 00:33:27.789
often chew less thoroughly. Part of chewing thoroughly is to

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make sure that we are chewing our food mindfully and

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we're not eating too quickly. Okay. Rapid eating can also

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cause you to swallow more air. Dr. Leeming pointed out

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that swallowed air itself can contribute to the sensation of bloating.

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So this is how we Americans eat. We eat in

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the car, we eat at the desk, looking at our phone,

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standing over the kitchen counter, watching television, between our appointments.

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We don't eat, we inhale. We actually inhale our food.

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But digestion starts before food reaches the stomach. Chewing mechanically

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breaks food into smaller particles. Saliva moistens the food, which

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starts breaking the food down. Salivary enzymes begin acting on

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certain nutrients. The sensory experience of eating also participates in

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what's actually the cephalic phase of digestion, the body's anticipatory

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response to food. You see with the eyes first. You

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actually start eating with your eyes first. Eating more slowly

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can also give sachety signals more time to develop. So

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here's a simple experiment. At one meal today, put your

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fork down occasionally. Actually taste your food. Chew it thoroughly.

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Don't obsessively count 30 chews. You could just stop swallowing

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food after three bites if you want. I like to

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dim out lights and light candles and put on classical

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or jazz music when I eat dinner at night if

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I'm eating at home to encourage my husband and I

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to eat slower and more mindfully. So as far as

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increasing fiber, there is kind of something you need to

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think about here. If you increase fiber, there's another variable

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you cannot ignore, and that's water. When I started increasing

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my fiber intake a month ago, I started getting really

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thirsty during the day and I made the connection, oh yeah,

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you're eating a lot more fiber and the fiber is

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taking up the water in the fluids in your body,

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so you need to drink more water. So remember that

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many fibers absorb water. Psyllium is the obvious example. Put

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00:35:39.869 --> 00:35:42.530
psyllium into liquid and watch what happens. It expands and

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00:35:42.570 --> 00:35:45.179
forms a gel, right? Because if you have ever put

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psyllium powder in a glass, you have to drink it

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00:35:47.179 --> 00:35:49.480
really fast. Otherwise, it gets thick really quick and then

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you can't get it down without choking on it. So

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inside your digestive tract, hydration helps the fiber perform its

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physical role and helps keep the stool softer and easier

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00:35:59.550 --> 00:36:04.530
to pass. Britain's National Health Service uses a wonderfully simple analogy.

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Fiber acts like a sponge. Without adequate fluids, suddenly increasing fiber,

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particularly bulking fibers, can actually make constipation worse for some people.

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That's why recommendations to increase fiber are routinely accompanied by

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increase gradually and drink adequate fluids. That doesn't mean everyone

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needs to carry a gallon jug everywhere, but hydration needs

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to vary according to things like your body size, climate,

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your activity level, how much you're sweating, how much fiber

451
00:36:38.219 --> 00:36:41.179
you're actually including in your diet, if you're on any medications,

452
00:36:41.349 --> 00:36:44.190
if you're pregnant, or any health conditions that you have

453
00:36:44.210 --> 00:36:48.690
and other factors. Water also comes from food, so fruits

454
00:36:48.730 --> 00:36:54.849
and vegetables can contribute substantially. Soups contribute, and caffeine-free tea contributes.

455
00:36:55.590 --> 00:36:58.429
The goal isn't to become obsessed with a magic number.

456
00:36:59.170 --> 00:37:05.510
It's to recognize the relationship. More water-absorbing material requires adequate fluid.

457
00:37:06.389 --> 00:37:10.110
And if you're taking concentrated psyllium, following the product's fluid

458
00:37:10.150 --> 00:37:16.960
instructions is particularly important. People with swallowing problems, bowel narrowing,

459
00:37:17.300 --> 00:37:22.000
or certain gastrointestinal disorders should speak with their healthcare professional

460
00:37:22.380 --> 00:37:26.710
before using bulk fiber supplements. So let's return to Europe.

461
00:37:27.889 --> 00:37:32.070
Britain recommends 30 grams of fiber per day. France recommends

462
00:37:32.190 --> 00:37:36.969
approximately the same neighborhood. Neither country has solved the problem.

463
00:37:37.550 --> 00:37:42.909
In fact, British national data shows an average adult intake

464
00:37:42.969 --> 00:37:46.469
around 16 to 17 grams. That should be a warning.

465
00:37:47.289 --> 00:37:50.630
Even when governments tell people to eat fiber, modern food

466
00:37:50.690 --> 00:37:55.829
environments can make that surprisingly difficult. But traditional European food

467
00:37:55.889 --> 00:38:03.019
cultures offer useful clues. Consider France. Lentils, beans, vegetables... whole

468
00:38:03.059 --> 00:38:08.239
grain breads, fruit, nuts, meals eaten as meals rather than

469
00:38:08.440 --> 00:38:15.139
endless grazing. Or the Mediterranean regions, chickpeas, white beans, lentils,

470
00:38:15.280 --> 00:38:20.710
whole grains, vegetables, greens, nuts, seeds, fruit, olive oil, and herbs.

471
00:38:21.610 --> 00:38:25.630
The lesson isn't eat like Europeans because Europeans are healthier.

472
00:38:26.349 --> 00:38:32.010
That's too simplistic. Europe has fast food. Europe has ultra-processed food.

473
00:38:32.510 --> 00:38:36.809
Europe has obesity, Europe has diabetes, Europe has chronic disease,

474
00:38:37.389 --> 00:38:42.070
and Europe has fiber deficiency. The useful lesson is traditional

475
00:38:42.159 --> 00:38:47.559
food cultures frequently built fiber into meals automatically. Nobody needed

476
00:38:47.639 --> 00:38:51.380
a package saying high fiber. A bowl of lentil soup

477
00:38:51.420 --> 00:38:54.860
didn't need a marketing department. Beans didn't need an influencer.

478
00:38:55.199 --> 00:38:58.590
An apple didn't need a health claim. Food provided the fiber.

479
00:38:59.780 --> 00:39:03.500
Modern nutrition often does the opposite. We strip foods into

480
00:39:03.820 --> 00:39:07.360
components and then sell the components back to ourselves, remove

481
00:39:07.380 --> 00:39:09.739
the fiber from the grain. When they mill our wheat,

482
00:39:09.920 --> 00:39:14.570
they remove the fiber from the grain. They refine it.

483
00:39:15.070 --> 00:39:18.309
So the funny thing about that is people will go

484
00:39:18.349 --> 00:39:21.289
buy wheat bran and they'll put it in their smoothies.

485
00:39:22.030 --> 00:39:25.610
That wheat bran was removed from the wheat berry and

486
00:39:25.630 --> 00:39:28.710
then sold to us. So if we would just mill

487
00:39:28.789 --> 00:39:30.260
our own wheat, and you can do that in a

488
00:39:30.300 --> 00:39:33.420
powerful blender, you don't necessarily need a wheat mill, and

489
00:39:33.699 --> 00:39:36.590
create our own foods through that. You can bake your

490
00:39:36.630 --> 00:39:39.489
own bread with a bread maker very easily. You can

491
00:39:39.570 --> 00:39:43.210
make crema wheat. You can make pancakes with it. But

492
00:39:43.369 --> 00:39:47.429
if you keep the grain intact, you're And you're also

493
00:39:47.469 --> 00:39:49.900
going to help it retain its nutritional value because the

494
00:39:49.940 --> 00:39:57.179
shelf life isn't as long. Now, a good source of fiber, okay,

495
00:39:57.219 --> 00:40:01.070
for instance, sometimes fortified foods can be useful, but there's

496
00:40:01.110 --> 00:40:04.369
something almost absurd about that cycle, right? Nature built complexity

497
00:40:04.489 --> 00:40:08.869
already into the food, and then we dismantle it. And

498
00:40:08.949 --> 00:40:11.260
now we're spending billions of dollars trying to reconstruct it.

499
00:40:11.349 --> 00:40:15.079
So what the research really says is this. When you

500
00:40:15.119 --> 00:40:17.739
zoom out from individual foods and look at large bodies

501
00:40:17.760 --> 00:40:22.699
of evidence, the signal around fiber is remarkably consistent. Higher

502
00:40:22.820 --> 00:40:27.550
dietary fiber intake is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease,

503
00:40:28.250 --> 00:40:33.789
type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer, as well as premature mortality.

504
00:40:34.849 --> 00:40:37.889
Have you noticed the increase in colon cancer cases in

505
00:40:37.929 --> 00:40:41.969
Crohn's disease the last several years? And I'm starting to

506
00:40:42.030 --> 00:40:46.199
think that perhaps this is a result over the reduction,

507
00:40:46.639 --> 00:40:49.219
not just the consumption of all of the junk foods

508
00:40:49.239 --> 00:40:52.940
we eat and processed foods, but the consumption of the

509
00:40:52.980 --> 00:40:56.280
popularity of the keto diets, which encourages people just to

510
00:40:56.360 --> 00:41:01.250
eat mostly meat, especially the carnivore diet and the lion

511
00:41:01.269 --> 00:41:04.829
diet that's been popularized and has encouraged us to stop

512
00:41:04.929 --> 00:41:09.269
eating fiber. So we know that fiber alone doesn't cause

513
00:41:09.650 --> 00:41:13.050
us to have every benefit, but people who eat more

514
00:41:13.110 --> 00:41:17.070
fiber may differ in many other ways. They may eat

515
00:41:17.110 --> 00:41:20.860
more whole foods and that's important. They may consume fewer

516
00:41:20.960 --> 00:41:26.300
ultra-processed foods and they may exercise more. So that's why

517
00:41:26.380 --> 00:41:30.760
randomized trials also matter. And randomized trials show physiological effects

518
00:41:30.840 --> 00:41:35.269
consistent with some of those long-term associations. For instance, viscous

519
00:41:35.289 --> 00:41:40.010
fibers can improve glycemic control. Certain soluble fibers can lower

520
00:41:40.110 --> 00:41:45.210
LDL cholesterol. And fiber changes stool characteristics. Have you ever

521
00:41:45.250 --> 00:41:47.329
looked at a stool chart and seen the different types

522
00:41:47.369 --> 00:41:52.320
of stools? And they actually explain to you what each

523
00:41:52.380 --> 00:41:54.860
type of stool is a result of and what you

524
00:41:54.900 --> 00:41:58.050
might need to eat or do to change it and

525
00:41:58.070 --> 00:42:04.670
make it look healthier. Fermentable fibers alter microbial metabolism. This

526
00:42:04.730 --> 00:42:07.050
is a rare area of nutrition where multiple kinds of

527
00:42:07.190 --> 00:42:12.039
evidence point in a broadly similar direction. And French health

528
00:42:12.119 --> 00:42:16.500
authorities reviewing the evidence have noted associations between fiber intake

529
00:42:16.639 --> 00:42:21.840
and reduced risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer,

530
00:42:22.179 --> 00:42:25.760
with benefits appearing around the 25 to 30 gram range.

531
00:42:26.070 --> 00:42:29.090
And this is why those recommendations are within that range.

532
00:42:30.030 --> 00:42:33.869
Britain arrived at its 30 gram recommendation after reviewing carbohydrate

533
00:42:33.909 --> 00:42:38.170
and health evidence. So while social media may have rediscovered

534
00:42:38.449 --> 00:42:43.230
fiber and people are fiber maxing, Science never really abandoned

535
00:42:43.289 --> 00:42:46.199
it to begin with. What changed is our understanding of

536
00:42:46.300 --> 00:42:51.619
how many systems fiber touches. So here's how to build

537
00:42:51.639 --> 00:42:55.820
a 30-gram day without fiber maxing. So what might a

538
00:42:55.980 --> 00:43:00.889
fiber-rich day actually look like? Not a prescription, just an illustration.

539
00:43:01.750 --> 00:43:06.530
Breakfast could include oats, berries, chia or flax, and perhaps nuts.

540
00:43:08.090 --> 00:43:11.929
Now the doctor's kitchen has really awesome overnight oats and

541
00:43:11.989 --> 00:43:15.079
overnight chia and yogurt fiber and protein rich breakfast ideas

542
00:43:15.139 --> 00:43:18.639
that I've been using. And I really like the different

543
00:43:19.000 --> 00:43:22.940
variables that he has and different ideas because I don't

544
00:43:22.980 --> 00:43:26.019
want to eat the same thing every single day. And

545
00:43:26.159 --> 00:43:28.469
also you can make them the night before pretty quickly,

546
00:43:28.530 --> 00:43:30.449
put them in the fridge and just pull them out

547
00:43:30.469 --> 00:43:32.849
the next morning and eat them. And you don't have

548
00:43:32.869 --> 00:43:36.219
to worry about prep the next morning. And also, when

549
00:43:36.260 --> 00:43:37.940
something includes chia, you kind of want it to sit

550
00:43:37.960 --> 00:43:40.739
overnight anyway, so that the chia could absorb the liquid

551
00:43:41.179 --> 00:43:45.090
and thicken up and have a smoother flavor. For lunch,

552
00:43:45.239 --> 00:43:48.130
you could have a large mixed salad. But remember what Dr.

553
00:43:48.190 --> 00:43:50.969
Leeming points out, salad greens alone often don't contain as

554
00:43:51.030 --> 00:43:53.670
much fiber as people imagine. So make sure to add

555
00:43:54.070 --> 00:43:59.449
things like chickpeas, lentils, beans, seeds, whole grains, or another

556
00:43:59.510 --> 00:44:03.099
substantial fiber source. And this isn't really that a lot

557
00:44:03.119 --> 00:44:05.949
of trouble. You can buy organic chickpeas in the can.

558
00:44:07.340 --> 00:44:11.460
With lentils, you can rinse them and cook them pretty quickly. Again,

559
00:44:11.519 --> 00:44:13.219
you can buy beans in the can if you want,

560
00:44:13.559 --> 00:44:16.260
and of course, seeds you can buy so easily, as

561
00:44:16.320 --> 00:44:20.320
well as whole grains. So dinner might include vegetables, beans,

562
00:44:20.360 --> 00:44:23.389
or lentils, a whole grain or a potato with its

563
00:44:23.449 --> 00:44:27.590
skin on, alongside whatever protein source you choose. Your snacks

564
00:44:27.650 --> 00:44:32.079
could include fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, or hummus. Now you

565
00:44:32.099 --> 00:44:34.409
can buy the store-bought hummus. We like to make our

566
00:44:34.429 --> 00:44:38.469
hummus from scratch with our food processor and it's really,

567
00:44:38.510 --> 00:44:42.210
really easy to make. There are hummus recipes all over

568
00:44:42.250 --> 00:44:45.010
the internet and hummus is a really great way to

569
00:44:45.050 --> 00:44:49.099
get a plant protein into your diet. So now with

570
00:44:49.159 --> 00:44:53.500
this in mind, suddenly 30 grams of fiber isn't that hard.

571
00:44:53.820 --> 00:44:57.199
It's not like a big deal. Again, what makes it

572
00:44:57.260 --> 00:44:59.400
easy for me is if you find a website that

573
00:44:59.460 --> 00:45:03.619
say a, dietician or a nutritionist came up with with

574
00:45:03.639 --> 00:45:06.880
their recipes, that's the better route to go. I mean,

575
00:45:06.920 --> 00:45:10.079
it's fun to shop around the internet and look up recipes,

576
00:45:10.260 --> 00:45:17.599
healthy recipes, but people with academic accolades, they're better trained

577
00:45:17.699 --> 00:45:20.760
on the balance of these things. And Dr. Ruppe has,

578
00:45:21.079 --> 00:45:23.800
with the doctor's kitchen, he has a doctorate in nutrition.

579
00:45:24.440 --> 00:45:26.760
So he really does, he goes to a lot of

580
00:45:26.800 --> 00:45:29.960
trouble to make sure that these dishes are balanced and

581
00:45:30.389 --> 00:45:32.530
So for me, I don't have to think that much

582
00:45:32.590 --> 00:45:35.030
about how I'm going to get my fiber in and

583
00:45:35.070 --> 00:45:37.809
my protein and have a balanced meal. I just go

584
00:45:37.849 --> 00:45:39.889
to his website. By the way, I get nothing for

585
00:45:39.949 --> 00:45:42.800
recommending him. I just happen to be making a lot

586
00:45:42.840 --> 00:45:45.639
of food from his website. We made his shawarma, which

587
00:45:45.679 --> 00:45:49.659
was just out of this world delicious. We keep making these,

588
00:45:49.840 --> 00:45:53.449
I forgot what they call them, these little meatballs where

589
00:45:53.489 --> 00:45:56.769
you just like you grind up. chicken thighs and stuff

590
00:45:56.829 --> 00:46:01.039
and you mix mint in there and different herbs and

591
00:46:01.300 --> 00:46:03.900
you just make little meatballs in the oven and we'll

592
00:46:03.920 --> 00:46:06.539
put those in like little whole grain pita breads with

593
00:46:06.559 --> 00:46:09.780
a bunch of vegetables so there's a lot of really

594
00:46:09.840 --> 00:46:13.760
good believe it or not simple recipes if you don't

595
00:46:13.800 --> 00:46:16.280
like chopping your veggies I would say if you think

596
00:46:16.320 --> 00:46:18.099
it's just so much trouble but you need to get

597
00:46:18.119 --> 00:46:21.320
those down go to the grocery store and find like

598
00:46:21.619 --> 00:46:26.550
packaged organic pre-chopped veggies if you're a really busy person.

599
00:46:26.909 --> 00:46:28.909
You don't have to chop them yourself. But once you

600
00:46:28.929 --> 00:46:30.849
start doing it on your own, honestly, it's no big deal.

601
00:46:31.050 --> 00:46:32.630
You just pull them out and chop them up and

602
00:46:32.690 --> 00:46:34.849
throw them. We toss them in some olive oil in

603
00:46:34.889 --> 00:46:36.809
a pan with some salt and pepper and we throw

604
00:46:36.829 --> 00:46:38.869
them in our little pita or we eat them in

605
00:46:38.909 --> 00:46:41.760
our salad and we make a little yogurt sauce or

606
00:46:41.800 --> 00:46:44.820
something to go with it. And there's recipes on the

607
00:46:44.860 --> 00:46:49.320
Doctor's Kitchen app for that as well. So... I kind

608
00:46:49.360 --> 00:46:51.519
of went off on a little rabbit trail there. Instead

609
00:46:51.539 --> 00:46:55.090
of asking, what is the highest fiber food? Ask how

610
00:46:55.110 --> 00:46:58.610
many different fiber containing foods did I eat today? So

611
00:46:59.269 --> 00:47:03.690
make it diverse. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, keep the

612
00:47:03.750 --> 00:47:07.329
fiber varied. You want those different fibers. You want to

613
00:47:08.210 --> 00:47:12.010
feed your microbiome because you want to get healthier. You

614
00:47:12.030 --> 00:47:15.059
want to have a faster metabolism and you want to

615
00:47:15.079 --> 00:47:18.320
have more energy. So maybe fiber's comeback is part of

616
00:47:18.360 --> 00:47:23.260
something bigger. We're watching, as Americans, we're watching ourselves rediscover

617
00:47:23.280 --> 00:47:29.280
things like fermented food, sourdough, whole grains, beans, gardening, farmers markets.

618
00:47:30.159 --> 00:47:32.320
People are going back into the kitchen because of all

619
00:47:32.389 --> 00:47:36.510
the chemicals in the food out there. Bone broth has

620
00:47:36.530 --> 00:47:38.710
been popular for a while. Home cooking seems to be

621
00:47:38.730 --> 00:47:41.349
making a comeback. And we're starting to get more educated

622
00:47:41.409 --> 00:47:45.690
and look at our ingredient labels. Not every trend is

623
00:47:45.909 --> 00:47:48.730
backed equally by science, but underneath many of them is

624
00:47:48.769 --> 00:47:53.909
a shared instinct. Something changed when food became industrialized, and

625
00:47:54.349 --> 00:47:58.690
that doesn't mean everything old was healthy, but it doesn't

626
00:47:58.710 --> 00:48:02.909
mean everything modern is unhealthy either. Modern food technology has

627
00:48:03.070 --> 00:48:07.840
prevented deficiencies. improved food safety and reduced spoilage, as well

628
00:48:07.880 --> 00:48:11.360
as it's made nutritious food available year round. Now that

629
00:48:11.420 --> 00:48:14.900
being said, it is recommended and you can look that

630
00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:18.440
up to eat by the season. So even though these

631
00:48:18.539 --> 00:48:22.460
foods are available to us, like they'll be frozen, you know,

632
00:48:22.539 --> 00:48:25.139
and stuff like that, it's not always the best thing

633
00:48:25.199 --> 00:48:28.210
for us to just eat that food all year round

634
00:48:28.230 --> 00:48:32.269
and maybe treat yourself, but try to eat the seasons

635
00:48:33.090 --> 00:48:36.150
as far as your food is concerned. As far as

636
00:48:36.230 --> 00:48:39.559
like the, if you're watching this on social media and

637
00:48:39.599 --> 00:48:41.820
you're looking at the food recalls that are going on,

638
00:48:41.860 --> 00:48:45.820
like with like blueberries and I wanna say like the greens,

639
00:48:45.840 --> 00:48:48.739
some of the greens, like the mixed packaged salads and

640
00:48:48.760 --> 00:48:53.159
stuff like that. It's better really like say, instead of

641
00:48:53.199 --> 00:48:55.309
buying packaged lettuce, it's better just to go ahead and

642
00:48:55.369 --> 00:48:58.630
buy a head of lettuce and chop it up. So

643
00:48:58.650 --> 00:49:02.110
same with your cabbage. It's better to do that. What

644
00:49:02.250 --> 00:49:03.710
I like to do is I like to make sure

645
00:49:04.679 --> 00:49:07.059
As far as my food is concerned, I really got

646
00:49:07.099 --> 00:49:12.719
into looking at kosher symbols because that's a third-party tested item,

647
00:49:13.199 --> 00:49:15.929
and there's more scrutiny involved as far as the standards

648
00:49:15.989 --> 00:49:22.550
are concerned. It's really important and it's a lot more

649
00:49:22.570 --> 00:49:25.429
involved than you think. When was the last time you

650
00:49:25.449 --> 00:49:30.039
heard of a kosher food item being recalled? I don't

651
00:49:30.079 --> 00:49:32.659
remember ever. I'm not saying it's never happened. I just,

652
00:49:33.079 --> 00:49:35.719
it's not something that you can expect to happen. So

653
00:49:35.739 --> 00:49:38.389
if you want to be safe, look for kosher symbols,

654
00:49:38.530 --> 00:49:41.550
look for the kosher symbols on the internet, look for

655
00:49:41.570 --> 00:49:44.650
them on your packaging. We like to buy like say

656
00:49:44.809 --> 00:49:49.190
our chickpeas or garbanzo beans in the can. And I

657
00:49:49.269 --> 00:49:51.750
like that Whole Foods has like a 365 brand and

658
00:49:51.949 --> 00:49:54.219
there's a little U on the front, which gives me

659
00:49:54.239 --> 00:49:57.400
a reassurance that that is a kosher food item. So

660
00:49:57.519 --> 00:50:01.820
if you're concerned about the current food recalls going on

661
00:50:01.860 --> 00:50:05.239
right now with the fresh foods, think in terms of,

662
00:50:06.039 --> 00:50:09.219
buying it in its whole form and not packaged and

663
00:50:09.260 --> 00:50:12.800
pre-mixed or processed. And you're going to have a better

664
00:50:12.840 --> 00:50:15.989
chance at avoiding that. And better yet, get a greenhouse

665
00:50:16.030 --> 00:50:19.690
and grow it yourself. So progress can have trade-offs. We

666
00:50:19.730 --> 00:50:21.630
know that. And one of those trade-offs may have been

667
00:50:21.650 --> 00:50:24.829
that we became extraordinarily good at producing calories, right? So

668
00:50:25.429 --> 00:50:28.769
while removing much of the biological complexity that once came

669
00:50:28.789 --> 00:50:31.329
in our food, fiber is a part of that complexity.

670
00:50:31.489 --> 00:50:35.030
And so are the polyphenols. and so are the intact

671
00:50:35.050 --> 00:50:38.949
cellular structures, as well as the diversity of the plants

672
00:50:38.989 --> 00:50:41.780
that we eat. So maybe the goal isn't to just

673
00:50:41.880 --> 00:50:45.000
eat exactly like Americans did in 1850, because we obviously

674
00:50:45.039 --> 00:50:47.780
know they didn't eat perfect, or to eat like people

675
00:50:47.800 --> 00:50:50.659
in Italy or France or Britain. Maybe it's just something

676
00:50:50.679 --> 00:50:54.679
more simple. So take what modern science has learned and

677
00:50:54.719 --> 00:50:58.929
combine it with something that our ancestors understood intuitively, which

678
00:50:58.989 --> 00:51:02.869
is to eat food that still resembles food, Now, when

679
00:51:02.889 --> 00:51:04.630
we come back, I'm going to give you a simple

680
00:51:04.670 --> 00:51:08.909
fiber challenge. No powders required, no extreme diet, no counting

681
00:51:08.949 --> 00:51:12.360
every gram, just a practical way to begin rebuilding the

682
00:51:12.400 --> 00:51:15.860
diversity on your plate. And we'll close with why I

683
00:51:15.940 --> 00:51:19.320
think this subject fits the heart of Chasing Eden better

684
00:51:19.340 --> 00:51:45.570
than almost anything we've discussed. Stay with me. Here's the challenge.

685
00:51:46.210 --> 00:51:50.789
For the next seven days, don't try to FiberMax. Don't

686
00:51:50.849 --> 00:51:55.809
go from 10 grams to 50. Don't buy six supplements. Instead,

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00:51:56.389 --> 00:52:00.849
add diversity. For instance, on day one, add berries to breakfast.

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00:52:01.769 --> 00:52:05.460
On day two, add beans or lentils to one meal.

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00:52:06.360 --> 00:52:10.780
On day three, try oats or barley. Day four, you

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00:52:10.820 --> 00:52:14.550
can add nuts or seeds. Day five, Eat a vegetable

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00:52:15.139 --> 00:52:17.900
that you haven't eaten this week. Day six, you can

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00:52:17.960 --> 00:52:21.699
choose an intact or a whole grain carbohydrate instead of

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00:52:21.739 --> 00:52:26.059
a refined one. For instance, if you're having a pita

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00:52:26.300 --> 00:52:29.400
with your dinner or something, if you decide to make

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00:52:29.719 --> 00:52:33.440
some of that wonderful Middle Eastern Mediterranean food on Dr.

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00:52:33.480 --> 00:52:37.070
Rupi's website, you can have a whole grain pita to

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00:52:37.090 --> 00:52:40.190
go with that or make whole grain pita chips or something.

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00:52:41.239 --> 00:52:43.639
On day seven, you can make a meal containing at

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00:52:43.679 --> 00:52:47.039
least four different plants. And that's not that hard, honestly.

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It's really not. Throughout the week, drink water and slow

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00:52:51.239 --> 00:52:53.519
down because you're adding fiber. So you want to start

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00:52:54.019 --> 00:52:56.940
adding more water into your diet. And as far as

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00:52:57.139 --> 00:53:00.139
day seven and adding those four different plants, again, if

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00:53:00.179 --> 00:53:04.469
you're creating a salad at home and you add something

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00:53:04.530 --> 00:53:10.889
like spinach and cabbage and maybe some sugar snap peas,

706
00:53:11.369 --> 00:53:13.889
or maybe some grated carrot, there's your four different plants

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00:53:13.949 --> 00:53:19.090
right there. If you're adding some lentils or a bean product,

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00:53:19.110 --> 00:53:23.969
there you go, there's some more. So don't forget, chew. Now,

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00:53:24.179 --> 00:53:26.500
one of the issues I think with chewing is people

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00:53:26.559 --> 00:53:28.880
tend to chew pretty quickly if they're staring at their

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00:53:28.940 --> 00:53:32.300
iPad or their cell phone. I really recommend putting on

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00:53:32.320 --> 00:53:34.960
some music, lighting candles. It might seem like a lot,

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00:53:34.980 --> 00:53:38.239
but it's a really easy thing to do. And notice

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00:53:38.280 --> 00:53:41.199
how your digestive system's gonna respond to this. If you're

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00:53:41.239 --> 00:53:45.690
increasing fiber significantly, do it gradually. And if you have

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00:53:45.730 --> 00:53:50.630
a persistent abdominal pain, unexplained bloating, blood in the stool,

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00:53:51.289 --> 00:53:57.239
inflammatory bowel disease or bowel narrowing, severe constipation or another

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00:53:57.489 --> 00:54:03.019
gastrointestinal condition, don't assume that piling on more fiber is

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00:54:03.239 --> 00:54:07.980
automatically the answer. Talk to your doctor or registered dietician.

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00:54:08.739 --> 00:54:13.099
Fiber is powerful. But nutrition isn't one size fits all.

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00:54:15.739 --> 00:54:20.050
There's a beautiful idea underneath today's episode. Your body isn't

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00:54:20.210 --> 00:54:26.010
simply a machine waiting for calories. It's an ecosystem. And

723
00:54:26.170 --> 00:54:31.989
inside that ecosystem lives another ecosystem. Every meal becomes information.

724
00:54:32.909 --> 00:54:37.599
Every meal becomes substrate. Every meal becomes an opportunity to

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00:54:37.940 --> 00:54:42.639
to nourish not only your cells, but organisms that have

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00:54:42.780 --> 00:54:48.619
lived alongside humanity for thousands of years. And maybe that's

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00:54:48.699 --> 00:54:53.219
why the fiber conversation feels so appropriate for us. Because

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00:54:53.260 --> 00:55:01.500
we're not chasing another miracle ingredient. We're rediscovering something incredibly ordinary. Beans, lentils, oats,

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00:55:01.960 --> 00:55:07.130
fruits and vegetables. Foods humanity has eaten for generations. We

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00:55:07.170 --> 00:55:09.829
don't need to fear carbohydrates, and we don't need to

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00:55:09.869 --> 00:55:13.469
worship protein either. We don't need to declare fat the enemy,

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00:55:13.889 --> 00:55:15.909
and we don't need to turn fiber into the next

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00:55:16.130 --> 00:55:22.230
nutritional religion either. We need balance, variety, real food. Perhaps

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00:55:22.369 --> 00:55:25.590
a little more respect for the extraordinary design of the

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00:55:25.650 --> 00:55:30.289
human body. Psyllium can help. Supplements can have a place.

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00:55:30.969 --> 00:55:34.690
Modern medicine absolutely has a place. but none of them

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00:55:34.789 --> 00:55:39.369
eliminates the need to build a nourishing dietary pattern. So

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tomorrow morning, don't worry about becoming perfect. Put some berries

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00:55:43.500 --> 00:55:47.340
on your oatmeal, lentils to the soup, throw beans into

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00:55:47.380 --> 00:55:50.440
your salad, eat the apple instead of drinking the juice,

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00:55:50.719 --> 00:55:55.780
drink some water, sit down, slow down, and chew your food.

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00:55:56.760 --> 00:56:02.630
Small choices repeated every day become patterns. Patterns become lifestyles.

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00:56:03.130 --> 00:56:07.389
and lifestyles shape health. I'm Carolyn Thompson, and this is

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00:56:07.449 --> 00:56:11.010
Chasing Eden, where we're rediscovering the wisdom of real food,

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00:56:11.409 --> 00:56:15.280
real health, and God's design. If today's episode helped you,

746
00:56:15.719 --> 00:56:17.840
share it with someone who's been hearing all the talk

747
00:56:17.880 --> 00:56:21.360
about fiber and wondering what it actually means. And follow

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00:56:21.420 --> 00:56:24.960
Chasing Eden wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find

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00:56:25.019 --> 00:56:30.289
more episodes and resources at chasingeden.net. Until next time, keep

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00:56:30.329 --> 00:56:34.469
asking questions, keep learning, And keep chasing Eden.