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Quick Hits

Enhancing Metabolism with Fiber

When people decide to follow a healthy eating plan, they almost always consider their protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake with very little thought, if any, to dietary fiber.

The fact is, though, that dietary fiber is not only essential to overall health and the continual elimination of waste but is required - in sufficient quantities - for an optimal metabolism, in large part due to its blood sugar balancing capabilities.

Blood Sugar, Insulin, and Your Body Fat

Most obesity experts agree that healthy blood sugar levels are essential for effective fat loss. Maintaining a healthy blood sugar profile can often be the missing link to a successful fat loss program. Higher blood sugar levels lead to higher insulin levels, which in turn stimulates fat storage instead of release.

As we age, blood sugar levels tend to creep higher and higher, making it extremely difficult for insulin to continue to do its job of escorting the sugar out of the bloodstream and into the cells of the body, thus causing more insulin to be secreted. High insulin levels stimulate a powerful enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which enhances our ability to expand fat cells. This is one of the main reasons we experience weight gain as we get older.

Fiber and Fat Loss

Elevated blood sugar and insulin levels are exacerbated by high-carbohydrate, low-fiber diets. Several studies have shown that many of the undesirable effects of high-carbohydrate diets, including unwanted weight gain, can be reduced and often neutralized when dietary fiber is also increased.

Dietary fiber acts in numerous ways to help lower the incidence of obesity. One of its most powerful effects lies in its ability to help lower excess insulin. Dietary fibers have been shown to upgrade insulin receptor sensitivity­especially within the muscle cells.

Studies have shown that adding 5 to 30 grams of fiber per day to a healthy diet leads to an increased feeling of fullness, which ultimately reduces the desire to consume extra calories that contribute to body fat stores.

Any way you roll the dice, your overall health profile can only be enhanced with the addition of healthy food-based fibers - especially those coming from whole grains, flax, fruits (primarily berries) and vegetables.