The Role of Fiber in Low-carb Diets
Hey Angels and Alphas,
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, in recent years the nutrition world has become home to one of the most prevalent forms of dieting (or should we say, approaches to diet and nutrition) – low-carb diets.
People who follow a low-carb diet usually report results such as weight loss, lower inflammatory markers, improved blood sugar levels, and so much more.
And if you’re following a low-carb diet, you probably think the most important thing is the number of grams of carbs you consume. After all, most diets that restrict carbs go anywhere between low carb to absolutely no carb. This strongly emphasizes an obsession about numbers that isn’t a healthy way to approach nutrition.
We all know that if you want a truly healthy diet, you have to realize that it’s the quality of your carbs that will genuinely give you the result you want.
Whole grains, beans, lentils, fruits and veggies, which all contain a variety of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, are all healthy carb choices that you can’t make the mistake of avoiding.
There are many types of low-carb diets like Keto, South Beach, Atkins, and so on, and they all vary in the amounts and sources of carbs that are available to you. For example, beans are usually noted as too high in carbs to fit in Keto.
But regardless of which one you follow, there are ways to maximize your nutrition while staying in the macros you’ve set as a goal.
Did you know that only 1 in 10 people eat enough fiber?
Fiber is a vital nutrient that keeps your cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and satiety in check. And it’s even harder to reach adequate levels of fiber if you’re limiting carbs. While it may be tempting to give your carbs to your favorite sweet dessert or other “cheat” processed foods, these foods will definitely hot help you feel or perform at your best. They will cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin and provide you with minimal nutritional value.
What you will notice in the majority of fast food restaurants, even those that are supposedly healthy, the fiber content in food is close to minimal. This is because fiber lowers the effect that a carbohydrate is going to have on your blood sugar and subsequent insulin response.
Many mainstream fast food restaurants have stripped fiber from their meals with this exact purpose – raising your blood sugar and insulin. Because the result of a blood sugar spike is a blood sugar drop, and this creates more cravings for sugar and trans fats.
This makes fast food chains part of the fiber problem. If someone were to consume the majority of their meals stripped of fiber, they will quickly find that blood sugar responses get heightened, cravings appear to haunt you, and your midday slumps strip you of your energy.
But on the other hand, focusing on “spending” your carbs on fiber-rich carb sources, this will naturally improve your diet quality and provide you with consistent energy, enhanced physical performance, and more stable blood sugar.
A great rule you can follow is to aim for around 10 grams of fiber in each meal to make sure you’re getting enough.
That’s why it’s very important to focus on nutritional density for the little carbs you’re going to consume on a low-carb diet. Even if you want to consume minimal carbs, fruits and veggies are still a way better carb options and will lead you to the healthy life and body you truly want to get out of that diet.
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