Fiber Can Help People Lose Weight

Eating a high-fiber diet can be easier to follow than some of the more complex diets, according to a recent study.

The study compared a high-fiber diet to various recommendations from the American Heart Association and found similar results regarding weight loss and showed that following more simple guidelines can achieve the similar outcomes.

“I think the real message from the study is actually changing what you eat and learning how to do that in a way you understand,” said Nancy Copperman, RD, corporate director of public health initiatives for the North Shore-LIJ Health System. “You can have a very complicated message of manipulating a lot of nutrients, which might not be easy to understand for many people. Or do you focus on a main dietary nutrient, in this case fiber, and give that message in a health literate and understandable way and people are able to follow it and at the end of the day, the outcomes are very similar.”

A high-fiber diet can be beneficial to people because they can eat fewer calories but still feel full.

“In increasing fiber, you kind of have to decrease something else,” Ms. Copperman says. “If I’m trying to get fiber in my diet, you’re looking at fruits and vegetables.”

Other items people can incorporate into their diet to increase their fiber content include whole grains and fiber bars.

Another benefit of a higher-fiber diet is that a person’s blood sugar levels are apt to stay about the same rather than spiking.

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