August 12, 2025 • 19 mins
In this episode of Wellness Unmasked, Dr. Nicole Saphier discusses the critical role of fiber in maintaining gut health and preventing diseases such as colon cancer and autoimmune disorders. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the types of fiber, their benefits, and practical ways to increase fiber intake in daily diets. This episode highlights the alarming statistics regarding fiber consumption and its direct correlation with various health issues, urging listeners to prioritize fiber for overall wellness. Wellness Unmasked is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network - new episodes debut every Tuesday & Friday.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Wellness Unmasks. I'm doctor Nicole Saffire and today
we are going to talk about one of my favorite topics.
And I say it that way because while I love
talking about this, most people don't like it, especially my
kids and husband. We're going to be talking about fiber. Yeah,
I know it's not sexy, but it's something you need
to know about. Why because we're seeing more colon cancer
(00:23):
and younger people, autoimmune diseases rising, and just overall poor
gut health. So gut health it's on people's radar. I
just heard RFK Junior last week talking about the gut
brain connection. It's real. We've talked about it here on
Wellness unmask But the big thing not many people are
talking about is one of the most powerful and accessible
(00:46):
tools we have to get back to a better state
of gut health. That's fiber. I know, fiber, it sounds
so simple. I'm telling you, however much fiber you think
you're consuming, it's not enough. So in today's episode, we
are going to break down the science behind fiber, what
it does for your gut and your immune system, and
(01:06):
how the modern diets, specifically the American diet. It's failing us,
and some basic changes that you can do to kind
of make a difference. I'm making the changes I encourage
you to as well. Let's dive into it now. I'm
going to tell you some statistics. I don't mean to
scare you. These are just facts. Facts over fear. Right. Well,
when it comes to colon cancer, rates and adults under
(01:28):
the age of fifty have doubled since the nineteen nineties.
That's right. Colorectro cancer is the leading cause of cancer
death in men under fifty. And we're seeing it in
younger and younger people. And it's not just like your
distal colon cancers. We're seeing small bowel cancers, more appendiceal cancers.
We're seeing it in people in their twenties, in their thirties,
(01:50):
in their forties, and it's concerning. And people say, well,
because the rise and screening and the colonoscopies, that's why
we're seeing more. Absolutely not, we are. If you look
look at the data, it's not just from screening. It's
not just picking up more precancerous lesions or that quote
unquote overdiagnosis, if you will. There is more cancer forming
in our gut than ever before, and on top of
(02:13):
that cancer aside autoimmune diseases. I have one Nearly one
to ten Americans have an autoimmune disease, and I bet
that number underestimates how many are out there. I think
a lot of people are underdiagnosed. They just go on
with their day to day life thinking that it's okay
to be lethargic and tired and pain and all these
other things, not realizing that their body is actually working
(02:35):
against them. So let's talk about your gut. Your gut
is essentially composed of if we break down the entire
system from your mouth to your bottom hole, it is
entirely connected. It's almost its own body in itself because
it follows a pathway from one end to the other end,
and while things are absorbed from it, things are excreted
(02:58):
into it. It's kind of its own system. So from
your mouth, down your esophagus, to your stomach, to your
small valve to your large valve and then through your rectum.
And that's what we're talking about here. Well, the crux
of where a lot of our illness, whether it's cancer,
your at'll bowel disease, autoimmune diseases, even dementia, the crux
(03:21):
of it is If your gut is unhealthy, your body
is going to be unhealthy. And the reason that is
is because it has its own ecosystem, what we call
the microbiome. It has a lot of bacteria. I know
that sounds gross. We're like, wait, we don't want to
eat bacteria. It makes us sick. Yes, bad bacteria, the
bacteria that's not supposed to be there, we don't want
it there. The good bacteria we do want there, and
(03:42):
there are many different types of bacteria that we want
in our body. Because we have used antibiotics our entire lives,
probably way too much. Over use of antibiotics has led
to decrease good bacteria or quote unquote flora in our
gut system. That decreases that, and the diet, the ultraprocessed foods,
(04:06):
the low fiber and all these other things have kind
of killed off that not provided the nutrients that our
gut floor really needs. So let's talk a little bit
about fiber. We have what's called your prebiotic fiber. This
feeds the good bacteria in your gut. It helps with
immune regulation, inflammation reduction, and proper nutrient absorption. That is
what we need our gut to do. It Honestly, you
(04:29):
don't think that it plays a role in your immune system.
You don't think it plays a role in your brain health.
But it absolutely does. And here's how. The trillions of
microorganisms residing in the gut. That gut microbiome we mentioned
produce various substances, including short chain fatty acids, but also neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters,
there are hormones in our body that affect brain function
(04:51):
and mood. Maybe you're in a bad mood today because
your gut isn't happy. I mean, it's possible. The gut
microbiome also influences your immune system, which in turn can
affect the brain. It's called dysbiosis. That's the imbalance in
the gut microbiome. It can contribute to neuroinflammation and influence
(05:12):
mental health. I mean, I guess if I'm going crazy
one day, I can just say to my husband, my
gut's not happy, and we can just call it even
I don't know. I mean, that sounds really silly to stay,
but the reality is our hormones and neurotransmitters in our
body truly are affected by our gut health. So when
we're talking about metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, women going into menopause,
(05:36):
early polycystic ovary syndrome and not being able to get pregnant,
and mental health illness and anxiety and depression and dimension
everything else that comes along with hormones in our body.
It could all point to the gut. Now, I'm not
saying that every issue that we're seeing is because of
the gut, but I can tell you it certainly plays
(05:58):
a large role. Because over the last several decades, our
diets have changed completely. Ultra processed foods truly dominate our diet.
These foods, the ultra processing of these foods actually strips
natural fiber. So even if you're like, well, no, I'm
eating bread every single day, I know that grains have
fiber in it. My kids eat sandwiches and I give
(06:20):
them whole grain bread and blah blah blah. Well, if
it's just sitting in your pantry that bread for a
couple of weeks, that's not fresh bread. That's most likely
ultra processed bread, and therefore you think it has fiber
in it, but it doesn't really have a lot of
fiber in it. They may advertise that there's some fiber
in it, but the reality is there isn't much in it.
(06:41):
Another big fad that we do here in the United
States is the whole low carb fad, which, trust me,
I get it. Carbohydrates turn into sugar, you know, a
pack on the pounds. With that, a lot of Americans
cut out the carbs as much as they can. Well,
that's cutting out fiber rich foods, and kids they're especially
at risk. The reality is many kids are getting less
(07:02):
than half of the recommended daily dose of fiber. Americans
adults were like at two thirds. Maybe The recommended intake
of fiber every single day for a human is twenty
five to thirty grams daily. The adult we average about
fifteen grams per day. Kids who knows most are like
(07:23):
ten to fifteen grams. So we're definitely overfed. We know
that because we lead the country in obesity and being overweight.
But we're severely undernourished and fiber is one of the
biggest missing pieces in our diet. So when we're talking
about fiber, we need to break it down into two
different ones. You have soluble fiber, but also you have
insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber this is the one that slows
(07:46):
your digestion. That can help with cholesterol and blood sugar.
Now how does that do that? Well, these soluble fibers
we're talking about, like whole oats, beans, like your legumes,
your fruits. I'll give you some specific fruits kind of
towards the end with some tips. This slows digestion and
you don't You're like, wait, that doesn't sound like a
(08:07):
good thing. We don't want to slow down. We kind
of want to speed things up, don't we. Well, kind
of when you slow things down a little bit, your body,
you're saying to your body, Hey, I'm full. I don't
need to keep eating. So we've eaten a little bit,
We've had a good amount our body, we don't need anymore.
So you're telling your brain we don't need to keep
consuming food. And this actually helps with weight control. So
(08:29):
if you are trying to lose weight, increasing fiber can
help you feel satiated sooner. Fiber actually slows the glucose
absorption and that improves our insulin sensitivity. And in the
United States, as we know, we have a lot of
type two diabetes and that is from insulin insensitivity, meaning
our body is just not responding to insulin the way
it should. So increasing your fiber is going to help
(08:51):
you stay satiated, which may help with weight loss, and
it's also going to improve your insulin sensitivity, which will
hopefully get you away from type two diabetes. You also
have the insoluble forms of fiber, that is, like veggies
and whole grains. This all right, I'm sorry, this is
not very sexy. This is, but I have to say it. Okay,
(09:12):
This adds bulk to the stool. It bulks it up
a little bit, kind of brings in the water. It
draws the water in from the body into the colon
and that helps keep things very regular. Yes, I understand
it doesn't sound fun to talk about, but we have to,
and people talk about being regular all the time. Well
(09:32):
being regular is actually very important, and it's not just
important for your bowel habits. It's important for so much bigger,
bigger reasons. Fiber is the fuel that keeps your gut
ecosystem thriving and also your immune system and all other
systems in check as well. You're listening to wellness and mass,
we'll be right back with more. Fiber is also a
(09:57):
beneficial food for gut bacteria. It's considered prebiotic. If you
have low fiber, as I mentioned, you have gut microbiome imbalanced.
Maybe some of that good bacteria goes away because you're
not giving it the nutrition and the nutrients that it wants,
so to kind of like wrap that up into you know,
a little bit of a bow. Consequences of low fiber
intake can Obviously, what most people know is it leads
(10:20):
to digestive issues, constipation, irregular bowel movements, and diverticuli. Now
it goes on from there. You can have hemorrhoids external internal,
you can have fissures. It can cause problems, and the
reality is a lot of people have these issues. They
don't really talk about these issues, and they don't necessarily
realize that is because of a low fiber diet, and
(10:43):
maybe they take a little metamucile here or there to
kind of make themselves feel better. But the reality is
this is something that needs to be focused on every
single day, not just when you're having some issues or
you're on vacation and you're changing your diet a little bit.
It has to be an everyday thing. Just like brushing
your teeth. You should also be thinking to yourself. Am
I getting enough fiber today? My body needs it. It
(11:06):
also with consequences of low fiber increase risk of chronic
diseases colon cancer, heart disease, cholesterol, type two diabetes. We
mentioned gut health, this regulation, weight gain, and obesity. I mean,
these are all things that Americans are suffering from. So
here's what I want to talk to you about. How
you can increase your fiber without feeling overwhelmed. One of
(11:29):
the biggest mistakes that people make is they just dive
right in. They're like, you know what, I'm increasing my fiber.
Let's go. Well, let me tell you. If you go
from zero to sixty overnight, that's not a good thing.
And I'll tell you why. It's going to cause bloating,
it's going to cause up, it's going to cause abdominal pain,
(11:50):
and you may have to hit the restroom more than
you want to that day, and that's going to turn
you off from it, and it kind of throws your
GI system into a little bit of a wack of doodles.
So I don't recommend doing that. I do recommend kind
of baby steps to increasing your fiber intake. One of
the things that I do here at home with myself
(12:10):
and my children. They love when I talk about fiber.
By the way, I'm not sure about you, but when
I am cooking, I cook with intention. And I also
tell my children that we eat to nourish our body.
We don't necessarily eat for fun, even though it's nice
when it's something that we enjoy eating. I always like
to break down the individual things that I'm including into
(12:33):
a recipe or into a smoothie or whatever it is,
because I want them to know exactly the benefits that
it brings to their body. So they definitely love the
fiber speech. But I love mourning smoothies. I have one
of those, I don't know the brand, like one of
those bullet things. It's not a full blender, but it's
a smaller blender and I get frozen stuff from Costco.
(12:56):
I throw it in and then I know, if I
drink my smooth the I'm probably doing pretty good for
the day in terms of fiber because I throw in
a bunch of fiber loaded foods. I get fresh spinach
from my garden. Yes, I understand most people do not
have fresh spinach, but you don't need that. That's just
an added bonus. My favorite high fiber things to throw
(13:17):
into a smoothie chia seeds. That is like the best
thing you could do for your body when it comes
to fiber. It is so high in fiber. One serving
of it is about anywhere from like eleven to fifteen
milligrams of fiber. You're almost done for your entire day
with one serving of chia seeds. Then I also add
(13:39):
in raspberries, which is another huge container of fiber. So
chia seeds, raspberries, I throw in blueberries, some strawberries, some apple,
and sometimes I'll throw in a banana. But then I
also will put in some Greek yogurt. That Greek yogurt
helps with the probiotics. Blend it all up, and that
(14:01):
is my fiber smoothie of the morning. And from there
I will try to still have some fiber rich foods
throughout the day, but I like to get things done
early in the morning. It's like another check box. I
brush my teeth, I get dress, I have my fiber,
and I go on with my debt. As we enter
the school year, I will add some immune boosting ingredients
(14:23):
just to make sure that we are all in the
best state in our immune health. Whether I am, we
have the blueberries that's high in antioxidants, maybe some citrus
to get the vitamin C. I also personally love garlic.
Garlic is one of my favorite things. That I won't
put it in a SMOOTHI because that'll ruin it. But
I certainly start cooking with more garlic. I use my
(14:45):
immunity liquid herbs tincture that has garlic in it as well,
so some other things. If you're not a smoothie person,
you obviously just want to increase your fruit and vegetables.
But the ones that have the fiber tends to be
the ones that have a skin on them, so apples, berries, carrots,
even broccoli, spinach. You want to swap your carbohydrates. If
(15:07):
you are a bread lover like I am, I get it.
Try not to always go for the white bread, and
certainly try not to go for the ultra processed bread
that's just like sitting in a plastic bag in your pantry.
Try to incorporate brown, white rice, legomes like lentils, quinoa,
Try and get whole grain bread. But I'll tell you
(15:28):
most whole grain brand you find it in the grocery
store is ultra process so it's really not that much,
but all of these little changes, you know, it adds
up to higher fiber intake. I mentioned the legumes like beans, lentils,
all of these so good for you for so many reasons,
but one of them being fiber. So whether you're putting
(15:50):
them in a soup, for in a salad, or in pasta,
if you add some of these, they can really help
increase your fiber intake. In addition to chia, but again,
and my favorite is chia, you can also use flax seed.
You can use them together, you can use them separately.
Flax Seed is also great because it is high in omegas.
Omegas are great for heart health, skin health, hair health.
(16:14):
In fact, when I make my smoothies in the morning,
I tend to do chia and flax seeds because you know,
I want all the bang for the buck that I
can possibly get. And for some people who struggle with
GI issues, you can consider supplements as well. I'm not
talking about like laxatives like stimulants. That is not what
I'm talking about. That works on receptors and chemicals in
(16:37):
your gut to make your gut move faster. That is
not what we are wanting to do right here. We're
wanting to nourish our gut, not just make it move faster.
We want it to move faster on its own, because
it wants to move faster. We're not giving it a stimulant.
We're just trying to make it healthy, make it healthy
from the gut micro biome standpoint, but also make it
(16:59):
move faster on its own, not because we're telling it too.
And by doing this again, not only will you feel
lighter and more regular, which is a goal for many
people out there, it should be even though you don't
want to talk about it. It's good for your immune system.
It's good for your entire system to decrease inflammation, which
(17:22):
we know leads to autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, and even cancers.
So all of these things can be good for you.
As we head into the fall season and the winter,
we all are bound to get some sort of respiratory virus.
Make sure that your body is as strong as it
possibly can be. And it's not just about boosting the
immune system through drinking orange juice and taking vitamin C.
(17:46):
It's about making sure that your gut is happy, because
if your gut is happy, your body has a much
better chance of fighting off infections. So one tip is
check the label. If you're buying stuff at the store,
food says it's a good source of fiber. It's technically
supposed to have at least three grams per serving. If
(18:08):
it says excellent source, that means five grams are more.
I don't really know if five grams is excellent in
my book, but it's definitely a start when it comes
to our American diet. But I'm telling you this is
just how they label it. Just like when we see
those cereals for kids, they'll say, oh, it has whole
grains in it. It's like, yeah, well they're ultraprocessed. Okay,
(18:31):
it's not that healthy for you. So you can be
grabbing all these things that say good source of fiber
and it probably has more fiber than what you were
eating the day before. But you have to do more
than that. You have to consider some chia seeds, some beans,
some fruits and veggies, and maybe also consider throwing in
some exercise, because that's right. Exercise also gets your balol
(18:54):
moving and keeps your body happy and healthy. So, like me,
if you're always looking to support your immune system, your
brain health, you have to protect your gut. This will
lower your risk of inflammation, lower your risk of dementia,
lower your risk of cancer. Fiber should be at the
top of your list. It is always at the top
of mine. Thanks for listening to Wellness on MASS on
(19:16):
America's number one podcast network iHeart. Follow Wellness on MASS
with doctor Nicole Staftfire and start listening on the free
iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts, and we
will see you next time.
Welcome to Wellness Unmasks. I'm doctor Nicole Saffire and today
we are going to talk about one of my favorite topics.
And I say it that way because while I love
talking about this, most people don't like it, especially my
kids and husband. We're going to be talking about fiber. Yeah,
I know it's not sexy, but it's something you need
to know about. Why because we're seeing more colon cancer
(00:23):
and younger people, autoimmune diseases rising, and just overall poor
gut health. So gut health it's on people's radar. I
just heard RFK Junior last week talking about the gut
brain connection. It's real. We've talked about it here on
Wellness unmask But the big thing not many people are
talking about is one of the most powerful and accessible
(00:46):
tools we have to get back to a better state
of gut health. That's fiber. I know, fiber, it sounds
so simple. I'm telling you, however much fiber you think
you're consuming, it's not enough. So in today's episode, we
are going to break down the science behind fiber, what
it does for your gut and your immune system, and
(01:06):
how the modern diets, specifically the American diet. It's failing us,
and some basic changes that you can do to kind
of make a difference. I'm making the changes I encourage
you to as well. Let's dive into it now. I'm
going to tell you some statistics. I don't mean to
scare you. These are just facts. Facts over fear. Right. Well,
when it comes to colon cancer, rates and adults under
(01:28):
the age of fifty have doubled since the nineteen nineties.
That's right. Colorectro cancer is the leading cause of cancer
death in men under fifty. And we're seeing it in
younger and younger people. And it's not just like your
distal colon cancers. We're seeing small bowel cancers, more appendiceal cancers.
We're seeing it in people in their twenties, in their thirties,
(01:50):
in their forties, and it's concerning. And people say, well,
because the rise and screening and the colonoscopies, that's why
we're seeing more. Absolutely not, we are. If you look
look at the data, it's not just from screening. It's
not just picking up more precancerous lesions or that quote
unquote overdiagnosis, if you will. There is more cancer forming
in our gut than ever before, and on top of
(02:13):
that cancer aside autoimmune diseases. I have one Nearly one
to ten Americans have an autoimmune disease, and I bet
that number underestimates how many are out there. I think
a lot of people are underdiagnosed. They just go on
with their day to day life thinking that it's okay
to be lethargic and tired and pain and all these
other things, not realizing that their body is actually working
(02:35):
against them. So let's talk about your gut. Your gut
is essentially composed of if we break down the entire
system from your mouth to your bottom hole, it is
entirely connected. It's almost its own body in itself because
it follows a pathway from one end to the other end,
and while things are absorbed from it, things are excreted
(02:58):
into it. It's kind of its own system. So from
your mouth, down your esophagus, to your stomach, to your
small valve to your large valve and then through your rectum.
And that's what we're talking about here. Well, the crux
of where a lot of our illness, whether it's cancer,
your at'll bowel disease, autoimmune diseases, even dementia, the crux
(03:21):
of it is If your gut is unhealthy, your body
is going to be unhealthy. And the reason that is
is because it has its own ecosystem, what we call
the microbiome. It has a lot of bacteria. I know
that sounds gross. We're like, wait, we don't want to
eat bacteria. It makes us sick. Yes, bad bacteria, the
bacteria that's not supposed to be there, we don't want
it there. The good bacteria we do want there, and
(03:42):
there are many different types of bacteria that we want
in our body. Because we have used antibiotics our entire lives,
probably way too much. Over use of antibiotics has led
to decrease good bacteria or quote unquote flora in our
gut system. That decreases that, and the diet, the ultraprocessed foods,
(04:06):
the low fiber and all these other things have kind
of killed off that not provided the nutrients that our
gut floor really needs. So let's talk a little bit
about fiber. We have what's called your prebiotic fiber. This
feeds the good bacteria in your gut. It helps with
immune regulation, inflammation reduction, and proper nutrient absorption. That is
what we need our gut to do. It Honestly, you
(04:29):
don't think that it plays a role in your immune system.
You don't think it plays a role in your brain health.
But it absolutely does. And here's how. The trillions of
microorganisms residing in the gut. That gut microbiome we mentioned
produce various substances, including short chain fatty acids, but also neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters,
there are hormones in our body that affect brain function
(04:51):
and mood. Maybe you're in a bad mood today because
your gut isn't happy. I mean, it's possible. The gut
microbiome also influences your immune system, which in turn can
affect the brain. It's called dysbiosis. That's the imbalance in
the gut microbiome. It can contribute to neuroinflammation and influence
(05:12):
mental health. I mean, I guess if I'm going crazy
one day, I can just say to my husband, my
gut's not happy, and we can just call it even
I don't know. I mean, that sounds really silly to stay,
but the reality is our hormones and neurotransmitters in our
body truly are affected by our gut health. So when
we're talking about metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, women going into menopause,
(05:36):
early polycystic ovary syndrome and not being able to get pregnant,
and mental health illness and anxiety and depression and dimension
everything else that comes along with hormones in our body.
It could all point to the gut. Now, I'm not
saying that every issue that we're seeing is because of
the gut, but I can tell you it certainly plays
(05:58):
a large role. Because over the last several decades, our
diets have changed completely. Ultra processed foods truly dominate our diet.
These foods, the ultra processing of these foods actually strips
natural fiber. So even if you're like, well, no, I'm
eating bread every single day, I know that grains have
fiber in it. My kids eat sandwiches and I give
(06:20):
them whole grain bread and blah blah blah. Well, if
it's just sitting in your pantry that bread for a
couple of weeks, that's not fresh bread. That's most likely
ultra processed bread, and therefore you think it has fiber
in it, but it doesn't really have a lot of
fiber in it. They may advertise that there's some fiber
in it, but the reality is there isn't much in it.
(06:41):
Another big fad that we do here in the United
States is the whole low carb fad, which, trust me,
I get it. Carbohydrates turn into sugar, you know, a
pack on the pounds. With that, a lot of Americans
cut out the carbs as much as they can. Well,
that's cutting out fiber rich foods, and kids they're especially
at risk. The reality is many kids are getting less
(07:02):
than half of the recommended daily dose of fiber. Americans
adults were like at two thirds. Maybe The recommended intake
of fiber every single day for a human is twenty
five to thirty grams daily. The adult we average about
fifteen grams per day. Kids who knows most are like
(07:23):
ten to fifteen grams. So we're definitely overfed. We know
that because we lead the country in obesity and being overweight.
But we're severely undernourished and fiber is one of the
biggest missing pieces in our diet. So when we're talking
about fiber, we need to break it down into two
different ones. You have soluble fiber, but also you have
insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber this is the one that slows
(07:46):
your digestion. That can help with cholesterol and blood sugar.
Now how does that do that? Well, these soluble fibers
we're talking about, like whole oats, beans, like your legumes,
your fruits. I'll give you some specific fruits kind of
towards the end with some tips. This slows digestion and
you don't You're like, wait, that doesn't sound like a
(08:07):
good thing. We don't want to slow down. We kind
of want to speed things up, don't we. Well, kind
of when you slow things down a little bit, your body,
you're saying to your body, Hey, I'm full. I don't
need to keep eating. So we've eaten a little bit,
We've had a good amount our body, we don't need anymore.
So you're telling your brain we don't need to keep
consuming food. And this actually helps with weight control. So
(08:29):
if you are trying to lose weight, increasing fiber can
help you feel satiated sooner. Fiber actually slows the glucose
absorption and that improves our insulin sensitivity. And in the
United States, as we know, we have a lot of
type two diabetes and that is from insulin insensitivity, meaning
our body is just not responding to insulin the way
it should. So increasing your fiber is going to help
(08:51):
you stay satiated, which may help with weight loss, and
it's also going to improve your insulin sensitivity, which will
hopefully get you away from type two diabetes. You also
have the insoluble forms of fiber, that is, like veggies
and whole grains. This all right, I'm sorry, this is
not very sexy. This is, but I have to say it. Okay,
(09:12):
This adds bulk to the stool. It bulks it up
a little bit, kind of brings in the water. It
draws the water in from the body into the colon
and that helps keep things very regular. Yes, I understand
it doesn't sound fun to talk about, but we have to,
and people talk about being regular all the time. Well
(09:32):
being regular is actually very important, and it's not just
important for your bowel habits. It's important for so much bigger,
bigger reasons. Fiber is the fuel that keeps your gut
ecosystem thriving and also your immune system and all other
systems in check as well. You're listening to wellness and mass,
we'll be right back with more. Fiber is also a
(09:57):
beneficial food for gut bacteria. It's considered prebiotic. If you
have low fiber, as I mentioned, you have gut microbiome imbalanced.
Maybe some of that good bacteria goes away because you're
not giving it the nutrition and the nutrients that it wants,
so to kind of like wrap that up into you know,
a little bit of a bow. Consequences of low fiber
intake can Obviously, what most people know is it leads
(10:20):
to digestive issues, constipation, irregular bowel movements, and diverticuli. Now
it goes on from there. You can have hemorrhoids external internal,
you can have fissures. It can cause problems, and the
reality is a lot of people have these issues. They
don't really talk about these issues, and they don't necessarily
realize that is because of a low fiber diet, and
(10:43):
maybe they take a little metamucile here or there to
kind of make themselves feel better. But the reality is
this is something that needs to be focused on every
single day, not just when you're having some issues or
you're on vacation and you're changing your diet a little bit.
It has to be an everyday thing. Just like brushing
your teeth. You should also be thinking to yourself. Am
I getting enough fiber today? My body needs it. It
(11:06):
also with consequences of low fiber increase risk of chronic
diseases colon cancer, heart disease, cholesterol, type two diabetes. We
mentioned gut health, this regulation, weight gain, and obesity. I mean,
these are all things that Americans are suffering from. So
here's what I want to talk to you about. How
you can increase your fiber without feeling overwhelmed. One of
(11:29):
the biggest mistakes that people make is they just dive
right in. They're like, you know what, I'm increasing my fiber.
Let's go. Well, let me tell you. If you go
from zero to sixty overnight, that's not a good thing.
And I'll tell you why. It's going to cause bloating,
it's going to cause up, it's going to cause abdominal pain,
(11:50):
and you may have to hit the restroom more than
you want to that day, and that's going to turn
you off from it, and it kind of throws your
GI system into a little bit of a wack of doodles.
So I don't recommend doing that. I do recommend kind
of baby steps to increasing your fiber intake. One of
the things that I do here at home with myself
(12:10):
and my children. They love when I talk about fiber.
By the way, I'm not sure about you, but when
I am cooking, I cook with intention. And I also
tell my children that we eat to nourish our body.
We don't necessarily eat for fun, even though it's nice
when it's something that we enjoy eating. I always like
to break down the individual things that I'm including into
(12:33):
a recipe or into a smoothie or whatever it is,
because I want them to know exactly the benefits that
it brings to their body. So they definitely love the
fiber speech. But I love mourning smoothies. I have one
of those, I don't know the brand, like one of
those bullet things. It's not a full blender, but it's
a smaller blender and I get frozen stuff from Costco.
(12:56):
I throw it in and then I know, if I
drink my smooth the I'm probably doing pretty good for
the day in terms of fiber because I throw in
a bunch of fiber loaded foods. I get fresh spinach
from my garden. Yes, I understand most people do not
have fresh spinach, but you don't need that. That's just
an added bonus. My favorite high fiber things to throw
(13:17):
into a smoothie chia seeds. That is like the best
thing you could do for your body when it comes
to fiber. It is so high in fiber. One serving
of it is about anywhere from like eleven to fifteen
milligrams of fiber. You're almost done for your entire day
with one serving of chia seeds. Then I also add
(13:39):
in raspberries, which is another huge container of fiber. So
chia seeds, raspberries, I throw in blueberries, some strawberries, some apple,
and sometimes I'll throw in a banana. But then I
also will put in some Greek yogurt. That Greek yogurt
helps with the probiotics. Blend it all up, and that
(14:01):
is my fiber smoothie of the morning. And from there
I will try to still have some fiber rich foods
throughout the day, but I like to get things done
early in the morning. It's like another check box. I
brush my teeth, I get dress, I have my fiber,
and I go on with my debt. As we enter
the school year, I will add some immune boosting ingredients
(14:23):
just to make sure that we are all in the
best state in our immune health. Whether I am, we
have the blueberries that's high in antioxidants, maybe some citrus
to get the vitamin C. I also personally love garlic.
Garlic is one of my favorite things. That I won't
put it in a SMOOTHI because that'll ruin it. But
I certainly start cooking with more garlic. I use my
(14:45):
immunity liquid herbs tincture that has garlic in it as well,
so some other things. If you're not a smoothie person,
you obviously just want to increase your fruit and vegetables.
But the ones that have the fiber tends to be
the ones that have a skin on them, so apples, berries, carrots,
even broccoli, spinach. You want to swap your carbohydrates. If
(15:07):
you are a bread lover like I am, I get it.
Try not to always go for the white bread, and
certainly try not to go for the ultra processed bread
that's just like sitting in a plastic bag in your pantry.
Try to incorporate brown, white rice, legomes like lentils, quinoa,
Try and get whole grain bread. But I'll tell you
(15:28):
most whole grain brand you find it in the grocery
store is ultra process so it's really not that much,
but all of these little changes, you know, it adds
up to higher fiber intake. I mentioned the legumes like beans, lentils,
all of these so good for you for so many reasons,
but one of them being fiber. So whether you're putting
(15:50):
them in a soup, for in a salad, or in pasta,
if you add some of these, they can really help
increase your fiber intake. In addition to chia, but again,
and my favorite is chia, you can also use flax seed.
You can use them together, you can use them separately.
Flax Seed is also great because it is high in omegas.
Omegas are great for heart health, skin health, hair health.
(16:14):
In fact, when I make my smoothies in the morning,
I tend to do chia and flax seeds because you know,
I want all the bang for the buck that I
can possibly get. And for some people who struggle with
GI issues, you can consider supplements as well. I'm not
talking about like laxatives like stimulants. That is not what
I'm talking about. That works on receptors and chemicals in
(16:37):
your gut to make your gut move faster. That is
not what we are wanting to do right here. We're
wanting to nourish our gut, not just make it move faster.
We want it to move faster on its own, because
it wants to move faster. We're not giving it a stimulant.
We're just trying to make it healthy, make it healthy
from the gut micro biome standpoint, but also make it
(16:59):
move faster on its own, not because we're telling it too.
And by doing this again, not only will you feel
lighter and more regular, which is a goal for many
people out there, it should be even though you don't
want to talk about it. It's good for your immune system.
It's good for your entire system to decrease inflammation, which
(17:22):
we know leads to autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, and even cancers.
So all of these things can be good for you.
As we head into the fall season and the winter,
we all are bound to get some sort of respiratory virus.
Make sure that your body is as strong as it
possibly can be. And it's not just about boosting the
immune system through drinking orange juice and taking vitamin C.
(17:46):
It's about making sure that your gut is happy, because
if your gut is happy, your body has a much
better chance of fighting off infections. So one tip is
check the label. If you're buying stuff at the store,
food says it's a good source of fiber. It's technically
supposed to have at least three grams per serving. If
(18:08):
it says excellent source, that means five grams are more.
I don't really know if five grams is excellent in
my book, but it's definitely a start when it comes
to our American diet. But I'm telling you this is
just how they label it. Just like when we see
those cereals for kids, they'll say, oh, it has whole
grains in it. It's like, yeah, well they're ultraprocessed. Okay,
(18:31):
it's not that healthy for you. So you can be
grabbing all these things that say good source of fiber
and it probably has more fiber than what you were
eating the day before. But you have to do more
than that. You have to consider some chia seeds, some beans,
some fruits and veggies, and maybe also consider throwing in
some exercise, because that's right. Exercise also gets your balol
(18:54):
moving and keeps your body happy and healthy. So, like me,
if you're always looking to support your immune system, your
brain health, you have to protect your gut. This will
lower your risk of inflammation, lower your risk of dementia,
lower your risk of cancer. Fiber should be at the
top of your list. It is always at the top
of mine. Thanks for listening to Wellness on MASS on
(19:16):
America's number one podcast network iHeart. Follow Wellness on MASS
with doctor Nicole Staftfire and start listening on the free
iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts, and we
will see you next time.
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Clay Travis
Buck Sexton
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