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Not eating enough fiber-rich food can have a whole slew of negative health consequences – from developing digestive disorders to painful hemorrhoids and high cholesterol. In fact, a diet poor in fiber may also explain why you can't stop snacking.
To understand the negative impact of a lack of fiber in your diet, you need to understand what fiber does for you. Fiber does not add calories; it adds bulk. So, it makes you feel full and satisfied. It also helps move the contents of your gut. Fiber provides prebiotics that feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut, which forms a key part of the immune system.
In short, dietary fiber is crucial for your overall health. A lack of it can disturb all your body systems and here we point out eleven signs of a fiber-deficient diet:
Insufficient fiber intake is linked to an increased risk ofdiverticulitis anddysbiosis. Diverticulitis is a medical condition in which your large intestine develops protrusions or pockets that gradually become infected. Symptoms include abdominal tenderness, vomiting, fever, episodes of constipation, and diarrhea.
Dysbiosis is an imbalance of beneficial and harmful bacteria in the gut. The main source of food for the beneficial bacteria in the gut is prebiotics derived from soluble fibers. A low-fiber diet doesn't provide food for the beneficial bacteria in the gut and may lead to dysbiosis.
Fiber helps regulate bowel movements. Irregular bowel movements where you go days without a bowel movement and suddenly go a few times a day indicate you’re not getting enough fiber.
Constipation is a common reality of not having enough fiber. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool, and soluble fiber absorbs water, forming a gel-like substance. These two factors contribute to a healthy colon that easily expels waste.
The opposite is true if you don't consume enough fiber – stools become hard and difficult to pass!
Doctors generally agree that going without bowel movements for three days is constipation.
Chronic constipation is one of the causes of hemorrhoids, commonly referred to as piles. Hemorrhoids are developed as painful veins in the anus and the rectum. Hemorrhoids can be inside the rectum (internal piles), but they can also be visible on or around the anus (external piles).
Hemorrhoids develop as you struggle to pass a stool and push hard on the toilet. Since lack of fiber leads to hard stool and chronic constipation. Therefore, hemorrhoids are a sign of fiber deficiency.
Fiber helps to maintain optimal cholesterol levels. Research shows thatdietary fiber lowers cholesterol. Soluble fiber can absorb water and become jelly-like. This substance can trap excess bile and cholesterol, which are then not absorbed into the bloodstream. Instead, these are expelled when you have a bowel movement.
In addition to incorporating foods like oats, legumes, fruits, and vegetables in your diet to help lower your cholesterol, you can consider taking a fiber supplement. Studies have shown that fiber supplements that contain psyllium canreduce LDL cholesterol.
A diet that consists mainly of animal protein and refined carbohydrates like white rice and pasta is a recipe for unstable blood sugar levels. Fiber helps regulate blood glucose levels by slowing down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream.
Fluctuating blood sugar levels (that trend high) are a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes.
High-fiber foods take time to digest and make you feel full for longer. Fiber absorbs water and expands into a gel. This helps you to feel satisfied. Also, your stomach empties slower because it takes longer for the fiber to move through.
Since it takes longer to chew on fiber-rich foods, you eat such foods slower. This gives your brain enough time to release satiation hormones and so, you’ll feel full even with small portions.
With low-fiber food, you consume a lot of calories within a few minutes. And so, you may end up eating a lot before you feel full. Besides, after a low-fiber meal, you're likely to still feel hungry sooner.
This comes as a surprise how fiber can impact energy levels. Fiber slows down digestion, so glucose is absorbed gradually into the bloodstream, providing a steady source of fuel for energy.
If your diet is fiber-poor, your blood sugar can spike and crash in quick succession – causing you to feel listless and tired. So, you need fiber to stabilize your energy levels throughout the day.
A lack of fiber can also contribute to poor gut health, affecting your energy levels. Fiber boosts energy levels by producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) when they are broken down by bacteria in the gut. Humans can digest SCFAs for energy. For every gram of fiber we consume, we receivetwo calories of energy in the form of SCFAs.
You need a strong immune system to be healthy and fight inflammation. Inflammation is associated with many chronic conditions including obesity, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Since the immune system is largely located in the intestine, you need healthy gut and gut bacteria to maintain health. So, if your diet lacks fiber, which acts as food for the beneficial bacteria, your immune system will be weak and won't be able to fight off inflammation.
If your diet mostly consists of food low in fiber, odds are you’ll feel hungry even after meals. This means you’ll indulge in snacks a lot more to feel satisfied. Over time, this habit can cause weight gain. In contrast, fiber-rich food doesn't cause this problem because it’s filling.
Fiber adds more volume without adding extra calories. This makes weight management easier. Fiber-poor food also tends to be high in calories.
Fiber plays a pivotal role in overall health, including skin health. A diet lacking in fiber can negatively impact skin health by disrupting the gut microbiome, leading to increased inflammation and potential skin issues such as acne and eczema.
Fiber supports a healthy gut which helps with waste elimination – preventing the accumulation of harmful impurities that can affect the health and appearance of skin.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends 14 grams of dietary fiber for every 1,000 calories per day, or about 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men each day. Individual requirements may vary slightly.
A half cup of cooked lentils on a half cup of brown rice, with a fresh salad, a fruit, and some chia seeds will come close to 25 grams of fiber from just this one meal.
It is easy to increase your fiber intake if you stick to the basics. Foods high in fiber are:
Vegetables
Fruits
Legumes
Whole grains
Nuts
Seeds
Any combination of these will substantially add to your fiber intake. Here are sometips to increase your fiber intake. You can also consider taking a fiber supplement. Fiber is crucial in our diets, andtaking a fiber supplement can help.
Fiber deficiency can have many negative health consequences. Traditionally, the medical profession focused on the importance of the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. And, the general public is educated on the importance of vitamins and minerals but it is only recently that the value of fiber in the diet is fully appreciated.
It's crucial to understand the importance of fiber and make an effort to increase our intake to enjoy complete health.