Mocktail Minutes

Eating Fiber vs Fiber Supplements

• Mocktail Minutes • Episode 110

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Fiber. Probably one of the more overlooked nutrients (especially with our current fad diets). Fiber is incredibly important for weight loss, blood sugar balance, heart health and gut health! Almost everyone could benefit from more fiber. But, is all fiber created equally? And are fiber supplements actually helpful?

If you have questions, or topics that you want to hear about, head over to our Instagrams https://www.instagram.com/bayleethedietitian/ or https://www.instagram.com/brianna.dietitian/ and send us a DM! You can also follow the podcast https://www.instagram.com/mocktailminutes/

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Just Ingredients - https://www.instagram.com/just.ingredients.shop/

Recess - https://www.instagram.com/takearecess/

Click play, sip back, and be empowered.

Baylee:

Hello everyone. Welcome back to this week's episode of Mocktail Minutes. This is Bailey

Brianna:

This is Brianna.

Baylee:

this week. I am drinking. I got my just ingredients, electrolytes. So we're doing the raspberry lemonade, very summer vibes.

Brianna:

Yeah. Do they have new flavors? They do. Right.

Baylee:

I don't know, I haven't ever really like looked at all their flavors. I just got four of them when they have their sale.

Brianna:

I miss

Baylee:

that I haven't tried.

Brianna:

again. I miss on sale again. I'm doing a recess. I'm doing the blood orange. I really like this one. It's kind of my favorite now. It used to be whatever that rose one was, but I

Baylee:

Oh yeah.

Brianna:

Yeah. Blood orange.

Baylee:

Yes.

Brianna:

Yeah.

Baylee:

Fiber supplements. So we've talked about fiber before in a couple different episodes, but we haven't really dedicated an episode to fiber or supplementation because as we talk about fiber or protein, really, I mean, a lot of things, I would say fiber and protein is kind of the main things that once we start encouraging you to increase them, we often start eyeballing all these products that are. Promoted as high fiber, high protein, and then like once we dive into it, they may not actually be the best option. So this is where just creating an understanding of what you're putting into your body, what you're buying is super helpful. So we wanted to break down fiber supplementing with you today.

Brianna:

Yes. So I sometimes I kind of overlook the like foundational things. Like I am always surprised by how much people are like, what is fiber in? What is fiber? So it is a structure. Within carbohydrates that you don't absorb. Okay. So it just stays in, in your GI system. It help, helps clear everything out. There's a lot of functions of fiber but you don't absorb it. It stays in your GI tract and it helps you out in a multiple different ways, and it's found in whole foods. So like your fruits, like apples, especially any like. Fruits with skin. So like the apple skin, Kiwis, berries, pears, but all fruit vegetables, like your cruciferous vegetables legumes, so beans, lentils, peas, whole grains, oats, brown rice, whole wheat, and then nuts and seeds. and a lot of your carb containing foods that you typically think about aside for nuts and seeds. But yeah, carbs.

Baylee:

And so yeah, there's like five main groups of fiber sources that are more your natural fiber, fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Those are your five categories. And honestly, if you aim to get like three out of five of those in your meal, you're gonna be pretty set with fiber. Like get some fruit, get some veggies in, sprinkle in some hemp seeds. I mean, you're gonna get a good amount of fiber in there. But I mean, I will say some people still have trouble getting fiber in. For me personally, I don't think a fiber supplement is completely necessary. I think it's kind of a person to person and a situational type thing where if you're traveling, yeah, you can do the best you can at getting fruits and veggies and fiber, but I mean, not many. Places are going to be like, here's your yogurt parfait with your chia seeds and your hemp seeds and your fruit, and also here's some veggies to go on the side. And we added some extra protein powder for you. And oh yeah, we added some PE cotton. Like it just, usually you go to get a parfait and it's like yogurt and fruit. it's just, I mean, as much as we try, it's harder. So I. Supplements can be helpful at that point, but really, so there is a little bit of a difference between your natural fiber foods and your added fiber. So natural fiber, it's also gonna come with your vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and some water content. It tends to be better tolerated and more affected, not affected. Affected for overall health because. Again, once we start encouraging fiber and we're going straight towards like the Metamucil, the Benna fiber, all of those people don't feel great and they're like, well, I can't handle fiber. Hmm. It's not necessarily the fiber, it's the type of fiber you're doing. So I mean, overall, I would say go for the natural fiber first. Before you go into the supplementation, and it's also gonna help with digestion, it's gonna help with the blood sugar control, with lowering cholesterol levels and that gut health because it does play numerous roles. And then kind of clearing your natural to your added fiber. So added fiber has been extracted from a plant source, or it's made synthetically and then added. Two foods or supplements. So I mean, you'll often see this in protein bars, fiber four to five cereals and breads like meal replacement powders, baby, and then some drinks. The ops are very popular. That is like an added form of fiber, so it could look like ein or cellulose or cilium beta. Beta-glucan. Wait, how do you say

Brianna:

Yeah.

Baylee:

Those are kind of some examples of your added fiber. So this fiber is not naturally part of the food. It was basically isolated or created, and then it's gonna be added during the processing of that food to boost the fiber content. Kind of the same way, like added sugars. You're adding it to that food during processing.

Brianna:

Yeah. And so sometimes it can be any larger amount than it would be in food, and people are really sensitive to that. Or sometimes it's just not with like water, for example. Like there's water found in a lot of fiber containing foods. And when you, you need water especially, it just kind of helps. With the whole, you know, digestion process and when you take the water out, sometimes that's what causes it. But I feel like fiber is a little bit like protein. So once you figure out good sources of fiber and you start to realize like, okay, what foods have fiber, how do I get it in? It starts to become a lot easier. So, you know, going back to the list of like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, if you could sprinkle some of those throughout the day. You are good. We're just not in the habit of doing it. And then when you find out what foods have really high fiber, like basil seeds for example, are crazy high in fiber, you, it's very easy to hit your fiber goals. But it's one of those goldilock things where like more isn't always better if you are someone who's eating. Eight to 10, eight to 12, or maybe even under 15 grams of fiber a day. And you all of a sudden you're like, I'm gonna crack open an op and have this high fiber wrap. You're gonna feel horrible. So like we, our body is Goldilocks. We like a consistent amount of fiber and you have to slowly work up. And I think that's a lot of the problems with a lot of these like. Added fiber supplements is it's just so much and we're not used to it. And then you mix in a lot of like trying to do the more health foods that are like keto friendly. They're keto, they're able to be keto'cause they have net carbs, which means they just add a ton of fiber and people just like aren't feeling great. And I can't tell you how many people I've had when I'm like, Hey, let's like work on fiber. They'll come back and be like, my body just can't tolerate it. I'm like, well, that's not true. You probably did a little bit too much, or you didn't have good variety, which is the other thing. When you're getting fiber from the Whole Foods, you're getting a mixture of soluble and insoluble, so it kind of keeps everything in balance. Whereas when you're isolating one of'em, it's probably just too much of one and you're not used to it. So this is where you can have like gas or bloating. So a lot of the like inulin or trickery root, that can add some gas and bloating. Again, everybody's a little bit different. Some people seem to do a little bit better with the cilium husk, but again, it's super dependent. It's dependent on what you're used to, what foods you haven't had for a while, how much water you're drinking. You need water. Whenever you increase your fiber, you have to increase your water.

Baylee:

Oh yeah, a hundred percent or you're really not gonna feel good. I think even so I do the Loha bars a lot. I think they are great products. I like'em for a snack. But a lot of times, again, when we're increasing fiber and we just, we're like, oh, we're doing a loha bar every day. And they have, lemme look real quick. I mean, they have a good amount of fiber in them.

Brianna:

They do. I love them for a snack'cause I'm like, they have great protein. They have great fiber.

Baylee:

Mm-hmm. But it's not popping up of course. How.

Brianna:

Perfect bar. Perfect bars are kind of in the same boat too. There's actually like a decent amount of fiber.

Baylee:

But I mean, really, I don't want you just to get your fiber from like eating a low hovers every day. Okay. They have 10 grams of fiber. I think, yeah, that's a good amount of fiber there, but I mean, I wouldn't eat two of those a day to meet your fiber goals necessarily. I mean, I personally would recommend you get at least 20 grams of fiber from. Natural fiber sources. I don't, what are your thoughts on that?

Brianna:

I think that's good. That's a good amount. I mean, I like for everyone to aim for like around 30 grams of fiber, and so you think, okay, I'm probably gonna have to have something there just to kind of help me out. Similar to like strategically using a protein powder, right? I

Baylee:

Yes. Yeah.

Brianna:

if you're aiming for 20 from natural Whole Foods and you're getting 10 from like a bar or a supplement, you're, you're probably on a really good track.

Baylee:

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I just wouldn't do like all your fiber from bars and cereals and everything. We really wanna focus on that whole fiber. And there are different types of fiber. So we have soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber, I would think like soluble, solidify, so it dissolves in water to help form where that gel like substance. So when you're thinking natural products for soluble oats, barley, fruits, legumes, what's a really great for soluble fiber? And then you have like your more added fiber forms, which would be the inulin, the cilium pectin, gorg, beta, glucan, and poly. Soluble fiber is gonna help. This one is the one that's really good at slowing down the absorption of carbs in your body, so it really helps with blood sugar control. So if you're someone who has lots of spikes, trying to get more of that soluble fiber in your meal can help. It can also help. Lower your LDL cholesterol, it's gonna feed that good healthy bacteria, so that way you're able to make vitamins and minerals. You are building a healthy immune system, you're getting great digestion, and it's gonna help you feel fuller for longer, but it's often gonna be added into. Cereals, the drinks or like the meal replacement bars, kind of like the Aloha ones. Not that I would replace the meal for an Aloha bar. It's not enough, but things like that, it's usually added to.

Brianna:

And this is, this is probably why people feel like constipated or like a little bit uncomfortable because this usually is the type of fiber typically that's added to a lot of these things. And so, or like a lot of the, you know, like you said, meal replacement bars, all the fiber enriched beverages, so. So I just don't feel great. The other one is insoluble fiber, and this does not dissolve in water, so it adds bulk to your stool. So if you think like the one that at, you know, draws in water diarrhea, the one that bulks up stool constipation, not that I just want you to thinking about that. Like if you have too much of one or the other, you can think, oh, maybe I need to add a different, but'cause I'm having constipation or I'm having diarrhea. But these are gonna be things in like your whole grains, bran, vegetables and then your added forms are gonna be like cellulose resistant starch, liman, liga. I hate saying that Liga. But this helps to speed up the movement of food through the digestive tract. It helps to prevent constipation, support, like bowel regularity. Again, we've talked a lot about how many bowel movements you should be having a day. At least one, but one to three is normal. So thinking, okay, if I'm not having regular bowel movements, maybe this is a sign I need to add a little bit more of this fiber. And so this can be in things like the fiber fortified breads, crackers, or a lot of your processed grain products. Yeah, I will say a lot of people get really caught up on like, which one should I have? And they get, the reality is, is a lot of your whole foods have a little bit of both. Like they will be primarily more of one, but they do have both. And so if you're getting a good variety of fruits, vegetables, beans. Nuts, seeds, whole, you know, whole grains, you're probably gonna be okay. Like that's just what I try to tell people is have a variety switch things up every now and then, as opposed to like, what do I really need to focus on? Unless you're having some of those GI symptoms that I was talking about, and then you need to focus on a certain type.

Baylee:

Yeah, so then when you're thinking about the fiber supplements, Metamucil, so many people are being recommended to use Metamucil. I hate meta.

Brianna:

I do too. It's not that much fiber to be completely honest,

Baylee:

It's like six grams of fiber, I think.

Brianna:

And, and they're good

Baylee:

of fiber, but it has 16 grams of added sugar, something. It's basically cilium husk with extra things we don't need. So just use cilium

Brianna:

Yeah.

Baylee:

husk. Yeah, I would just use cilium husk because that cilium is gonna be soluble fiber, and so it's gonna help with that. Bowel movement, the bowel regularity, that lowering the cholesterol helps with satiety. Now, when it comes to, because there's, I feel like there's a lot of cleans, like use a fiber supplement to help with weight loss. I mean, let's not go crazy with this and live off fiber drinks. Like you don't need to be putting this in your water every day.

Brianna:

I, I think it's one of those things where it's like. It can supplement, right? It can be helpful. It's like trying to, like I meet so many people who are like, I get all my vitamins and minerals from a daily vitamin and then I get my fiber from Metamucil. I'm like, or hear me out. We could eat some fruits and vegetables'cause that's gonna be so much more beneficial. I think you, your primary thing should be, okay, I'm focusing on these whole foods. Let me actually get familiar of what has fiber in it, how much fiber is in it, like how much, what has fiber, how much fiber is in it. What foods do I like? The half fiber, how can I increase it? And then, yeah, like when you're traveling, like for example, I like to, I like to drink an lollipop like when I'm traveling just because I'm, that's a really fun, easy way to get in fiber. Most places have them, but I'm not gonna be drinking an lollipop every single day being like, that's how I get my nine grams of fiber, you know, when I can get it from other places. But thinking like, okay, I can bring cilium hus husk caps, or I can bring Aloha bars, or I can have these things that I know have high fiber with me. Totally fine to have those to rely on when you need them, but you should not be like, I'm good. I drink Metamucil every day, and I hear that a lot. And the six grams is like in the good one. There are some that only have two, and I'm like, okay, that adds to it. But in the grand scheme of things, when we're like, Hey, you need to be aiming for around TH 30. I mean, how much Metamucil are you gonna be drinking?

Baylee:

Mm-hmm. Yeah, and that's like when thinking about the food products too. Anyone is one that's commonly added to a lot. So this can actually cause a lot of gas and bloating. And this is where a lot of times, I think it's the Fiber one bars, there's a lot of different bars essentially, that have nulin added, and this one is really good at making you very bloated because it's well fermented by the gut bacteria. So I see that happen a lot too. Again, it's like, oh, we can't tolerate the fiber. It's like, and it's probably just that. High amount of Lin Benna. Fiber is another one I see a lot of people use. I would say people tolerate benna fiber a little bit better

Brianna:

Mm-hmm. I think so.

Baylee:

a meta.

Brianna:

Yeah. And if you think it's all about building up that tolerance, right? So someone who like,'cause anyone can be a great like. Source of fiber, but building it up, and this is where I see a lot of people go wrong, it's a too much too soon. I also see inulin powder in a lot of keto products. And again, it's just like kind of hard to not bring up keto, because keto is all about the net carbs. How do you get net carbs? You add fiber'cause you don't absorb the fiber. So I'll see inulin and then I see it a lot with the sugar alcohols. And so you have products that are like high in sugar, alcohols high in inulin, and then people are feeling horrible.

Baylee:

Yeah.

Brianna:

really expensive keto product that you just bought is like totally messing with you. It was too much too soon. Yeah. So you can think of like like looking on your labels. A lot of the thing, like a lot of the added fibers will be like lin poly dextrose, cilium husk resistance maltodextrin, which I feel like is mostly in a lot of drinks. And then. Cellulose, and a lot of times cellulose is just added for texture in bulk, so you'll see the other ones more, but these are all the added ones that, again, you're still getting stuff like this from foods, but it's just, this is like a really high concentration, if that makes sense. Yeah.

Baylee:

Metamucil is another one a lot of people use. So I mean there that one. It can lead to more bloating. It literally says like, don't use more. I think it's like seven days because it can cause more bloating. But Metamucil is, I mean, it's mainly just HUS too. So really if you're looking for a fiber supplement, I would just kind of go like the HUS

Brianna:

Yeah, that's the

Baylee:

you need more of a soluble, yeah.

Brianna:

I feel like people tolerate it a little bit better and then, you know, also like check, you know, maybe start off with a smaller amount. You

Baylee:

Sun Fiber is also a great one for people to use.

Brianna:

I always forget about sun fiber. That's a good

Baylee:

or like a prebiotic fiber blend. Thorn has a fiber blend. That one's a good one.

Brianna:

Yeah. Yeah. It just gives you a variety, which is what we need. And then also thinking about, I need to be consistent with it. If you are taking a fiber supplement, you know, all month and then you go on vacation for a week and you are, you're not taking it, and then your intake drastically lowers, can you come back? You're probably gonna have a little bit of like that GIF site. You're gonna have to build back up to it. This is a total side note because I got asked this the other day. It was like athletic greens or like greens powder. They don't have fiber in them, just so everybody knows, I think there might be a couple of brands that are like

Baylee:

There's a little bit, but

Brianna:

have a little bit, but it's not, it's not, it's not a good source. Again, look at your labels like. Again, whole Foods. You can like look this up online. I know I have a guide for it, how much fiber is in things. But if you're like, you know, look it up. See how much fiber am I getting from my breakfast? How much am I getting typically? And then see, okay, how do I add a couple of grams every single week to like work my way up? And then just build that awareness of what has fiber you're gonna be better off. Because if you're just like trying to take fiber supplements, it's expensive and usually your stomach hurts. But

Baylee:

There is another one. Yeah, there's another one, grooms the, they have a sugar free one. That be an option too. But yeah, I mean, I would say I mostly supplements while traveling or like, we had pizza one night with everyone with pizza and salads. I mean, we had some vegetables. There's veggies on the pizza, but it's still not enough and not enough protein. So did a fiber drink before dinner

Brianna:

Yeah.

Baylee:

help.

Brianna:

Which I think that's like fun, you know, or like add a little bit to your protein drink or like, you know, my have, have a snack that's gonna be higher in fiber. Like I always have aloha bars when I travel or perfect bars. I just carry around PEs caps too.'Cause they're relatively inexpensive. They work good, they're tolerated. There's one I forget who it is, but there's an M three member that keeps a tic-tac. Container of chia seeds in their bag. And I was like, that is such a brilliant way to travel with

Baylee:

a good idea.

Brianna:

I'm like, I've had like little baggies before, like little tiny like tupperwares of'em. A is so good, but you can just sprinkle it onto things. So just think

Baylee:

it everywhere you go.

Brianna:

what am I doing? But yeah, I like to do the fun fiber drinks and I'm like, yeah, we're going out to eat. Or we're on a road trip and I'm like, oh, I'm gonna eat something. Fun way, but again, I'm definitely not stocking my fridge with OP to have one every single day. That would be so expensive.

Baylee:

Yes, it would be. Yeah, just think of those five fiber groups, the whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables, and try and get like three of the men at each of your meals. You get a good amount of fiber. Just focusing on that and not having to stress about going buy a supplement.

Brianna:

Which sounds hard, but it's actually not. When you think about it, I, I just went to like a dietician symposium and we were talking about like flavonoids and all these like phytonutrients and they had said something like, you should try to get 20 to 30 different plants, like those types of foods a day and like, or aim for like 10 in a meal. And everyone was like, oh my gosh. But it was like. Count your nuts. Count your seeds, your beans, count your spices. Spices, not fiber, but it's, you know, phytonutrient, whatever. And I was like, okay. Once you start to really think about it, it's like, okay,

Baylee:

It's not that bad.

Brianna:

I can do it.

Baylee:

We just make it harder in our head.

Brianna:

Yeah. If your meal is tan or orange or beige, you probably need to add something.

Baylee:

Yes.

Brianna:

That's what I like to tell

Baylee:

Add some color. Make it fun.

Brianna:

Which I know beans are technically, some of them are brown, but you know.

Baylee:

Yeah. All right everyone. Well, we hope this episode was helpful. Go get your fiber in this week. Make some game planning to increase that a little bit. Make sure you're still drinking water with that so you don't get a tummy ache. And we'll be back in next week with a brand new episode.

Brianna:

Bye.

Baylee:

Bye.

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Baylee

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Brianna

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