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Advantages of fiber in weight loss diets
IS FIBER FATTENING?
Fiber diet
Fiber is a component of food that our body is unable to absorb, and therefore theoretically with no calories to the diet.
Fiber diet has the following advantages:
- It provides satiety and avoid snacking between meals
- Drag cholesterol and fats during its passage through the intestine, preventing these nutrients to be absorbed.
- It has laxative effect: Increases intestinal transit time reducing absorption.
How many calories does fiber provide?
Photo of milk with cereal fiber. Cereals such as photo (stick type) are very rich in fiber wheat bran but also contain a lot of sugar.
It has been shown that due to the action of intestinal flora, the body can get calories from fiber, it is estimated that it provides approximately 2 calories per gram of fiber.
Scientific studies have shown that, when fiber is fermented, short chain fatty acids are derived from it, which can be absorbed and contribute about 2 kcal. per gram.
Can calories of fiber make you gain weight?
This caloric intake is minimal and is not significant in the diet, specially taking into account that fiber helps to remove fat and cholesterol from the body, or has satiating properties that affect eating fewer calories.
Given the cleansing properties and benefits of fiber, we can ensure is not contraindicated in diets, but quite the opposite.
Why whole products have more calories?
Many whole supermarket products can be equally high in calories because, in addition to fiber, they are high in fat, flour or sugar. An example can be whole biscuits or cereal fiber products to whom fat or sugar is added for better taste.
If the label of brown rice and other white rice is compared, for example, we see that the whole food is more caloric. This is because the calories are measured many times on machines accounting fiber as if it was digestible carbohydrates, but it is not. As we have explained, in vivo, our body can not digest fiber.
*Related information:
– How to improve intestinal flora
– Bad food for intestinal flora
More information on probiotics.
