Fiber for weight loss

The use of fiber for weight loss is a method that is not only effective but also useful since it normalizes the activity of the gastrointestinal tract. Dietitians recommend that all their patients include in their diets, in large quantities, vegetables and fruits—foods rich in fiber. What fiber is, its benefits, and how to take it for weight loss are all things the reader will learn from this publication.

What is fiber?

Cellulose, which in translation means thread, is often called dietary fiber. When examining it under a microscope, you can see that the structure looks like long filaments. Plant fibers are a type of carbohydrate and are complex sugars.

A feature of dietary fiber is its resistance to the effects of enzymes in gastric juice and the pancreas. In the digestive tract, fiber is not broken down into its simple components, glucose and fructose; therefore, it is not absorbed by the body, as with other sugars. Dietary fiber is excreted from the body almost unchanged.

A whole group of plant products represents these carbohydrates with a rough structure. Since this is not a chemical compound, dietary fiber composition may differ. There are soluble and insoluble fibers.

Soluble fiber 

Soluble fiber consists of complex carbohydrates that dissolve during digestion and absorb liquid into themselves, making them look like jelly. This group includes pectin and inulin. Pectin is a polysaccharide found in fruits. Cooks use it as a natural thickener.

Pectin has the following properties:

• reduces the risk of cancer;
• activates the brain;
• reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood;
• prevents the development of cardiovascular diseases;
• helps to reduce weight.

Inulin is also a natural probiotic that normalizes the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, maintains the balance of the intestinal microflora, and prevents heartburn and bloating.

Insoluble fiber 

From the name itself, it is clear that insoluble fiber in the stomach does not dissolve, is not digested, but swells, absorbing harmful substances into itself and removing them from the body. Such carbohydrates remove cholesterol well. Insoluble dietary fiber consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignans, and lignins. The last two components have hepatoprotective and anti-tumor effects. But lignans work only in combination with cellulose.

The benefits of fiber for weight loss

The benefits of fiber for weight loss are invaluable for people who want to lose weight and those who monitor their health and want to get rid of chronic diseases of the internal organs.

Turning into jelly when interacting with water, pectin fills the stomach, which gives a person a feeling of fullness. At the same time, the substance slows down the absorption of sugars and improves metabolism, which is very important for losing weight. Inulin prevents the development of a fatty liver and reduces appetite.

In the esophagus, coarse fibers provoke an increased secretion of gastric juice, due to which valuable substances are absorbed better. Together with motility, fiber also restores the intestinal microflora so that the feeling of satiety after eating lasts longer.

In the digestive tract, coarse fibers work like a brush, cleansing the walls of the stomach and intestines of everything unnecessary, as a result of which constipation disappears. Fiber prevents bloating, eliminates flatulence and intestinal colic, and promotes mild weight loss.

Since blood glucose levels normalize when taking carbohydrates from this group, a person can more easily endure the intervals between meals. He no longer wants to eat something sweet during the break, which increases his appetite. In the stomach, vegetable fibers swell, filling it and thereby deceiving and suppressing the feeling of hunger. Since a person does not want to eat, the body has to spend fat from the accumulated reserves.

Against the weight loss background, blood pressure stabilizes, fatty plaques break down, the blood is enriched with oxygen, and overall well-being improves. A person becomes vigorous and active, which also contributes to weight loss.

Fiber contraindications for weight loss

Vegetable fibers in powders and tablets are not drugs; if taken incorrectly, they can harm the body. Such supplements should not be used by people suffering from diarrhea. If you take fiber in powder along with drugs prescribed by your doctor, their therapeutic effect will be greatly reduced due to the sorbent effect of the supplement.

Fiber for weight loss from milk thistle is contraindicated in cases of hypersensitivity to this plant. Intolerant people may experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and headaches. With the exacerbation of chronic stomach diseases, only flax seeds are allowed. Fiber is contraindicated in pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

How to take fiber for weight loss

There should be a measure to everything, so taking fiber for weight loss in excessive amounts is unacceptable.

There is a scheme for taking plant fibers, using which you can achieve the maximum effect without harming your health:

• Start with the minimum dose, determining the body’s response to increased vegetable carbohydrates. For the first day, 0.5 teaspoon is enough for half an hour before meals. By the tenth day, the dose can be increased to 1 tsp. After a month and a half, the dose should be 3 tsp.
• The supplement should be taken before or during meals with plenty of water.
• The powder can be added to salads and other prepared meals at a rate of 1-2 teaspoons per serving. To get rid of extra pounds quickly, you must eat 3–4 tsp of coarse dietary fiber daily.
• After 60 days of admission, taking a break for 1-2 months is recommended.
• During the course, you should take multivitamins.

Recommended doses and rules for taking are written on each package of a particular herbal supplement.

Important! The use of fiber for weight loss should be combined with proper nutrition and drinking water. With this approach, the weight will not go away due to loss of fluid and muscle mass but due to the breakdown of fats.

Kefir with fiber for weight loss

Kefir with fiber for weight loss helps you lose weight even more effectively. But to achieve the result, you should follow some simple rules:

• give up harmful products;
• drink at least 2 liters of water a day;
• replace sweets with dried fruits;
• Food portions should be small, but eat five times a day;
• Eat low-GI vegetables and fruits.

The second breakfast and dinner before bed should consist of kefir with 1.5 teaspoons of fiber. The same dose should be added to each serving of food.

Fasting day 

To quickly get a slim figure, it is recommended to do fasting days 1-2 times a week, during which the diet will consist only of kefir and fiber. During the day, you must drink 1 liter of kefir, in which 4 tsp of vegetable fibers in the powder were previously dissolved. This liquid is drunk four times. As before, 2 liters of water should be drunk. Some vegetables are allowed. All other products are excluded.

Kefir with fiber for weight loss before bed

Some people are unable to maintain diets, or they cannot follow them due to busy work schedules. For them, a good option is a kefir with fiber for weight loss before bed. Dinner should be no later than 3 hours before going to bed. Half an hour before lights out, you need to drink a glass of kefir with dissolved dietary fiber.

Strict diet 

The duration of this diet is 14 days. As a result, losing 6–8 kg will be possible. The essence of a strict diet is that these days you will have to eat only kefir with fiber, raw vegetables, and fruits. Every day for four doses, you must drink one glass of kefir with 2 tsp of powder. The intervals between doses are 3–4 hours. Between them, you can eat fruits and vegetables.

Siberian fiber for weight loss

Siberian fiber for weight loss is a unique plant complex that includes dietary fiber from fruits, berries, and cereals. In addition to the body receiving a large amount of the trace elements it needs, the composition provides effective and safe weight loss.

The cereal-fruit complex acts in many directions, thanks to which the weight is guaranteed to go away:

• the intestines are cleansed;
• All organs involved in digestion are normalized;
• vitamin deficiency is eliminated;
• stabilizes blood sugar levels;
• the function of the excretory system improves;
• the skin becomes elastic, the dryness disappears;
• immunity is strengthened;
• general well-being improves;
• hormonal imbalance disappears, which affects almost all overweight people.

All these factors put the nervous system in order; a person becomes stress-resistant, is not prone to depression, and is not forced to “jam” his problems.

Siberian fir can be added to dishes or diluted in juice, kefir, or sweet yogurt in the ratio of 1 tablespoon of powder per 200 ml of liquid. In parallel, it is recommended to take multivitamins, which will replenish the trace elements lost by the body and excreted by dietary fiber and harmful substances.

Foods rich in fiber

Some fruits and vegetables contain soluble and insoluble carbohydrates at the same time. The skin of apples contains insoluble fibers, while the pulp consists of soluble fibers. Raw foods contain far more fiber than those that have been heated.

Porridges are rich in natural fiber.

• Oatmeal: has an enveloping effect, due to which it relieves inflammation of the stomach;
• wheat: stimulates the work of the brain, digestive organs, and cardiovascular system; millet: promotes intestinal motility, stabilizes lipid metabolism, and normalizes blood sugar levels;
• barley: provides satiety for a long time, has a slight laxative effect, and improves metabolism;
• Oatmeal, which contains a special type of plant fiber called beta-glucagon, reduces cholesterol levels in the blood.

Also, fiber-rich diet products are most vegetables and fruits; bran; dried fruits; legumes; flax seeds; pumpkins; sunflower seeds; nuts; and many other products.

Reviews of nutritionists about fiber for weight loss

Reviews of nutritionists are unanimous on the account that fiber does contribute to weight loss if taken correctly. The main therapeutic effect of dietary fiber is bowel cleansing, a paramount weight loss task. Since obesity is the main cause of cardiovascular disease and many other dangerous pathologies, doctors worldwide have only a positive attitude towards fiber. Moreover, nutritionists strongly recommend adding dietary fiber to the diet.