How High Fiber Foods Promote Weight Loss

When it comes to issues of health and fitness, nature always offers the best solution. Weight gain and obesity are two of the most common problems plaguing many Americans these days. The weight loss industry has all sorts of supplements that work in various weights to promote weight loss whereas nature has fiber.

We have all heard of how fiber supports digestive health by easing the passage of waste matter through the digestive tract and by removing toxin build-up along the colon wall. What many people are not aware of is the fact that fiber also promotes weight loss in not one but several ways.

Fiber absorbs cholesterol from foods and removes it from the system during elimination. Fiber also works as an appetite suppressant by interacting with the hormone cholecystokinin or CCK which puts the body in a weight loss mode. Eating fiber results in the prolonged elevation of CCK in the blood. When this happens, you experience a feeling of fullness that lasts for quite a long time.

CCK also stimulates the digestion of fat and protein. After being secreted in the small intestines it causes bile and enzyme, two substances necessary in digestion, to be released. The hormone CCK likewise triggers other physiological processes. In a study done at the University of California, Davis the participants who ate a high-fiber meal released more CCK into their bloodstream than those who ate a low-fiber meal. The same thing was observed when high-fat and low-fat meals were given.

Interestingly, those who ate the high-fiber and high-fat meals felt more satisfied compared to those who had the low-fiber and low-fat meals. This shows that the same hormone is released whenever either a high-fiber or high-fat meal is eaten. The researchers in the above mentioned study concluded that the effect was due to the raised levels of CCK in the body of the participants.

A similar study using male subjects yielded the same results. A high-fiber meal and a low-fiber meal were served in random order. The test meal and control meal both had eggs, bread, margarine, jelly, milk, and orange juice. The high-fiber meal, on the other hand, included white beans while the low-fiber one had rice and dry milk. . The CCK level of the participants was found to be twice as high after consuming the high-fiber meal as after the low-fiber meal.

The findings from the study tell us that eating fiber-rich foods naturally curbs the appetite. Instead of popping appetite suppressants, dieters can get the same effect by eating fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. Aside from this, they will also get the other health benefits fiber offers, in particular a healthier digestive system.