Food News You Can Use

The last couple newsletters focused on protein, which is unquestionably important for many reasons, like maintaining muscle mass as we age. But as a recent article (1) reminded,

“Protein may be hot, but it’s fiber that Americans need to eat a lot more of.”

What’s Crazy  It’s so easy to eat a lot of fiber because it’s in so many foods:  fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and whole grains. So why do we have so much trouble eating healthy amounts of fiber?

The Culprits  Nearly 60% of our calories come from ultra-processed foods, think pizza, hamburgers, pasta, white bread, cookies, chips, snack foods, tortillas, cheese, milk, muffins, doughnuts, hot dogs, French fries, sodas, etc.

• But how many of these items feature real, fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans? Close to zero.

• What’s more, whatever real foods they may contain are generally so well heated, pulverized and extruded that their fiber is long gone–even if their packaging contains a lot of “glowing” health claims.

Displacement  All this processing (along with the addition of sugar, fat and salt) is what makes processed foods so tasty–almost addictive. So we can’t help but eat lots of them! But then how much appetite is left for the real, whole foods that are rich in fiber? Not much!

Ergo we are left woefully fiber deficient.

Not Cool Enough? There’s another fiber culprit: the popularity of high-protein, low-carb diets which are often viewed as “sexy and masculine.” Meanwhile, fiber is often associated with little old ladies and prunes!

Certainly, there can be some value to high-protein, low-carb diets, particularly in the short term. However, watching fad diets come and go over my 35 years in the field has shown me that good old moderation and balance are pretty good friends for the long term.

A Revolutionary New Diet Actually, isn’t that what all the dietary advice boils down to? Eat it all, but in moderation and balance! That’s such well-worn advice, isn’t it? Not at all sexy or glamorous or hip.

But after riding the roller coaster of low-fat, high-fat, high protein, low carb, high carb and a string of other fad diets, we’re learning that the human body needs the nutritional goodies found in all the real foods Nature gives us–proteins, carbs and fats, in the greatest variety possible. This is why the Japanese try to eat 30 different foods a day.

Examine the traditional diets touted by longevity experts and this is what you see: People simply eating what Nature provided in their locale, and only what Nature provided (i.e., no  ultra-processed foods!) Researchers came along and documented these diets (like the Mediterranean) but they didn’t create them!

Past generations didn’t need diet experts to tell them what to eat. Eating in tune with nature is just what every creature on the planet did–and we didn’t think factories could feed us better than the earth.

The Magic Part  As long as we eat “earth outputs” rather than “factory outputs,” we automatically get enough fiber! That’s because we would be routinely and regularly eating fiber-rich foods! Can you believe it can be so simple?!

Why Bother?  Maybe I should have started with this section, but I think we all have a pretty good idea why fiber is so important. Fiber:

• Fills us up and aids digestion
• Lowers cholesterol
• Keeps blood sugar level stable
• Lower risks of obesity
• Lower risks of heart disease
• Lower risks of several forms of cancer

The Crucial Fiber-Gut Connection  Recent research has revealed why fiber is so essential for disease prevention: Because it is critical to the healthy functioning of the gut microbiome. Consequently, “a lack of fiber causes changes in the microbiome that can trigger immune dysfunction and chronic inflammation, which are implicated in a host of diseases.”

That is a quick summary of this new research, but there is more that can really inspire you to replace processed foods with real, fiber rich foods. Check out this article: “We Don’t Eat Enough Fiber. That Worries Food Experts,” WSJ, May 29, 2025. (1)

Now, keep an eye out for the next post with a fiber-rich recipe for Creamy Spinach and Mushrooms!