Fiber: The Key to Weight Loss and Boosting GLP-1 Naturally.
If you’re like me and like many women in midlife, you may find it difficult to lose weight. You may also be like me and have been curious about GLP-1 weight loss medication, but want to take a natural approach to losing weight. The science behind those medications are what lead me to change my diet to focus mainly on one dietary component, fiber.
Fiber can help lose weight in three main ways:
Fiber gives you that full feeling and triggers a hormone that decreases your appetite.
Fiber triggers the release of GLP-1 in your intestines. GLP-1 helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Fiber feeds that good bacteria in your gut. A healthy gut contributes to an all around healthy body.
Fiber is found in a variety of foods, so it’s easy to make it the star of your plate. Most nutritionist have always boasted about fiber, but that information can get lost in vast amount of diet fads and restrictions. I myself got lost in a world of bad nutritional advice and tried a restrictive diet that only made me feel irritable and tired, without any weight loss. Focusing on fiber was what my body needed to feel great and as an added bonus, the stubborn midlife weight I gained because to slowly and steadily come off.
Let’s dive into the science.
Fiber gives you that full feeling and triggers a hormone that decreases your appetite.
Fiber adds bulk to food and takes longer to digest, helping you feel fuller as you eat it and keeping you satisfied longer. High fiber foods like fruit, vegetables, and whole grains can take up a lot of volume in your stomach, which is important if you don’t want to feel hungry while trying to eat healthier. There are several hormones that are released in your gut during the digestion of fiber. One is Peptide YY.
Peptide YY (PYY) may not get all the glory that GLP-1 is getting, but it still is a very important hormone. When PYY is secreted in your gut, the hormone works it’s magic and helps lower your appetite. If you are in perimenopause or menopause, a symptom is increased appetite and cravings. So fiber is very much our friend.
Fiber triggers the release of GLP-1 in your intestines.
A few years ago the average person would not have known much about GLP-1 or even heard of it. Now, however, it seems every other ad is for a GLP-1 injection medication and its powerful effect on weight loss. It helps with weight loss in a several of ways:
-Slowing down stomach emptying, so you feel full longer.
-Increases satiety and fullness by its affect on areas of your brain that processes hunger and satiety.
- It increases insulin production while also decreasing the amount of glucagon secreted - therefore, lowering blood sugar
When all this happens people tend to eat less and can lose weight because of that. The great thing is that GLP-1 is a hormone you already produce so you can trigger its secretion by eating fiber rich foods.
Fiber feeds that good bacteria in your gut.
You are mostly bacteria. Just a wonderful, human shaped house of bacteria. Which I think is fascinating and I especially love learning about how our bodies and minds are effected by these microscopic creatures. New science shows that gut bacteria differs from person to person and may even point to how missing certain bacteria can impact your health and weight. The less dietary fiber you eat, the less diverse gut microbiota you have….and we want diverse gut microbiota. Increasing dietary fiber changes your microbiome and evidence suggests that can have a positive effect on your health.
Best sources of dietary fiber.
Vegetables
Fruits
Whole grains
Beans and legumes
Nuts and seeds
Photo by Caroline Green on Unsplash Photo by Margarita Zueva on Unsplash Photo by abillion on Unsplash
Photo by Caroline Green on Unsplash Photo by Margarita Zueva on Unsplash Photo by abillion on Unsplash
Summary
Fiber has been known for a long time to be beneficial to health. It helps you feel fuller, reduces appetite, helps control blood sugar, and feeds the good bacteria in your gut. I stayed away from whole grains for awhile thinking it would help me lose weight. It had the opposite effect on me and once I focused on non-processed high fiber foods, that all changed. I wasn’t left hungry and I no longer had that irritability that comes with lack of food.
Sometimes the simplest answer is the best one. Real food- high in dietary fiber.
Recipe inspiration
62 High Fiber Recipes (Plant-Based!) by The Minimalist Baker https://minimalistbaker.com/high-fiber-recipes/
Boost Your Fiber Naturally: 27 Delicious High-Fiber Vegan Recipes by Forks Over Knives https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-menus-collections/high-fiber-vegan-recipes-breakfasts-mains-desserts/
10 Wholesome (and Easy) High-Fiber Meals by Real Simple https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/high-fiber-recipes
Resources
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4954773/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/13901-glp-1-agonists
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9787832/
