Your No.1 Weight Loss Weapon

Forget self-restraint. We’ve got a better plan: stuff yourself silly.

There’s a way to fill your mouth and your stomach without doing the same to your yoga pants.

It’s called fibre, and if you still think of it as something Grandma stirs into her OJ to stay regular, you need a serious update.

One US Department of Agriculture study found that women who increased their daily fibre intake from 12 grams to 24 absorbed 377 fewer kilojoules per day than those who ate the same amount of food but less fibre.

For those of us with weight loss goals, consuming insufficient fibre each day is disastrous and may be stopping us from achieving our ideal weight.

Among its many benefits, fibre can help reduce the risk of developing harmful diseases and can help us to successfully lose weight long term.

Some researchers believe that the high incidences of obesity in the western world is part due to our low fibre diets compared with other regions of the world such as Africa and Asia, where diets are predominantly plant based.

Fibre – The Basics

Dietary fibre is a complex carbohydrate that cannot be digested. There are many different types of fibre, but it is commonly divided into two broad categories: insoluble and soluble fibre.

Soluble fibre, as the name suggests, dissolves in water, while insoluble fibre does not.

Insoluble fibre passes through our body intact, helping to clean out our digestive systems – for this reason it is also known as roughage.

Weight Loss Weapon

Increasing fibre for weight loss is not a new thing. There are many weight loss products out there that are marketed as the ‘next big thing’ in weight loss.

What they don’t tell you is that it is simply a fibre supplement dressed up as a weight loss product.

Fibre is important to those of us with weight loss goals because it:

• takes longer to chew and digest making us feel satisfied sooner
• takes up space in our stomach, making us feel full longer
• helps us eat less food and consume fewer total calories
• doesn’t add calories because the body cannot absorb it
• is found in foods naturally low in fat and calories
• interferes with the absorption of fat
• is found in foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals

How much Fibre do we Need?

The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for dietary fibre is approximately 25g per day.

Meat and dairy products contain no fibre, and refined grains have had most of their fibre removed.

To increase your intake of fibre, eat more whole and natural foods, and fewer processed foods.

Some good examples of fibre rich foods include:

Start Slowly

But before you start eating kidney beans by the truckload, remember to up your fibre intake gradually.

A sudden increase can leave you bloated and gassy – side effects sure to sabotage your efforts to look good in your bikini.

Add just a few grams at a time to allow the intestinal tract to adjust.

Other ways to help minimise these effects: drink at least 2 litres (8 cups) of fluid daily and use fresh water to cook dried beans and discard the water in which they were soaked.

Emeds Comment

Always remember that fresh foods are the preferred source of fibre because they contain other beneficial nutrients.

When we can’t get enough fibre through our diet, it may be appropriate to consider taking a fibre supplement.

Best Fibre Supplements 

The highly soluble fibre glucomannan, derived from the konjac (Amorphophallus rivieri) root.

Viscous fibres such as glucomannan, which are approximately 7 times more absorbent that psyllium, may slow the rate of digestion and absorption of food and help in the maintenance of normal healthy cholesterol and blood glucose levels.

Melrose Omega Fibre is based on Australian Organic Flaxseed Meal, Licorice Root, Slippery Elm Bark Powder and Aloe Vera Juice Powder.

Melrose Omega Fibre supports a gentle cleansing of the intestinal tract and may be taken on a daily basis without the worry of dependency.

It is ideal for those with food allergies or the most sensitive intestinal tracts as it is: Wheat free – Gluten free – Psyllium free

Medlab W8 Biotic is a new fibre supplement containing resistant starch which increase the ‘fullness factor’ and is very successful in people that tend to over eat. Available in lemon lime and strawberries & cream flavour, W8 Biotic is a welcome addition to any weight loss plans.

Final Thought

Having a high fibre diet not only helps you stay at a healthy weight range, works out your bowels and starves off hunger pangs, but it lowers cholesterol, decreases incidence of heart disease and some cancers as well.

Fibre is here to stay, start increasing yours today!