Effect of diet fiber on meal calories

Question
QUESTION: What is a good soluble fiber supplement? I am looking for something I can buy in bulk, like psyllium. but that is non-soluble.
Brenda Watson's Fiber35 program is all about how soluble fiber subtracts calories from food. Is that true--does fiber do that?

Thanks,
Kevin
ANSWER: Hi Kevin,

Yes, fibers do that, sometimes decreasing meal's calories up to 1.8 times! However, insoluble fibers do that, too.

On the other hand, fibers can _add_ to calories since they can be digested by our intestinal microorganisms. How much calories in and how much out -- nobody can tell beforehand because it depends on one's intestinal condition: amount of friendly bacteria, enzyme strength, etc. For instance,it was a mystery how vegans get all essential amino acids without eating any animal food. It turned out that if there's enough nuts and seeds in vegan's diet, the bacterial mass can grow to be up to 1.5 kg! They are animals, in a way, and they produce the missing amino acids. Just thought it's an interesting fact.

As to the insoluble fiber source, try wheat, corn, or ray bran.

= TZ

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your reply, very interesting. It does open a door to more questions: If intestinal microorganisms are digesting fiber and turning it into calories, this does change the calorie count and I can see that it would be hard to calculate that change, but can we do anything to push the effect in a positive direction? Do I want to get rid of the microorganisms? Should I not be taking my supplement that increases my friendly bacteria?  Do I want to increase or decrease enzyme strength (and if so how)?

Do insoluble fibers decrease calories as much as soluble? Does it matter which I use? Will using 30 grams of soluble and 30 grams of insoluble be more effective than using 60 grams of one or the other?

What is a good source of soluble fiber--is there a supplement of pure soluble fiber that I can just sprinkle on my food?

Thanks,
Kevin


Answer
Kevin,

The microbes in question are your friends! They are do so much more good than bad. Their extra added calories are meager anyway, in the limits of calorie count imperfection.

The insoluble fibers versus soluble fibers: they bring in different kinds of health benefits so you need both. The best soluble fiber is oat-originated -- bran or supplements. If you want to sprinkle them on your food, allow a little time for them to soften. You might also want to grind them in your coffee grinder.

= TZ

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