A few weeks ago, I visited with a nutritionist to discuss my ongoing health issues and weight loss journey. If y’all don’t follow me on Instagram, you might have missed how I’ve been, lately.

Here’s a recent post …

It was shortly after I shared this super vulnerable post that I had the opportunity to meet up with a nutritionist. During my visit with her, I shared with her my typical diet and (lack of) exercise and discussed my goals. What are my goals? First and foremost, to stop feeling like crap all the time. Having chronic IBS, recently diagnosed fibromyalgia and pre-diabetes, constant heartburn, headaches, exhaustion … I want it to stop. I want to lose weight, and get down to a healthier size. And most importantly: I don’t want to hurt anymore.

The nutritionist sat there nodding her head because she knew exactly one of the root causes of some of my issues. In fact, she said 90% of her client’s had the same exact problem with the same exact solution.

Fiber: The Secret To Your Health That You Never Knew About

You see, the nutritionist recognized that even though my diet wasn’t really high in carbs or in fat, it was dangerously low in FIBER. What exactly is fiber?

Fiber, also known as roughage, is the part of plant-based foods (grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans) that the body can’t break down. It passes through the body undigested, keeping your digestive system clean and healthy, easing bowel movements, and flushing cholesterol and harmful carcinogens out of the body. – Help Guide

Sounds pretty important, right? After looking over my recent meals with my nutritionist, I had no idea how little fiber I was eating. Sure – it was low carb or low fat but the food I was eating wasn’t really doing anything for me; I wasn’t fueling my body and my body has not been too happy as a result.

[ezcol_2third]So my nutritionist suggested I start incorporating more fiber into my diet by switching out my favorite foods with higher fiber options. For example, instead of having a regular English muffin with breakfast, I’ve switched to the Thomas’ Light Multi-Grain version. We eat a ton of Mexican inspired foods in our house, and I was stoked that Mission’s Carb Balance Soft Taco tortillas are filled with fiber, and don’t taste like cardboard (which is what low carb tortillas used to taste like a few years ago). 

Instead of eating all different kinds of fruits, I’ve focused on blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and eating apples with the skins still on. I even started adding seeds and nuts to salads! 

There’s so many easy ways to sneak fiber into my diet, all without having to choke down fiber supplements. Here’s a high fiber food infographic that I found on Pinterest, which basically highlights all the foods my nutritionist told me to eat (minus the edaname, because that is soy and soy is bad bad bad for people with thyroid issues like me).[/ezcol_2third] [ezcol_1third_end]

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What Happens When You Eat More Fiber?

Well … for one … things get better. A whole lot better.

First of all, my GI issues have modestly improved. I’m still getting heartburn and there are certainly side effects from beans and other forms of fiber ((💩)). BUT! I’m feeling better. 

I’m feeling more full and satisfied after meals, and I’m staying full longer. I don’t feel absolutely starving 12 minutes after I get done eating, which is great. Why? Because since I’ve incorporated more fiber into my diet a few weeks ago, I’ve already dropped about 10 pounds. 

Simply by switching to higher fiber options, and making sure I’m getting about 25-30 grams of fiber a day.

So, if you’re struggling with GI issues and wanting to lose some weight, try switching up some of your meals to include more fiber!