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Comment by resource_waste | Hacker News Reader

>Not enough fiber (fruits, veg).

I'm not sure why people think fiber is great. Yes it pushes things through. Yes there are bacteria that eat it. So does other food.

But it also makes you go poop more often, which is bad for your body.

I mostly eat meats and relatively low fiber food. I don't track it closely, so occasionally I'll eat corn and it passes through.

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My point:

"Why fiber?" Actually prove that the generic intake of 'fiber' is good. There are so many different types of fiber, the macro size of the fiber matters(ground pinto beans has a different gastro effect than whole), the actual molecules its made of, etc..

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> I'm not sure why people think fiber is great.

Fiber is good for me because it acts as a stool softener.

In my 40's, I had several bouts of diverticulitis. Hard stool may have been a contributing factor in developing the underlying issue, diverticulosis. I suspect more fiber would have made this less likely.

Later, due to the recurring diverticulitis, I had elective surgery to remove the problematic section of my colon. The surgeon cautioned me to ensure my stool stays soft, so that the place where he stitched my remaining colon back together are at lower risk of opening up. This is a long-term concern, so I'll be careful about it for the rest of my life.

Also, IIUC, straining to pass hard stool increases the risk of swollen hemorrhoids, which nobody enjoys.

Fiber keeps you feeling satiated for longer. Also, it’s bulking effect reduces your caloric intake while consuming the meal since the feeling of fullness can be reached with fewer calories.

> Fiber keeps you feeling satiated for longer.

Does this actually work for anyone? I eat these high fiber foods that get suggested and i never feel full for hours.

You have to combine fiber with protein and fat.

Fiber fills you up now by taking up physical volume. Try eating the equivalent of 200 calories of broc vs 200 calories of bread or pasta. The problem is that your body can't digest fiber so the digestive system moves it along quickly!

Fat and protein extends the feeling of satiation by turning off the hormonal signals for hunger.

If you eat an apple, try it with two tablespoons of peanut butter (the kind with only peanuts and salt). If you eat a serving of carrots, add two whole hard boiled eggs.

That is adding so many calories though? Adding the 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is another 200 calories.

An example, im targeting 2200-2400 calories. with 3 600 calorie meals (which tbh is pretty hard to do 7 or 800 is more likely) , there isn't that much buffer to add stuff like thhat.

Is it? An apple is only ~100 calories. 300 calories. You could make it a full meal by adding 500 calories of chicken or beans/lentils + rice to get to your 800 target and that's a very solid meal. A whole can of tuna in water is only ~200-250 calories and another option to add more protein.

No, not over a certain level (low/no fibre would be it's own type of bad).

Carbs give a type of satiety I can't replicate with unlimited fat/protein/fibre. IMHO it's not actually hunger/stomach related but relief from withdrawal symptoms. Carbs are CNS stimulants that trigger serotonin release and very addictive to me at least.

After fasting or eating keto for a sufficient duration this carb specific form of absence/satiety no longer exists. Hunger/appetite stops feeling like a gnawing craving desire, instead it feels like a more neutral empty/weak signal.

Anyway, if eating carbs, best bang for buck satiety is the potato.

Why fiber?

Because a diet rich in fiber has been repeatedly found to significantly reduce the chance of early death?

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026156142...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25552267/

https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10...

(You can find many more)

Literally thousands of studies with one of the clearest results in nutritional science, frankly.

The first 2 links have no data available. I only could read the third.

Self reported. Oh boy. No control. haha.

So... is this not science? Its induction?

Since fiber correlates with healthy food, I believe that is what we are seeing. Where as eating sugar and oil has no fiber. However its not like we are having a meat eater compared directly.

I come from chemistry, not sociology. The replication crisis has been kind to me, and terrible for biology and beyond.

Something prevented you from clicking the clearly marked link to the full paper? I don't feel your approach is very... rigorous.

> it also makes you go poop more often, which is bad for your body

If you’re straining to crap because you don’t eat enough fibre, sure.

> But it also makes you go poop more often, which is bad for your body.

> I mostly eat meats and relatively low fiber food.

Are you Hank Hill? Pooping in a choleric or diarrhea sense is bad; pooping once a day is fine. How often is more often?

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