The One Thing I Track Daily That’s Not Macros
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If you've ever wondered about the significance of fiber in your diet or struggled with maintaining a balanced approach to nutrition, this episode is for you.
Welcome to another episode of "Embrace Your Real"! Today, we're delving into the often-overlooked world of fiber and its profound impact on our health and fitness goals. Join me as we explore the science behind fiber, its role in body composition, appetite regulation, and gut health, and how you can leverage its benefits to enhance your overall well-being.
What I discuss:
Fiber can reduce your body fat which can make you appear leaner
Fiber regulates your appetite.
Fibrous foods are macro friendly.
Fiber keeps your blood sugar levels in check.
Fiber promotes a healthy gut!
If you loved this episode, be sure to tune in to…
Episode 16: 3 Things Your Food Cravings Are Trying to Tell You
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey, hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace a real let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:28]
[00:00:28] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real Podcast. Today's bonus episode I'm really excited about. If you've been following me for any length of time or you've tuned into the podcast for a while, you know I'm all about macro counting. The tool macro counting has singlehandedly transformed so much of my life, and so I talk about it a lot. I want to teach women as much as I can about it, just because whether you're counting all through macronutrients or you're just counting protein, having that education and having that tool in your toolbox can be so beneficial for you to feel empowered around food and man. When you are empowered on food, there is no stopping you when it comes to reaching your health and fitness goals. And so I talk about that a lot on the podcast. But one other thing that I track daily that I don't talk about nearly as enough of, I believe, because I get so many questions about it on a daily and weekly basis, is my fiber intake. And this is something, again, that I track daily that is not macronutrients, but essentially fiber. If you don't know, it's the indigestible portion of carbohydrates contained in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains. It's called indigestible because our bodies can't really digest fiber. [00:01:31][62.6]
[00:01:31] But that's why it's a magical thing. And so in today's bonus episode, not only am I going to explain why not being able to digest it is extremely beneficial, but I'm going to explain the two different types of fiber and how getting enough fiber, but not too much will greatly help you on your journey towards building the body that you want and developing a healthier relationship with food. [00:01:51][20.0]
[00:01:51] Before we dive in though, I want to share this review. It comes from at Cleanest Broom 87. I love that name so much, she said amazing and gave a five star review. I started following Julie a couple of years ago on Instagram and TikTok. Just doing the exercises she posted. I actually finally just joined her program. I've been so consistent. Even if I'm only doing two workouts a week, I know I'm doing something for myself. Her podcasts are so helpful, and I also love how she ties in her relationship with God. The only negative is that I should have started listening to it sooner. Well, I'm so grateful that you found me not only on social media, but then decided to join the program and you're staying consistent and also tuning into the podcast. That is so amazing and so grateful for you taking time out of your day to send in this review. So let's dive into the bonus episode. So like I said earlier, our bodies actually cannot digest fiber. And that's because we actually lack the enzyme for digesting fiber. Pretty wild that we eat something that our body like. We eat something that our body can't digest. Typically when we can't digest things, that actually wreaks havoc on our body. But with fiber, we can actually reap a lot of benefits. [00:02:56][65.0]
[00:02:57] So I'm going to be kind of going into five things that you need to know about fiber. And this might seem like it's in the weeds, but I do think that it's very beneficial. And they're very quick tips that I think, again, just having the knowledge will help you feel so much more empowered. But number one, fiber can actually reduce your body fat, which can make you appear leaner. So studies have shown a strong link between higher fiber intakes and lower body fat. In fact, research has even shown that increasing your daily intake of soluble fiber may help reduce belly fat, and one study noted that for every ten grams of soluble fiber intake, individuals had a 3.7 lower risk of gaining weight. This is super interesting, and this is just one of the many studies that finding higher intake of fiber can actually lead to a leaner body overall. And in this case, kind of when we're working towards kind of refining our body composition, being leaner, toner, stronger fiber can actually play a role in this. And that's super interesting because that's something that I didn't previously know. I would say about 6 or 7 years ago. I learned that for the first time, and it was like, what, you know, all these years, I was up until, you know, 20, 24, 25. I'm like, are you kidding me? Like, I never knew any of this. And I just wish that we would have learned these things, like even in elementary or middle or high school. I wish that we would have learned these things about nutrition. Right. We learn kind of, you know, in our health class about nutrition, but not about the direct effects that it has in our body. And I just think, again, just arming yourself with education can can lead you to feel so empowered. [00:04:33][95.4]
[00:04:33] Number two, fiber regulates your appetite. So when we eat foods that are high in soluble fiber, it actually attracts water and adds volume to bulk. Our food and your GI tract, which slows digestion and helps you feel fuller longer. So due to these increased feelings of satiation, you actually end up typically eating fewer calories while still feeling full and you're less likely to overeat at meal time or going, you know, snacking mindlessly in between meals, which both of those can directly affect you and derail you from you. Overall, in terms of reaching your protein, carbs and fat allotment for the day or just properly nourishing your body. Number three fibrous foods are macro friendly. This is awesome because foods that are high in fiber also tend to be lower in calories than foods with little to no fiber, and part of this is due to the fact that fiber. In digestible by the human body, which I mentioned earlier. Which means that we do not derive any energy or calories from it, and this makes it easier for you to stay within your macros and not overeat when you're eating foods that are higher in fiber. Number four fiber actually keeps your blood sugar levels in check, so fiber can actually regulate your blood sugar levels. And I've talked about this recently in the podcast. But unstable blood sugar levels or higher, you know, highs and lows of blood sugar that can lead you to having zero control over your appetite or cravings, making it very difficult for you to stay on track with your nutrition and help you build the body that you want. And so when you're able to keep those blood sugar levels in check, you'll actually feel more in control of your food. [00:06:07][93.6]
[00:06:07] And this can also lead you to having a healthier relationship with food overall. Lastly, number five fiber promotes a healthy gut. So a healthy gut equals better digestion and better digestion equals a well-functioning metabolism. So when your digestion is slow your metabolism is slow and vice versa. So focusing on digestion is so, so important. And when you get your digestion and gut health in check, that's when you'll likely stop feeling so bloated, gassy, constipated all the time. And this is something that I personally experienced when I was dealing with an unhealthy relationship with food. I've talked about it before, but there are so many days that my food intake was oh my gosh, my gut health, my food intake, my metabolism was so wrecked. And it was what I was doing was wrecking so much havoc on my body that I was feeling so constipated all the time, which would lead me to feeling so bloated and even to the point where I've had, you know, I had women at my job previously when I worked in a salon, they were like, oh my gosh, congratulations, you're pregnant. And I'm like, you know, this 21, 22 year old girl still in college? Like, actually, no, I'm not pregnant. I'm just so bloated and I'm so constipated and man, just adding more fiber into my diet and just learning about fiber in general was such a game changer. But let me kind of get to the nitty gritty on science here. So fiber actually adds bulk to stool, which softens it and promotes regular bowel movements. So this helps to prevent constipation, bloating, and keeps the digestive system functioning properly in your body. Plus, fiber actually acts as a prebiotic, which is super beneficial for your good gut bacteria. [00:07:43][95.9]
[00:07:44] That plays an important role in your digestion and your overall gut health. So the question remains you're like, hey, you just told me all the benefits of fiber, something that I didn't you know, I didn't think that I would be learning about today, but here I am. How much fiber should I be eating? And this is the number one question that I get people asking all the time because there's so much conflicting information. Personally, you know, I've got my nutrition certification through Precision Nutrition and the latest dietary guidelines is between 25 to 38g per day. So roughly about 14g of fiber per 1000 calories of food eaten per day. I personally would encourage you to start and aim for 22 to 25g of fiber. Some people reach that super quick. Other people are like, man, I really struggled with fiber. I didn't realize that I was lacking in eating foods that are rich in fiber, and then kind of see how you feel and ramp it up depending on how you feel. There is such a thing as too much fiber like, I will just straight up tell you that that is something that so many women actually don't know. And when they become more aware of fiber than they're, you know, trying to eat all these fibrous foods and then they start to feel the opposite. They they feel super constipated and they feel super bloated and they're like, what's going on? I thought, you know, more I thought more fiber was good for me. Yes. More fiber is good for you. Depending on if you are not eating enough, but more fiber, like too much fiber that can actually, again, that can give you bloating, constipation, other digestive issues. So kind of find your sweet spot. [00:09:17][93.0]
[00:09:18] For me personally, that is around 23 to 27g. I've really over the last two years I've really kind of narrowed it in. I was hitting about 30 to 31g, and I was feeling just a little bit like I don't feel my optimal here. And so bumping it down just a smidge helped me so much. So again, the more you know, the more you feel empowered and you can make those small tweaks and small changes. And that's why I love honestly just feeling educated and empowered around food. Because the more you are educated and empowered around food, you are able to make those small tweaks and you're like, dang! The small tweak just made a huge difference in my overall energy or just how I feel in general. If you love this episode, I know you will also love episode 16, which is definitely an OG episode three things your food cravings are Trying to Tell you. Definitely tune into that if you haven't already. I think that that will be very beneficial for you, so I will link that in the show notes below, but I hope that you found this helpful or informative at the very least. Maybe you already knew these things and if that's the case, good for you! I'm so grateful that you. You are so aware and so keen to that. If you didn't already know this, I hope that you found this helpful and hopefully you can implement some of these things. Or at the very least just feel like you learned something new today. So if you have a friend or a coworker or someone in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this specific episode or just this podcast in general, I just ask that you share it out with them. You can always copy the link and send it to them in a text message. You can screenshot this and post it up on your Instagram story, but that is all that I have for today's bonus episode. I love you so dang much, I mean it. I'll talk to you on the next one. [00:10:52]
[00:10:52] All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace it real because you're worth it. [00:12:08][0.0]