It’s well known that most Americans have a fiber problem.
Data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests about 95 percent of Americans don’t get the federally recommended amount of fiber in a day from foods like berries, apples, broccoli and lentils.
Fiber is crucial for regulating healthy digestion. It helps bulk up stools to make them easier to pass, promoting regular bowel movements. It also slows gastric emptying, which leads to longer feelings of fullness.
In the shorter term, not getting at least 21 to 38 grams of daily fiber, depending on age and sex, can lead to constipation, bloating, cramping and gas. But over time, low fiber intake has been linked to chronic inflammation, diabetes, heart disease and colon cancer.
Because fiber increases fullness, it’s long been shown to speed up weight loss. Now, a new study has revealed the best time of day to bulk up on fiber to drop the most pounds.
Researchers in Scotland looked at overweight or obese patients and asked them to follow typical western diets. The only difference was whether their breakfast prioritized protein-rich foods such as meat and eggs or foods high in fiber such as oats and whole-grain toast.
After 71 days, the team found people who ate a fiber-rich breakfast lost 25 percent more weight than those whose breakfast was highest in protein.
Stool samples also showed people who prioritized fiber in the morning increased their levels of healthy gut bacteria, which could reduce inflammation and further improve weight loss and overall health.
A new study has suggested breakfast may be the best time to load up on fiber for weight loss (stock image)
While the body doesn’t break down fiber differently in the morning, experts believe fiber may interact with the gut more efficiently at breakfast time.
‘Morning tends to be a more efficient window for processing fiber because absorption, gut motility, digestive enzyme activity, and metabolic hormone signaling are naturally more robust earlier in the day and taper off at night,’ Sonya Angelone, a nutritionist and registered dietitian in San Francisco who was not involved in the study, told Food & Wine.
Eating fiber-rich foods in the morning ‘allows fiber to do more of what it’s meant to do: Slow digestion to support satiety and feed the gut microbiome during its most active phase,’ she added.
In the new study, published in February in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers looked at 19 adults ages 18 to 75 who were either overweight or obese. The average age was 57, and 17 participants were men.
Their average body mass index (BMI) was 33, which is considered obese, and their median weight was 102kg (224lbs).
The diet structure for both groups was to consume 45 percent of the day’s calories at breakfast, 35 percent at lunch and 20 percent at dinner. One group focused on protein in their breakfast from foods such as eggs, dairy, meat and fish, while the other prioritized fiber with whole grains, legumes and bran.
Eating fiber at breakfast, such as in oatmeal, has been shown to improve weight loss and diversify healthy bacteria in the gut (stock image)
Each participant did 28 days on one diet, a 15-day washout period and 28 days on the other diet.
They found that on average, people on the high-fiber breakfast plan lost 4.8kg (11lbs), while the high-protein breakfast resulted in an average 3.8kg (8.5lbs) weight loss.
However, the study noted that the high-protein breakfast slightly increased feelings of fullness, which may improve long-term weight loss.
‘I recommend aiming for six to 10 grams [of fiber] at breakfast, which usually comes from whole grains, fruit, and vegetables,’ Angelone said.
‘By front-loading the day with fiber, you will be sure to get enough by the end of the day. Fiber in the morning will set the stage for less cravings throughout the day and improved insulin response.’
