How Does Fiber Help with Weight Loss?

When it comes to losing weight, nothing is more effective than fiber. Most diets focus on what you have to cut out (whether it is sugar, fat or carbs) leaving you feeling hungry and deprived. Fiber allows you to eat carbs without gaining weight (the more fiber in a carb, the less digestible carbohydrate or net carbs there are). Fiber keeps you full by slowing digestion, which keeps the food in your stomach longer and leads to stable blood sugars and increased satiety. The longer you feel full after a meal, the less likely you are to overeat at the next meal.

Fiber also blocks the absorption of calories! Fiber's bulking and gel-forming qualities essentially trap calories and fat from being absorbed by the body and ending up on your thighs. Fiber also contributes bulk to foods, giving you the satisfaction of chewing and the feeling of a full stomach without adding calories.

There are studies that suggest that by increasing your fiber intake up to the recommended daily allowance (RDA), and decreasing your intake of processed foods, caloric intake is inadvertently decreased by as much as 10 percent.