By Juan Rojas
Introduction
Eating enough protein throughout the day? Check. Eating
enough calories to grow? Check. Did you
go balls to the wall in the gym? Check. How’s
your fiber intake for the day? If you’re answer to this is “I don’t really know”,
you may want to reexamine how much fiber you’re eating. Many of us simply don’t
know how much fiber we’re taking in, others don’t really care, they think,
“that’s the stuff my granny needs”, but you may be surprised on how it affects
your gains and your overall health.
Fiber is a word we hear all the time if we are interested in
nutrition, but as bodybuilders we do not pay much more attention to it other
than “it helps you go to the bathroom.” Sure this is true with one of the two
types of fiber, but it has a way more important role in the body than this and
can help you not only have more muscular gains, but also look your best. Let’s see exactly what fiber does in the
body.
Types of fiber and
how they work
There are 2 types of dietary fiber we intake through our
food. The first one is soluble fiber,
this fiber is responsible for slowing down digestion thus lowering blood sugar
levels, and lowering cholesterol. When
ingested, soluble fiber ferments in your intestines and creates substances that
have many health benefits, it also slows down the absorption of carbohydrates
allowing you to feel fuller for a longer amount of time. This is great when
cutting because we all know how long each minute feels when we are waiting for
the next meal.
It also helps stabilize
blood sugar levels allowing for a delayed insulin response, although insulin is
a very anabolic hormone, it is mostly important after our workouts, constantly
spiking insulin throughout the day may lead your body to store fat easier
(under certain circumstances) and decrease our insulin sensitivity when we
should be saving it for after our workout. This is why fiber is beneficial
anytime EXCEPT for post workout, when we want nutrients shuttled to our muscles
right away.
The second type of fiber is insoluble, this type of fiber
regulates our blood sugar and speeds up the process that the waste in our
body goes through in the digestive
system, thus allowing us to go to the bathroom easier. This type of fiber acts
like a sponge because as it passes through our digestive system it swells up in
the intestines picking up water removing waste and toxins your body does not
need.
How does fiber
benefit a bodybuilder?
As bodybuilders, our health is a major priority, now some
will argue that bodybuilding is not a healthy sport at all due to the use of so
many hormones, certain supplements and chemicals. I won’t argue that; but a
bodybuilder straining their body with these things should care even MORE about
their health, so they have to try to be as healthy as possible in other
aspects. As we saw, fiber is very healthy for you as it stabilizes blood sugar
levels and lowers cholesterol.
It also creates short chain fatty acids in the body, which
help maintain the intestinal walls healthy. As bodybuilders, we eat a lot more
than the average person, and in order to aid the body with digestion and
defecation fiber is #1.
Lastly, fiber makes you feel fuller for longer and is not
digested by the body, meaning you can eat things containing fiber and your body
cannot use it as energy, or calories. This makes it easier to eat more and feel
fuller for longer times, allowing you to cure those cravings over those chips
and cookies on the counter. A study showed that diets high in protein and high
in fiber have both shown to reduce hunger as opposed to a diet with low fiber.
Where can I get this
fiber you speak of?
Fiber is found mostly in vegetables, fruits and whole
grains. If your diet is made up of these foods, you’re probably hitting the
25-40 grams of daily fiber recommended for adults. If your diet contains little
vegetables and mostly refined or “white” carbohydrates you should look into
either changing your diet, or adding a fiber supplement to it.
Many times when a bodybuilder is going through a low carb
“cutting phase” his only source of fiber may be vegetables. This may cause
constipation and I recommend a fiber supplements while cutting to ease
digestion and help you feel fuller for longer.
Now, does this mean you should go out and eat all the fiber
you can stuff down your throat? NO! Just because a certain amount is good, it
doesn’t mean it should be taken above and beyond. If you eat too much fiber your
body begins to have the mal absorption of certain nutrients, it may cause
bloating, abdominal pain and gas.
Conclusion
Now that we have seen how fiber may benefit a bodybuilder,
make sure you are getting enough of it. You should be taking in a healthy
balance of insoluble and soluble fiber. It may not be directly correlated with
you getting on the Olympia stage, but it’s the pursuit of correctly putting
all the little pieces together that creates the grand picture at the end of the
puzzle. Like eating your fiber, being consistent to your diet, getting enough healthy fats, getting enough sleep etc.
My goal with these articles is to inform you on how the scientific
processes work in the body and how things may benefit you if achieving a great
physique is your goal. So House of Iron readers, keep training hard, eating
your fiber and giving everything you do 110%!
If you want
me to write about a specific topic, experience or a specific supplement on this
blog please let me know, your input and feedback is appreciated, comments can
be made anonymous!
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Nickols-Richardson SM, Coleman MD, Volpe JJ, Hosig KW.
Perceived hunger is lower and weight loss is greater in overweight
pre-menopausal women consuming a low-carbohydrate/high-protein vs.
high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 2005 Sep;105(9):1433-7.
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