Healthy California
Are you ready to take control of your health and create lasting, positive change? This podcast dives deep into the root causes of poor health and explores simple, practical steps to improve your well-being from every angle.
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Healthy California
The Roughage Revolution
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I have a passion for empowering people through simple, small strategies that can lead to meaningful, long-term health improvements. Today's focus is on one of the most underrated and under-consumed nutrients, fiber, and the powerful concept of "fiber first."
Inspired by Jessie Inchauspé, known as the Glucose Goddess and author of Glucose Revolution, the fiber-first strategy encourages eating fiber-rich foods at the beginning of meals. I explain how this simple sequencing can significantly improve blood sugar control, digestion, cardiovascular health, and satiety—without restrictive dieting, calorie counting, or obsessing over macros.
The episode breaks down what fiber really is, clarifying that while fiber supports bowel regularity, its primary role is feeding the gut microbiome. I also explain the differences between soluble and insoluble fiber and highlight how fiber forms a beneficial mesh in the digestive tract, slowing glucose absorption and supporting metabolic health.
Listeners will learn who benefits most from the fiber-first strategy, including individuals with blood sugar challenges, cardiovascular risk, weight concerns, and those using GLP-1 medications. I also explain when fiber intake should be approached cautiously, such as during acute gastrointestinal flare-ups, and provide safe, practical tips for increasing fiber gradually to avoid discomfort.
I encourage listeners to focus on building balanced plates rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, and whole grains while prioritizing hydration. Finally, I challenge you to try the fiber-first approach for one meal or one day and observe how it impacts cravings, fullness, and energy levels.
Closing with a reminder of the Golden Rule from Matthew 7:12, I encourage you to care for their health and extend kindness to others. Please share this episode and continue taking steps toward better gut, heart, and overall health.
Thank you for listening to Healthy California.
If you have tried all my suggestions and are still having trouble with your health, and would like an appointment with me, please email me, text, or call me via the contact information below.
My contact:
Linda Brown, MPT, Doctoral Candidate Functional Nutrition
916-426-2543
linda@heal-throughfood.com
And more specifically, we're going to talk about the concept of fiber first.
This was first described by Jesse Inchaupe.
She's the glucose goddess and she has a book called Glucose Revolution.
And fiber first is just the concept, it's an easy, simple concept of eating fiber first.
So let's get started into this.
So it's a myth that fiber is what we eat when we bulk up our stool.
Yes, but is that why we eat it?
That's not the reason we eat fiber.
We ate fiber because our body needs fiber and our gut microbiome especially needs fiber.
So fiber is a category of carbohydrates.
You find it in plants, it's the skeleton of plants.
And it's not completely digestible in our intestines.
But the microbiome in our intestines need it.
So there are different types of fiber.
There's soluble and insoluble fiber.
Soluble just means soluble in water or insoluble in water.
So a soluble fiber slows down digestion and increases the feeling of fullness.
And insoluble fiber plays an important role in detoxification and bulking up your stool.
So insoluble fiber is the fiber that helps with the bulking part of that.
But in general, fiber is needed by our gut microbiome.
So proteins are broken down in our stomach mainly, fats are broken down in our small intestines,
Fiber first is a simple sequencing strategy, just pretty much meaning starting with the fiber.
At dinner you can eat a small side salad, broccoli, handful of almonds.
Fiber, then proteins and fats, and then starches and sugars.
And starches and sugars are also carbs.
And I've talked about in the past eating proteins first.
Proteins always, before your carbs.
So I don't really care what you eat first, just don't eat your starches and your sugars first.
And the fiber first, I completely agree with fiber first concept.
We'll talk a little bit more about why.
And when you dine out, order appetizers that have fiber in it before you eat your bread.
Because you know the restaurants are always going to bring out the bread.
And that's a carb that's easily digested and increases your blood sugar pretty fast.
It's healthier to eat fiber first, not just it's going to make you fuller.
But the reason why this is important these days is because diabetes is increasing so much.
All these chronic diseases are only increasing.
And they're diseases that we can change by making simple changes.
Like even making a simple change by what you eat first can impact your health so greatly.
And that's why I'm bringing this up.
So let's go over the benefits of fiber firsts.
I'm going to list them and then we'll go over them more in depth.
improved bowel regularity, and improved neurological impact.
So it helps with your nerves as well.
So let's go over each one of those separately.
When fiber coats the stomach and the small intestines, it slows glucose absorption.
This leads to lower sugar spikes.
It can lower your glucose spikes by 30%, 30 to 40%.
So just doing those two things, boom, you're regulating your blood sugar.
You have more stable energy because you're not having those spikes.
So having a more stable glucose control is going to inhibit those spikes and those crashes.
So you're going to have fewer cravings in the day.
Stable blood sugar and slower digestion reduce inflammatory signaling, so it reduces inflammation.
And this is especially important for people with autoimmune disorders as well.
So another benefit of fiber first is the feeling of fullness or appetite regulation.
So fiber increases that stretch in your stomach.
So it's that bulking agent part of the fiber.
It's a signal to slow things down.
So this means you feel full sooner, which means it triggers your hunger hormones.
And then it also releases a natural peptide called GLP-1.
And we have heard GLP-1 a lot in the news and all over TV.
GLP-1 is a medication, like Ozempic, for example,
So GLP-1 is made in our intestines.
So we do make it, and it tells your brain that you're full.
I'm not talking about GLP-1, I'm just talking about the stretch receptors in your stomach.
So another benefit of fiber first is your gut health, your microbiome.
It's a prebiotic, the gut barrier in general, better immune function, lower risk of colon cancer.
So the fermentation process is created by bacteria, and our body needs that.
So we need a healthy gut microbiome to produce these molecules that our body depends on.
Another benefit of fiber is the cardiovascular protection.
I talked about cardiovascular disease last week,
Fiber can help reduce cholesterol, which then reduces cardiovascular disease.
And given that heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the US, this is a major benefit.
Just by eating fiber first, you can decrease your cardiovascular risk.
Another benefit is improved bowel regularity.
So this helps with constipation, with hemorrhoids, with diverticulitis.
So that's another benefit of fiber first, of just fiber in general.
And then another benefit is the benefit it has on our nerves, the impact on our nerves.
So there's a link between healthy gut microbiome and the neurological system.
And they call this a gut-brain axis.
So who benefits from fiber first?
And again, this is a simple fix.
And there are more and more people on GLP-1 medications.
So you put those two together and you can really get constipated.
Fiber will help with that, but you gotta be careful, and we'll go over that in a second.
Fiber will help with constipation, satiety, nutrient density, and blood sugar stability.
And that's a big problem, especially when we don't eat proteins.
We lose muscle mass and we need muscle on our body for many reasons.
So fiber is good for people on GLP-1 medications.
Fiber supports motility and stool formation.
Fiber supports gut integrity and reduces inflammatory load.
So there's a lot of reasons people would benefit from fiber and fiber first.
Who should not use fiber first?
And not everyone in every situation should eat a lot of fiber.
However, fiber is so good for your gut that you can't be low fiber forever.
The inflammation is already there.
So you need to get the inflammation down.
Who else should not eat a lot of fiber?
So people that already have trouble with constipation may not need to add more fiber.
And if you have difficulty swallowing, you might want to eat an easily digestible form of fiber.
That's really up to your doctor.
So how do you increase fiber safely?
I want you to think about what your plate looks like.
But I want you to think about what your plate looks like more importantly than anything.
Your plate should have a lot of fruits and vegetables on there every meal of the day.
Increase it just a little at a time.
So I'm not saying all of a sudden go and have a big salad.
Maybe throw a few chia seeds into a drink or into like a chia pudding or over a salad.
maybe have a few almonds, maybe have cooked carrots, fruit without peels.
You're going to be very uncomfortable.
And this is just if you're having trouble with fiber intake.
If you're not, then by all means, keep those peels on your fruits and vegetables.
And then of course, you want to hydrate.
If you're having trouble increasing your fiber intake, then hydrate.
So if you're 200 pounds, half your body weight would be 100.
You'd be drinking 100 ounces of water a day.
Half your body weight in ounces.
Squeeze a lemon or a lime into that, into the water.
And then another way you can increase your fiber intake slowly is to take insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber is the fiber that is broken down by water.
So oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, apples, pears, beans, lentils, they're all soluble fibers.
And you can have a little bit of that to start off.
Again, don't go and all of a sudden eat a big bowl of lentils every single day.
Lentils are delicious, by the way.
Maybe for breakfast, have a handful of berries in your oatmeal or yogurt.
Lunch, have a salad, dinner, have more vegetables.
So just add a little bit, but you should be having fruits and or vegetables every single meal.
If you haven't been doing that, then start there.
Add seeds like chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds.
Chia seeds and flax seeds, hemp seeds, doesn't take much and they pack a punch.
So put them in your pantry and get used to them being part of your daily meals.
It's easy enough just to sprinkle them on the food.
They're definitely not going to spike your glucose.
I'm not a fan of the whole wheat, mostly just because of the gluten in it.
And I'm not anti-gluten, I'm just too much gluten.
We have too much gluten in our diet.
And then also, we can increase our legumes.
Beans and lentils, they're fiber powerhouses, but they're also a good source of proteins.
You get your proteins and your fibers in one sitting.
So try adding the legumes to your two to four meals a week.
With beans and lentils, you can cook a whole pot of beans or lentils and they keep well.
They store well in the refrigerator.
So you can cook a lot and have it throughout the week.
So I want to challenge you to try fiber first for a day, maybe even just for a meal.
And if that works for you, then try it for a day.
I don't want you to try it for a meal and say, well, that didn't do anything for me.
I'm just not, this isn't for me.
I'm not trying to take away your bread from you right now.
I'm just trying to have you reorder how you're going to eat your meals.
So Fiber First is one of the simplest, most powerful nutrient strategies.
Start with one meal and then start with a day's worth of meals.
I really want you to think about it because it is so simple.
Why would you not incorporate it?
So I just want you to think about that.
So I also want to end on my verse of the day and it's by Matthew 7.12.
And it says, so whatever you wish that others would do for you, do also to them,
for this is the law and the prophets.
So this is like the golden rule, right?
So do unto others as you would want them to do to you.
So in general, I just want you to live a long time.
I want you to be good to people, and I want you to live a healthy life.
And it won't go unnoticed by people, and it won't go unnoticed by God.
So do unto others as you would like them to do unto you, and that's all part of staying healthy.
So thank you for joining me today.
If this episode resonates with you,
Share it with someone who could use a little fiber in their diet.