What are the consequences of a high-fiber diet?

penguinsfan

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I talked about this sometime ago, but it must be buried in another thread and did not get attention. I am currently reading "The ABS Diet" by David Zinczenko and the program looks pretty good overall, but like many diets these days, he praises a high fiber content in your diet.

I know many older individuals will use fiber to help with regularity in their bowel movements. As a rather young man, I have never had any concern with that issue, as I'm guessing most of you have not either. The question is then if you gastro-intestinal system seems pretty normal, what effect will high fiber have on you? Will it promote diarrhea? I mean, I don't want to be sitting in a nice restaurant on a date listening to endless bullshit I'm not interested in desparately waiting for the right moment to excuse myself and explode. Pardon the humor, but you can see how it could inconvenience many things in one's life if it promoted diarrhea. Does it promote several bowel movements in a day? I am considering taking an outside sales job and spending a considerabl amount of time seeking out suitable public restrooms could put a damper on my productivity.

Seriously, if anyone can answer what high fiber does on someone I would really appreciate it.
 
penguinsfan said:
I talked about this sometime ago, but it must be buried in another thread and did not get attention. I am currently reading "The ABS Diet" by David Zinczenko and the program looks pretty good overall, but like many diets these days, he praises a high fiber content in your diet.

I know many older individuals will use fiber to help with regularity in their bowel movements. As a rather young man, I have never had any concern with that issue, as I'm guessing most of you have not either. The question is then if you gastro-intestinal system seems pretty normal, what effect will high fiber have on you? Will it promote diarrhea? I mean, I don't want to be sitting in a nice restaurant on a date listening to endless bullshit I'm not interested in desparately waiting for the right moment to excuse myself and explode. Pardon the humor, but you can see how it could inconvenience many things in one's life if it promoted diarrhea. Does it promote several bowel movements in a day? I am considering taking an outside sales job and spending a considerabl amount of time seeking out suitable public restrooms could put a damper on my productivity.

Seriously, if anyone can answer what high fiber does on someone I would really appreciate it.

too much fiber can take away some nutrients (aka protein) and can cause diarreaha
 
Unless you are going to be eating a WHOLE bunch, I wouldn't be too concerned. As long as you stay within the RDA, you should be ok. Most people only get a fraction of what they need anyway.
 
Thanks guys. The Abs Diet book recommends plenty of protein and I'm pretty sure it calls for a minimum of 25 grams of fiber per day.
 
im2manly said:
too much fiber can take away some nutrients (aka protein) and can cause diarreaha

Interesting. When I go on a low-carb diet that is high in protein I get diarrhea that is unbearable. Year ago, when I first tried the Atkins Diet, I had no such experiences, but several years later when I tried South Beach and all subsequent attempts on a low-carb/high-protein plan have really given my stomach turmoil.
 
Too much protein, especially when it comes from shakes will cause bloat, gas, and diarrhea. This is due to your body not able to produce enough enzymes to efficiently breakdown protein. When buying protein shakes, look for brands that contain Aminogen. Aminogen is a enzyme to help better digest protein. What you should always do is make sure you have enough fiber. Fiber comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is what's good for your heart and insoluble fiber is what you need for healthy bowel movements.
 
sikdogg said:
Too much protein, especially when it comes from shakes will cause bloat, gas, and diarrhea. This is due to your body not able to produce enough enzymes to efficiently breakdown protein. When buying protein shakes, look for brands that contain Aminogen. Aminogen is a enzyme to help better digest protein. What you should always do is make sure you have enough fiber. Fiber comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is what's good for your heart and insoluble fiber is what you need for healthy bowel movements.

On another note, insoluble fiber will help to make you feel full....But I wouldnt worry about getting to much fiber. Most americans get like 5g, when 30 grams is suggested.
 
I also have the abs diet book, a fantastic read, I wouldn't overly worry about your fiber intake as important as protiens and watching your carb and sugar intake, but I have supplemented with fiber in the past and didn't have any problems, normal bowel movements. That idea of having to crap during at dinner had me chucklin up :p funny stuff. THe abs diet is pretty easy to follow and it gives you tons of options at meal time and push eating every couple of hours at small to medium size portions so you at not full, but comfortable and can eat a snack like 2 hours later, and then an other meal a 2-3 hours later and back and forth. THey also push protien shakes and give a ton of great recipes which can be used at snack time and for meals. They also push moderate wieght lifting which will help burn fat combined with the high protien which they say is the hardest to digest, so your metabolism has to work the hardest meaning the more calories your body will naturally burn. THis plus situps during the week for a fat attack at them beer bellies some of us have ahieved over the years. I would definetly recommend this for the collection.
 
The book is great, and the other little add-on type book, eat right every time guide is good also. Be warned though the "good" oatmeal it recommends is horrible.
 
sikdogg said:
When buying protein shakes, look for brands that contain Aminogen. Aminogen is a enzyme to help better digest protein. What you should always do is make sure you have enough fiber.

Thanks sikdogg. I have never heard of Aminogen before reading this.
 
gonnabe2huge said:
The book is great, and the other little add-on type book, eat right every time guide is good also. Be warned though the "good" oatmeal it recommends is horrible.

Okay, I have never eaten oatmeal before, so I guess I wouldn't know good from bad. Is there a healthy alternative brand you would recommend instead of what he suggests?
 
penguinsfan said:
Okay, I have never eaten oatmeal before, so I guess I wouldn't know good from bad. Is there a healthy alternative brand you would recommend instead of what he suggests?

I didn't mean anything brand specific, I just meant in general, the unsweetened and unflavored "real" oatmeal, by real I mean non-instant. You can add stuff to it to make it better, but it still sucks. While it isn't oatmeal the book also says you can also do high fiber cereals so I would suggest something like Kellogg's Complete Oat Bran Cereal, and added bonus it takes less time to make.

I just hate the "real" oatmeal, but don't write it off before you try it, you may just like it.
 
gonnabe2huge said:
I didn't mean anything brand specific, I just meant in general, the unsweetened and unflavored "real" oatmeal, by real I mean non-instant.

In the book, I believe he promotes some kind of instant oatmeal, correct? I think he just means unsweetened and unflavored as you say. I will give it a try and see, if by chance, I find the stuff enjoyable.
 
I love oatmeal and eat is just about everyday... for variety, i like to add sugar-free hot chocolate to it.... yum.
 
sikdogg said:
I love oatmeal and eat is just about everyday... for variety, i like to add sugar-free hot chocolate to it.... yum.

Do you also eat it plain and unsweetened?
 
I plan to jump into the Abs Diet this upcoming week, so I'll post back here and let everyone know how it goes.
 
sikdogg said:
Too much protein, especially when it comes from shakes will cause bloat, gas, and diarrhea. This is due to your body not able to produce enough enzymes to efficiently breakdown protein. When buying protein shakes, look for brands that contain Aminogen. Aminogen is a enzyme to help better digest protein. What you should always do is make sure you have enough fiber. Fiber comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is what's good for your heart and insoluble fiber is what you need for healthy bowel movements.

Nice man, i looked at my current protein blend and what do i see written in a big star... "CONTAINS AMINOGEN" http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html (for the ones interested)

Is added lactase good also for digesting?
 
Lactase is milk sugar so you want as little possible... and for those that are lactose intolerant like myself, it just means gas and the runs.
 
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