The Biggest Mistake People Make When Eating Fiber (And How To Avoid It)

If you’ve been following us for a while, you know that we promote the idea of natural detox - as in, we believe that the body already has a reliable system to eliminate toxins… and the best thing to do is support that system as much as possible (as opposed to “forcing things”). 

That’s exactly why we created Pineapple Chia Cleanse, our best-selling product - to aid the body with natural detox, instead of “flushing” everything out (which can lead to mineral deficiencies).

But here's something to keep in mind: while supplementing fiber is a great idea, one mistake many people make is to rely on the supplement only, without making any other dietary changes. 

To fully reap the benefits of fiber for weight loss, digestion and health goals, you need to understand how different types of fibers work together to “keep things moving” and eliminate toxins.

The different types of fibers

Fiber is generally categorized into:

• Soluble fiber – which creates a gel-like substance in your intestines. It aids in many areas of health, including helping to keep you full longer and reduce blood sugar spikes.
  
  
• Insoluble fiber – which passes through as is, being used to bulk up your stool to aid elimination. 

Depending on whether or not it can be consumed by gut bacteria as fuel, fiber can also be categorized as fermentable and non-fermentable. Soluble fibers are generally fermentable. 

Then, based on the source, fiber can be categorized as...

• dietary fiber (naturally found in foods)
• functional fiber (which is added back into processed foods) 
• supplemental fibers (powders and other forms of isolated fibers)
• prebiotics (supplemental forms of the fermentable fibers).

Let’s see how you can use this information to support your body’s natural detox system. 

How to consume fiber to reap the full benefits

If you follow general advice - “Eat more fiber!” - you might end up relying on a bag of psyllium to detox, stimulate digestion, keep you full, and so on. If only it were that simple!

To help your body with detox, you need to consume different types of fiber from a variety of sources, including soluble and insoluble, fermentable and non-fermentable, dietary and supplemental.  

So variety is the key here. Here’s an example of what this might look like in your day to day:

• Eating nuts and seeds, fruit and various raw veggies (preferably organic, to reduce exposure to pesticides) for a range of dietary soluble and insoluble fibers. The more diverse your diet, the better. 
  
  
• Eating garlic, chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke and other sources of prebiotics, which act as food for your gut bacteria. You can also add foods rich in probiotics to increase the number of healthy bacteria in the gut (kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt etc.).
  
  
• Completing the picture by supplementing fiber with the help of a complete product combining the bet of the fiber world- soluble fibers, insoluble fibers, prebiotics and enzymes (like our Pineapple Chia Cleanse).

Does the Pineapple Chia Cleanse replace all dietary sources of fiber?

No, it doesn’t. There is no one supplement that can replace a healthy diet. While it will definitely help if you add it to a healthy lifestyle…there is no magic pill or powder that will magically make all your problems disappear overnight. 

Actionable tips*:

• Consume a variety of fibers to reap all the possible benefits. Eat the rainbow (raw veggies), add nuts and seeds to your diet and avoid processed foods. 
  
  
• Increase your fiber intake gradually to build up tolerance (too much of a good thing can cause bloating at first). 
  
  
• Drink plenty of water to aid with elimination. 
  
  
• After establishing healthy eating patterns, go the extra mile and drink Pineapple Chia Cleanse on a daily basis: your body will thank you. And so will your waistline.

We hope this helps you find the right balance to achieve your health and weight goals! 

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