There are a lot of health factors to keep in mind as we navigate through the dietary day: calories, carbohydrates, protein, saturated fat, vitamins and minerals, to name a few. Did you forget fiber? A lot of people do. But if you are living with ulcerative colitis, a low-fat, high-fiber diet may improve your overall quality of life, a new study finds. high fiber foods
"Patients with inflammatory bowel disease always ask us what they should eat to make their symptoms better," says researcher Dr. Maria Abreu. She's a professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
"Sadly, there have been very few really good studies that provide that information," she said in a university news release. That is until now.
People who ate a low-fat diet had lower levels of inflammation and signs of improvement in bacterial imbalance in the gastrointestinal tract, the researchers found. After eating a high-fiber diet rich in fruits and vegetables, each patient in the study was either in remission or had mild disease, with little diarrhea, bleeding or pain. Yet many ulcerative colitis patients are told to avoid fruits and vegetables, the researchers noted.
A high-fiber, low-fat diet might also benefit people with other types of inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease.
RELATED: The Best Tasting High Fiber Foods
Are you getting enough fiber?
For decades, that message has been preached by dietitians, headlined in health magazines, and inscribed on packages of cereal, many other foods and dietary supplements.
Yet studies show many people in the United States fall well short of the fiber intake they need. In one alarming example, a 2017 analysis in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine concluded that 95% of adults and children don't consume the amount of fiber recommended for good health.
Fiber is the material in plant-based foods that can't be broken down and passes through the system undigested. It's mostly found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and cereals. Why is it important? Let us count the ways.
Fiber has been shown to help protect against heart disease, diabetes, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel syndrome, obesity and colorectal cancer. Fiber can help flush toxins from the body, lower cholesterol and promote weight loss because it helps people feel fuller while consuming fewer calories.
But when people eat on the run, skimp on fruits and vegetables and snack on processed foods, "you don't have many good sources of fiber," says Judith Wylie-Rosett, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City who specializes in the links between nutrition and disease. "The obesity epidemic is concrete evidence that we're not making as much progress as we need."
Incorporating fiber into your diet
There are plenty of ways to incorporate more fiber in our diets. One pitfall, Wylie-Rosett says, is to feel overwhelmed by the challenge and try to pack in too much too quickly.
"Some people suddenly decide to increase their fiber intake all at once and get side effects, like feeling gassy and bloated," she adds. "So they quit doing it."
Instead, Slavin and Wylie-Rosett recommend incremental changes on the way to a more fiber-friendly diet. Here are some tips:
- Choose breads, pastas and cereals made from whole grains, as well as brown rice.
- Eat fruits like apples and oranges rather than drinking the juice. Berries with seeds, such as strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, are good sources of fiber, as are avocados.
- Include vegetables with every meal, and incorporate vegetables and legumes – especially beans, peas and lentils – into everyday recipes. Then snack on nuts, fruits and low-calorie popcorn.
Slavin has been dispensing advice like this for years – and watching people disregard it. "It's hard to make fiber exciting," she notes. "As dietitians, we prefer you eat a good diet and get all the servings of fruits and vegetables, but we also understand the average person isn't getting there. So we have to meet them where they are."
Slavin sees a growing trend toward adding fiber to foods you may not expect, from beverages to snack foods to candy gummies.
"If you're going to have a cookie, have an oatmeal cookie," she shares. "It doesn't take large amounts of fiber to have a real effect. Everybody, even the fast-food industry, needs to be part of the solution. There's a lot of space to get fiber in your diet you can tolerate, and it's really important."
Is fiber safe for you?
Diet doesn’t cause or cure ulcerative colitis, but what you eat can make a difference in your symptoms and flares. Consuming fiber during prolonged periods of remission can offer you benefits. However, consuming insoluble fiber can make ulcerative colitis symptoms worse if you are experiencing a flare.
For this reason, it is best to talk with a healthcare professional or dietitian before adjusting the levels of fiber in your diet.