Symptoms of Not Enough Fiber

While many people notice symptoms with increasing fiber as your gut adjusts, we don't talk nearly enough about the symptoms that can arise long term when we don't get enough fiber and diversity in the diet.

Fiber is incredibly important and is the main fuel source of our most helpful gut flora.

Our helpful gut bacteria thrive when they have enough fiber & color in the diet. And when they don't have enough, it can cause issues within the gut.

Often those with gut challenges might start restricting their diet or fiber intake in an attempt to mitigate symptoms.

Restriction can look like skipping meals to avoid symptoms or avoiding fiber and plants all together.

Long term versions of this can also starve the gut microbes and impact the digestive process. 

What are the Symptoms of Not Enough Fiber

The symptoms of not having enough fiber in the diet can be hard to spot and less noticeable on the surface.

However, here is what happens within the gut when your helpful gut microbes do not have an adequate fuel source:

🔥 There is less food source available for our helpful gut bacteria so they do not produce as much butyrate (butyrate helps lower inflammation) which leads to higher chance of inflammation & active disease activity

🦠 With less food source available, helpful gut bacteria aren't able to grow in population and some may begin to consume the guts protective mucus lining as a food source.

💥 Damage and erosion of the mucus lining exposes the inner gut lining and leaves gut immune cells (called the GALT) more vulnerable. For those with inflammatory gut conditions, this can create an environment where flare ups are more likely to happen.

Here's what that looks like...

As you can see in the picture above - the picture on the left shows a fiber rich diet which helps the mucus layer stay intake and protects the gut lining.

The picture on the right shows a fiber free or depleted diet. In this scenario, the the mucus eating bacteria grow in population which eat away at the mucus and erode the gut lining.

➡️ Long term this can also actually MORE food intolerances, MORE gut sensitivity (pain and discomfort) and can keep you feeling stuck on a limited diet. Ironically, we actually need to start adding fiber and diversity in to help change the path.

As a GI and IBD dietitian over the last 15 years - I can spot a gut microbiome challenge and low fiber/diversity often before someone even talks about their diet. It sounds like:

"Literally everything is a trigger for me - I feel stuck on 5 safe foods"

"I started on a low residue/low-fodmap diet and now I can't add anything back"

"I could never have that, I'd feel so bad after"

People are often surprised that taking baby steps by adding more fiber and diversity is actually what can help change the dynamic. However, this often will mean starting slow and building back over time and sometimes using tools like B2B to help you bridge the fiber gap!

Those with complications like individuals that are post-surgery or have strictures might need by working with an dietitian skilled in this area. 

Of course, fiber isn't the only thing we need to support gut health, but it is a very critical and under-estimated component of it all. 

How Do Prebiotic Fibers Help?

⬇️ Fiber helps us produce butyrate to lower inflammation

🦠 Fiber helps reduce exposure to pathogens associated with colitis

✅️ To protect against bacteria that degrade the mucus layer

💧It helps us maintain our fluid & electrolyte balance

🤝🏻 It's the only tool that helps our gut pH be favorable = better microbiome

Where do you go from here? Go "low and slow" with trying to expand the diet and consider trying B2B as a tool!

Fiber Challenges

If fiber is a challenge for you... not to worry. The challenges we face with fiber is the exact reason I developed Back to Balance Plus. 

As an IBD patient myself and with treating IBD patients over the last 15 years as a dietitian, I wanted to create a tool to help those with digestive challenges support their gut microbiome and reduce symptoms.

I created B2B so that it dissolves completely in water so that those that need to adjust fiber type or amount due to complications can be able to have it without some of the challenges that often come up.

When I created B2B - I intended it to be a bridge to diet expansion & microbiome support. It contains a prebiotic that is clinically prove to help increase Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria populations in the gut and a probiotic that has significant research on it's role in symptom reduction.