Fiber, your forgotten friend
With colon cancer rates rising in younger folks and people worried about gut health, all I'm saying is that we need to give the same energy to fiber that we give to protein.
Before I get into this, my usual spiel is that this is for general education only. I am a dietitian, but I am not your individual dietitian. This newsletter cannot be used for diagnosis or medical advice. Also, if you like what you read, don’t forget to click the heart or even leave a comment. It lets the algorithm universe know that this is a valued space.
Okay, great! Now on to today’s newsletter…
If I am ever asked what my favorite fun nutrition fact is, I will say that only 1 out of 20 Americans are consuming the required amount of dietary fiber. Only 1 out of 20??? It almost sounds made up because the percentage is so low, but no, that is the correct amount according to studies. And quite honestly, it’s not that surprising considering how we have become a society so obsessed with protein and thinking that carbohydrates are the enemy.
I really can’t believe we have gotten to a place where we are scared of fruit. I mean it’s fruit for crying out loud. It is truly a wild time. Influencers (and even some health professionals, unfortunately) will scare people into eating only half of a banana, but encourage a plate full of red meat and only red meat on a carnivore diet. Really great. *Sarcasm* If I had a dollar for every single post that I came across about getting in an obscene amount of daily protein and people asking how to do it and the gym bros giving the most asinine advice, I wound’t be rich, but I would be able to walk into a gourmet grocery store and not have to look at the price of cheese before purchasing. And I mean, honestly, that would be a nice flex.
But seriously, what happened to us as a society? Why are we so consumed with protein? I ended up on the wrong side of TikTok because of course I did and saw a woman bragging that she only poops once a week. I can’t make this shit up. Pun intended. Her whole page is footage of her eating raw steak and various animal products in abundance, including taking huge bites out of sticks of butter. I know that much of this is for clickbait and views, but at the same time, I have also noticed the increase in popularity of carnivore or animal products only diets.
Don’t get me wrong, protein is incredibly important. It is a macronutrient and one that our body needs, but we are overly consumed with it. I remember learning in school that our protein needs are about 0.8 - 1.1 grams per kilogram of our body weight. I get that this will fluctuate depending on the amount of activity you are getting in, your age, and other fun lifestyle factors, but many people are truly overthinking it because for many folks out there, their required amount is nowhere near the 100+ grams of protein that I see being touted for everyone to consume. The keyword here is everyone because we all have different bodies and needs.
This is a great time to jump in and remind everyone that I have a book called “Live Nourished,” which dives deeper into nutrition topics and more nuance. It’s out now!
Okay, and back to the newsletter…
For example, if you are 150 pounds, that means you are roughly 68 kg. Therefore, 68 kg x 1.1 grams of protein is 74.8 grams. So you should aim for 74.8 grams of protein, not 100+ grams (depending on your individual needs, lifestyle habits, etc., of course). Math is fun!
And to make myself perfectly clear, this focus on protein consumption is unnecessary for many people out there. You don't need to hyper-focus unless you are an elite athlete or training your muscles for many hours throughout the day. And you want to know why this is true (besides science, of course)? Because there are no high numbers of protein deficiencies in developed nations. But you know what deficiencies are increasing? Fiber, and the colon cancer rates that are increasing for folks under the age of 50 prove this.
Yes, colon cancer rates are increasing, which is nerve-wracking considering that the age for screening has been updated to 45 from the 50 years it was previously, which makes catching it in younger folks difficult. Cancer is a very complicated disease, and there are many factors that contribute and can cause it, and NO, how we eat is not the make or break of it, nor the complete cause. There are many contributing factors, which include genetics, socioeconomic factors, stress, and much more. It is a complicated disease that no one should blame themselves for. However, there is a correlation in fiber intake and colon cancer since fiber has a shit ton (again, pun intended) of purpose for our bodies. Adequate fiber intake benefits our digestion and reduces our risk of chronic disease by lowering LDL and total cholesterol levels. The overall metabolic health benefits help us all, but especially those with diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) reported in 2023 that 20% of diagnoses in 2019 were in patients under age 55, which is about double the rate in 1995, and rates of advanced disease increased by about 3% annually in people younger than 50. It predicted that, in 2023, an estimated 19,550 diagnoses and 3,750 deaths would be in people younger than 50. Colorectal cancer has moved up from being the fourth
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Nutrition Tea Substack to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.