What is Reddit's opinion of Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

I'd recommend the book Fiber Fueled. It's written by a board certified gastroenterologist who has dealt with this hundreds of times with his patients. He has at least one full chapter devoted to this very topic, and much of the book explains how the digestion of fiber benefits you. I can't adequately summarize it, but I will say that he changed my mind on how to think about gas; essentially our digestive tract is something that needs to be trained, just like our muscles. Avoiding beans or other items that do cause discomfort comes as a cost for the benefits they provide, so making a program where you reduce them and then slowly introduce them back again can be helpful. But check out the source for a better answer.

The book Fiber Fueled has a meal plan and recipes w/fodmap restrictions. I'm not sure if appropriate for your health condition, but he also discusses how to slowly increase fodmaps as most people can tolerate them after a slow introduction. https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=6969430c-54b8-4cd0-a462-fb1cedf94ece

Interesting question, and it applies directly to what I just did. I spent the last two years suffering from 24x7 bloating, fatigue and brain fog, discomfort, troubled bowels movements, and a few other things. One GI said SIBO, another said pelvic floor issues, another...you get the idea. I was already a very healthy eater, and I tried altering my diet many times, but the problems would not improve. That is, until I went all in on plants.

Eating as many different types of plants a day as possible, plus the addition of fermented vegetables, I cleared up my crushing fatigue in almost exactly 2 weeks. Things went so well, I started slowly adding in the forbidden foods that caused me major issues, like garlic. I eventually ate a lot of raw garlic one day, and had my second big breakthrough. I felt like passing out for a while, but the next day I was better than ever. In fact, I felt almost normal for the first time. Still had some bloating, but the discomfort was way down. Next breakthrough came two weeks ago, when I involuntarily fasted all day. Next morning I woke up feeling so sick, but an hour later I was better. Better in fact than I had been since it started. This has remained. My energy levels are also through the roof.

So I view it as threshold levels. Perhaps the first one was to get my intestinal lining repaired, and the other ones were due to die off, from the garlic, then from the fast. Just speculation. Also, while I did go almost 100% plants, I did and still do cheat sometimes. So perfection is not required, but you have to really push it. Just eating healthy is not enough sometimes. At least that is what I have experienced. Link to the plan I followed: https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X (he as some free podcasts on Youtube if you just want to get an idea).

I answered above. I definitely recommend checking out that book or podcast. IMO the book is must reading for anyone suffering from gut related problems. here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=Cj0KCQiAq7COBhC2ARIsANsPATG2CEKml8pCr2tH_YmPnL5OvAl953zjboK1iQtRFX0z3D4t22nhTlgaAkQcEALw_wcB&hvadid=511526482061&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9019...

I’d recommend reading Fiber Fueled by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz. It’s pretty much how to address eating a plant based diet while minimizing GI symptoms.

Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome https://www.amazon.com/dp/059308456X/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_SF7M9PHT0G3640RHJYPT

Maybe this dieet offers what you wan’t, a wider range of greens and veggies and focused on gut health and energy. Everything based on scientific research: https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JRIIS4TPL74K&dchild=1&keywords=fiber+fueled+by+dr.+will+bulsiewicz&qid=1634428542&sr=8-1

Purely my personal opinion here:

• don't know if you checked your Vitamin D/iron might be you are low in one both
• I have had similar experiences in the past (I quite a few years after studies now). For me personally now what helps the most
  • some exercise every day - I do some 20mins of yoga in the morning (Yoga with Adriene)
  • good sleep hygiene - consistent bedtimes and waking up, every day even weekends
  • this is controversial for a lot of people but I became vegetarian 6 years ago and fully vegan 1 year ago - completely changed my life for the better. Really good book to read about this is Fiber Fueled, there are much more out on the market.

I bet if you make even small improvements to these points you will start feeling better. Doctors are good at treating symptoms but not underlying cause sadly. I hope you get better!

I thought I would share my journey with you as I have recently (6 months ago) transitioned from an avid meat eater to being WFPB.

Short history: I have been what I would consider a "healthy" eater for many, many years. Focusing on whole foods, vegetables, fruit and grains, but ALWAYS paired with an animal product. I gave up dairy long ago due to intestinal distress trying to digest it, but I ate meat or eggs/whites with every single meal.

I grew up in a "meat & potatoes" household and it was drilled into me that the only way to get adequate protein was to eat meat. And not to mention the fact that I actually loved meat, LOL. Steak was my favorite and I loved nothing better than a juicy red piece of filet mignon.

In late 2019, early 2020, I was noticing more and more digestion issues and gut related problems. Long story short, in July 2020, I decided to go WFPB and have never felt better.

Now: I can't tell you how much better I feel, how much better my digestion is and how much healthier my gut is since making the move. I never realized that the actual source of all my digestive problems was the meat I was eating.

There are a few books that I would recommend everyone read if they are interested in the WFPB lifestyle and they are Fiber Fueled and How Not to Die. I can't tell you how much these books helped me in my transition; I have read them both multiple times.

Your Questions:

1. In regards to weight loss, CICO (calories in calories out) is the trump card. Honestly, if you are eating and losing on 1500 calories, it doesn't matter if you are eating it with or without animal products. At the end of the day, it is all about being in a deficit. Honestly, you will likely eat MORE food being WFPB at 1500 calories than you were before. Vegetables especially, are such a high volume food that you can eat so much more and maintain a deficit. Beans/legumes are incredibly filling due to their fiber content and eating 100 calories of beans over 100 calories of chicken will keep you fuller for so much longer and will, volumetrically be more food.
   
2. Cost... well, I don't really keep track. But what I do is buy beans and grains in bulk and then each week I buy fresh and frozen produce for the week. Then on Sundays, I will make a couple of types of beans and a couple types of grains and then just scoop and reheat during the week and add fresh veggies. I am a sucker for big salads, so I probably spend a little more than most on bags of greens. I use nuts and seeds sparingly since they are calorically dense. But I will use them as toppings on my salad or make them into nut cheeses and sauces for my beans & grains. I primarily use fruit as dessert.
3. For my transition, I went all in and did it cold turkey. I had made the decision to go WFPB, I finished what meat I had in my fridge and that was it. I would say it took me a good 3-4 weeks for my body to adjust to the higher fiber intake and for the bloating to subside. Obviously there is no right or wrong way to transition. There is a strong case to be made for a slower, more gradual transition, but I am an "all in or all out" kind of person.

Recommended reading too: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X/

I don't but my mom does. She is also on met, I started her on WFPB a little over a month ago. She seen her doctor recently, she didn't take her off met just yet but they are lowering her insulin and are happy with the results so far. She also isn't very active so this is basically just from diet. Started on the FOK free one week meal plan , it was a little bland so I did add extra seasonings, but she started seeing results with weight within the week. Her blood sugar was up & down but now it has stabilized and weight is still coming off.

I grab a few recipes from a wfpb sites for dinners. For lunches I do left overs, pasta salads, salads, or different lunch recipe from wfpb sites. For breakfasts I usually just do smoothies w/ hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax, & bran, or a tofu scramble.

If you do need more info too Forks over knives also has a beginners guide and through there, there are plenty of links regarding wfpb & diabetes. I've also asked here about type 2 and have been recommended Fiber Fueled by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz & The Fiber Fueled Cookbook. I have not tried yet but plan too. Also How Not To Die Book & Cookbook by Dr. Michael Greger.

Hope this helps.

I have been trying the fiber fueled book for gut healing.

https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X

Just mostly eating plants:

https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X

It's the same advice you find on most microbiome podcasts/lectures: avoid processed junk, eat a diverse range of plants.

I really enjoyed Fiber Fueled

https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X

I was going to type a big long post but this guy pretty much nailed it. Things like oats, root vegetables. Beans are amazing, but at first you might get a lot of bloating if your body isn't used to them. Roasted chickpeas and refried beans (be aware that some canned refried beans contain trans fats, so avoid those).

As you get more comfortable on a higher fiber diet, start adding variety. Every plant food has it's own type of fiber and your microbiome will adjust to digest that type of fiber. I aim to eat 35-40 different whole foods each week. Fruits/veggies/wholegrains/beans/lentils, etc.

I'd also HIGHLY recommend two books. https://www.amazon.ca/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X , https://www.amazon.ca/Plant-Based-Diet-Revolution-Days-Heathier/dp/1529308682

Both written by gastroenterologists.

They both stress "plant based", and I also eat plant based, but I'm also a believer in meeting people where they are. I got into eating plant based not as a way of saying, "I can't eat animal products" but instead saying, "what can I add to my diet". I wanted to add diversity, more fiber, and more whole foods. Once I started doing that, there simply wasn't room for junk food and animal products with no fiber, higher in saturated fat. But, if I wanted, I'd have a burger. That's why I cringe when people call me vegan. I love vegans, and respect their decisions, but ultimately my main reason for eating plant based is for my own personal health (and societal health, global health, etc) and if I label myself a vegan then I cloud my judgement for future information which might come out that says, "hey, actually these animal products are extremely effective for crohn's disease".

Also, try eating 30 different plants a week. I listened to a podcast from an author who wrote a book about all things Gut Health. I felt incredible doing this and still try to do this every week. Here is the book: https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X

Also, u/guthealth forum is really helpful for me!

 

^Item Info | Bot Info | Trigger

There is a book I read recently that talks about why fermented foods are very good for you. You might want to check it out:

https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X

Pretty much all emulsifiers are bad for gut health, with the exception of soy lecithin. Soy lecithin is an excellent source of choline, and I take a non-gmo supplement of it daily for methylation issues.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33752754/

However, another ingredient I see on the label is carboxymethylcellulose, which causes permanent gut damage (also studied in paper above).

If you're looking for a crunchy/salty snack, popcorn, rice crackers/cakes, and pumpkin seeds are good ones. Plain corn/tortilla chips and potato chips/crisps are not great, but shouldn't cause a histamine reaction as corn and potatoes are both 0 on the SIGHI list. If you're not super-reactive, you might tolerate a small amount of almonds, pecans, or macadamia nuts. I don't know if you're gluten-free because of celiac, but if not, you might find you can actually tolerate small amounts of wheat after the initial elimination as it's only a 1 on the SIGHI. I'm fine with one small serving, like a slice of toast or few crackers or pretzels.

As a side note and as unsolicited advice (take it or leave it), the low FODMAP diet shouldn't be a permanent thing. GI doctors everywhere are over-relying on it because it reduces symptoms but it also deprives your microbiome of food and causes more problems than it solves long term. It was designed as a tool to use for about 4-8 weeks to figure out what you react most strongly to, not to create a list of foods to avoid forever. I highly recommend reading the book "Fiber fueled" by an actual GI doctor and/or listening to some of his guest visits on podcasts (there are dozens).

I was low-FODMAP for three months and it reduced pain and other symptoms but also made my gut MUCH more intolerant. I used his program to slowly build up my tolerance and can now eat whole apples, cabbage and onion soup, and so many things I would have been in agony over months ago. It took me about 4 months to build up vs. the 28 days he says in the book, but I think my gut was more damaged than the average person. I'm also low-histamine, which means I couldn't follow his diet plans (just the general advice), and it slows down the rate at which I can incorporate new things because if I get a flare-up I have to wait days for it to calm down before moving forward again. When I first started trying to follow his advice I could only take one bite of an apple and then had to take a gas-x pill because of the pain. I still do add the enzyme "beano" if I'm going to be eating more than a cup of cruciferous veggies + beans in one sitting, but I'm hoping to even be off that in time. My gut is still not perfect, but I was down to eating basically only rice noodles, rice, rice cakes, peanut butter, and zucchini, so I am grateful to at least have a lot more variety I can tolerate now.

The longer I'm at this the more I realize the goal isn't short-term reduction of pain, but long-term healing. Really restrictive diets are so detrimental to gut health. One of the most common causes of histamine intolerance is a damaged gut, so it's really worth it to try to heal it. There is so much "gut healing" quackery on the internet by unqualified random people, it's hard to know what advice to take, but his book is sound and based in science.

The short version is take 80% of calories from low calorie plants like salads. The long version is this book: https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X

Apes like fiber, much poo, big happy!

Shit out those kg's or lbs or whatever tf you carry around.

I've got to work but this was posted in r/ketoscience and I found the pdf and thought it was nice to see such a good document.

I'm not making any claims, I haven't read the book, and I can't find a way to torrent it yet. But this book covers topics we always fight about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dvPZfanq-Y (he shits on carnivore diet)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

>The instant New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestseller
>
>A bold new plant-based plan that challenges popular keto and paleo diets, from an award-winning gastroenterologist.
>
>The benefits of restrictive diets like paleo and keto have been touted for more than a decade, but as renowned gastroenterologist Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, or "Dr. B," illuminates in this groundbreaking book, the explosion of studies on the microbiome makes it abundantly clear that elimination diets are in fact hazardous to our health. What studies clearly now show--and what Dr. B preaches with his patients--is that gut health is the key to boosting our metabolism, balancing our hormones, and taming the inflammation that causes a host of diseases. And the scientifically proven way to fuel our guts is with dietary fiber from an abundant variety of colorful plants.
>
>Forget about the fiber your grandmother used to take--the cutting-edge science on fiber is incredibly exciting. As Dr. B explains, fiber energizes our gut microbes to create powerhouse postbiotics called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are essential to our health. SCFAs are scientifically proven to promote weight loss, repair leaky gut, strengthen the microbiome, optimize the immune system, reduce food sensitivities, lower cholesterol, reverse type 2 diabetes, improve brain function, and even prevent cancer. Restrictive fad diets starve the gut of the critical fiber we need, weaken the microbes, and make our system vulnerable.
>
>As a former junk-food junkie, Dr. B knows firsthand the power of fiber to dramatically transform our health. The good news is that our guts can be trained. Fiber-rich, real foods--with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes--start working quickly and maintain your long-term health, promote weight loss, and allow you to thrive and feel great from the inside out.
>
>With a 28-day jumpstart program with menus and more than 65 recipes, along with essential advice on food sensitivities, Fiber Fueled offers the blueprint to start turbocharging your gut for lifelong health today.