Most deficiency symptoms occur when our body lacks energy, vitamins or minerals. On the other hand, very few have a fiber deficiency on the screen. This can happen if you eat too little fiber.
Its name is misleading: Because dietary fiber is by no means ballast for our body, it takes care of our intestines, our intestinal bacteria and is important for our digestion and even our immune system. Unfortunately, we often only notice that we are consuming too little fiber when unpleasant symptoms appear. Since more than two thirds of people in Germany do not reach the recommended daily dose, the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) has been calling for years to include more fiber in our diet.
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These 3 symptoms can occur with fiber deficiency
1. Constipation
There is soluble and insoluble fiber. In particular, the insoluble fiber found in whole grains and legumes stimulates our digestion. They swell up in the gastrointestinal tract and give our intestinal walls the signal to move mass towards the exit. This shortens the so-called intestinal transit time and the chyme does not stay in the small and large intestine for so long. If the insoluble fiber is missing because we use white bread instead of wholemeal bread or polished rice instead of brown rice, our digestion becomes sluggish and we have to push harder when having a bowel movement or even suffer from constipation .
Tip: You should always drink enough so that the roughage can swell and fulfill its function. A high dietary fiber intake when you are dehydrated can aggravate the digestive problems.
2. Overweight
Fiber reduces your risk of obesity in two ways. On the one hand, they ensure a stronger and longer-lasting feeling of satiety , which makes you feel less hungry and cravings. On the other hand, soluble fiber, which is primarily found in fruits and vegetables, lowers your risk of dyslipidemia . Therefore, if you are deficient, you may gain weight, suffer from food cravings , and slow down your metabolism. In addition, dietary fiber is extremely low in calories, as it does not contain 4 calories per gram like other carbohydrates, but only 2 calories .
3. Darmentzündungen
The good intestinal bacteria metabolize roughage into short-chain fatty acids such as butyric acid . These are essential for protecting and nourishing our intestinal mucosa . A lack of fiber and thus of short-chain fatty acids can lead to the intestinal mucosa becoming inflamed. In the worst case, such an inflammation can become chronic and has a particularly negative effect on our immune system and digestion.
Tip: These foods contain a particularly large amount of dietary fiber >>
