Fiber Fueled… The book reviewed
Published 11.19.2024: The next book I intended to read was Excercised by Daniel Lieberman. However, I finished the book, Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz MD first. And by finished, I mean the parts before his diet/recipes started.
The conceit of the book is that people need to eat more fiber to heal their gut. I was interested in reading his view, because I am thinking about altering my eating plan. As is evident from the writings here, I've been following the 5:2 Eating Plan as designed by Michael Moseley (RIP) since about July of this year. The 5:2 Eating Plan has been a success and I've lost a bit of weight (which was the point of adopting the plan in the first place).
However, I have also developed a bit gastrointestinal issues related to the eating plan, specifically related to the fasting I'd been doing 2 days a week. Basically I skipped breakfast and lunch and ate a regular dinner. It was not difficult to follow, and, to repeat myself, I lost weight doing it. But getting adequate fiber on fasting days proved difficult (due to my particular circumstances) and the lack of fiber began to have unpleasant consequences. Yes, I know that's vague, but I really don't think I want to put all of my medical issues online. Suffice it to say, changes must be made.
That said, I still need to lose a bit more weight. If the 5:2 isn't possible, then I need to figure out a different way to cut the amount of calories I eat, and I'd very much like to solve the gut issues. Mostly I think that I need to eat more fiber, hence the reading of Fiber Fueled. And with that, anyone with a passing knowledge of the human body will likely know what the gastrointestinal issue is… and why I need to change what I'm doing.
The author of Fiber Fueled (there's a subtitle I'm ignoring) is now the US director of a company called ZOE. ZOE is based in the UK and it has a podcast that I enjoy. The podcast isn't where I learned about the book though, I saw it mentioned on a YouTube video, and that's why I read it. Overall, it's not that different than your garden variety diet book, though he doesn't say that you have to count calories or carbs or anything. He is preaching a plant based diet (plants being where the fiber is) that allegedly allows you to eat as much as you like (so long as you get a ton of different plants through out the week. Like every other diet book, this is the way for everyone to have better health and lower weight.
I supposed that's would be his answer if asked about the "30 bananas a day" people (plenty of whom got fat following the advice provided by Freelee and Durianrider, two raw vegan YouTubers)— that those followers were not getting a broad enough spectrum of plants. It's not enough to simply eat fruit. He doesn't specifically discuss protein (most vegans will say that if you eat enough plant calories, your protein levels will be fine), but he does mention protein options in this meal plans at the end of the book.
It's hard to argue that upping the intake of plants isn't a healthy option (even if you don't go vegan or plant based)— unless you're one of the carnivore idiots or keto fools… though even keto folk will eat some vegetable. But I find it hard to believe that eating plants will cure everything that ails you (ore your gut). Which is basically what the first few chapters assert. Every disease begins with gut dysbiosis, cure that and you will cure most of what ails you. Actually, he's careful not to expressly say that, but it's pretty clear that's the message.
Before going further, let me note that he does mention supplements, and ones he recommends are basically the ones often recommended for vegans (plant based eaters). Yes, I realize that many omnivores are also deficient in vitamins, but the plant based diets are distinct because there are some vitamins that are difficult or impossible (B12) to get from plants. Hence for them, supplementing or fortification is essential. There is nothing in any supplement that can't be had from a food source, but only if you'll eat it.
Not going to lie, I would love to believe that all I need to do is stick with plants and I can eat as much as I like and still lose weight. I just don't believe that… and the fact that he invokes the Blue Zones (which turn out to be BS) and hari hachi bu (eating until your 80% full) seems to cut against his other arguments. Which is it? I can eat as much as I like, or that I should limit myself to when I feel 80% full? I don't think you can have both. At least, I cannot.
That said, I do think that I have to alter how I'm doing my eating plan. Not because I'm not losing weight, I am. But because I want to try and nip the issue I'm having in the bud. So what I will do is try to eat more fiber (particularly in the mornings and afternoons) and try to minimize what I eat at dinner. Rather than doing this 2 days a week, I will try and do it all 7 days— though the need NOT to do that is what attracted me to the 5:2 way of eating in the first place.
What I do know is that simply focusing on plants two days a week is not enough, and in fact, might be part of the issue that I'm having. For me, the issue might be the fasting. I know for some people it's the answer, and if it works for you, by all means do it. It does not seem to work for me in an overall health sense. Weight loss happened, but weight loss is not the only consideration for health. Lest you think I'm going all Health At Every Size at you, I'm not. Weight IS a factor in health, your can NOT have health at any size… but it isn't the only consideration.
So in that sense, taking the time to read Fiber Fueled wasn't wasted. It's helpful to have all the information in a centralized presentation. And it was a bit odd to have him read off the symptoms I've had (because he's a doctor as he's had patience with the same symptoms). I did learn things from the book, particularly about the gut and anatomy and the gut.
The conceit of the book is that people need to eat more fiber to heal their gut. I was interested in reading his view, because I am thinking about altering my eating plan. As is evident from the writings here, I've been following the 5:2 Eating Plan as designed by Michael Moseley (RIP) since about July of this year. The 5:2 Eating Plan has been a success and I've lost a bit of weight (which was the point of adopting the plan in the first place).
However, I have also developed a bit gastrointestinal issues related to the eating plan, specifically related to the fasting I'd been doing 2 days a week. Basically I skipped breakfast and lunch and ate a regular dinner. It was not difficult to follow, and, to repeat myself, I lost weight doing it. But getting adequate fiber on fasting days proved difficult (due to my particular circumstances) and the lack of fiber began to have unpleasant consequences. Yes, I know that's vague, but I really don't think I want to put all of my medical issues online. Suffice it to say, changes must be made.
That said, I still need to lose a bit more weight. If the 5:2 isn't possible, then I need to figure out a different way to cut the amount of calories I eat, and I'd very much like to solve the gut issues. Mostly I think that I need to eat more fiber, hence the reading of Fiber Fueled. And with that, anyone with a passing knowledge of the human body will likely know what the gastrointestinal issue is… and why I need to change what I'm doing.
The author of Fiber Fueled (there's a subtitle I'm ignoring) is now the US director of a company called ZOE. ZOE is based in the UK and it has a podcast that I enjoy. The podcast isn't where I learned about the book though, I saw it mentioned on a YouTube video, and that's why I read it. Overall, it's not that different than your garden variety diet book, though he doesn't say that you have to count calories or carbs or anything. He is preaching a plant based diet (plants being where the fiber is) that allegedly allows you to eat as much as you like (so long as you get a ton of different plants through out the week. Like every other diet book, this is the way for everyone to have better health and lower weight.
I supposed that's would be his answer if asked about the "30 bananas a day" people (plenty of whom got fat following the advice provided by Freelee and Durianrider, two raw vegan YouTubers)— that those followers were not getting a broad enough spectrum of plants. It's not enough to simply eat fruit. He doesn't specifically discuss protein (most vegans will say that if you eat enough plant calories, your protein levels will be fine), but he does mention protein options in this meal plans at the end of the book.
It's hard to argue that upping the intake of plants isn't a healthy option (even if you don't go vegan or plant based)— unless you're one of the carnivore idiots or keto fools… though even keto folk will eat some vegetable. But I find it hard to believe that eating plants will cure everything that ails you (ore your gut). Which is basically what the first few chapters assert. Every disease begins with gut dysbiosis, cure that and you will cure most of what ails you. Actually, he's careful not to expressly say that, but it's pretty clear that's the message.
Before going further, let me note that he does mention supplements, and ones he recommends are basically the ones often recommended for vegans (plant based eaters). Yes, I realize that many omnivores are also deficient in vitamins, but the plant based diets are distinct because there are some vitamins that are difficult or impossible (B12) to get from plants. Hence for them, supplementing or fortification is essential. There is nothing in any supplement that can't be had from a food source, but only if you'll eat it.
Not going to lie, I would love to believe that all I need to do is stick with plants and I can eat as much as I like and still lose weight. I just don't believe that… and the fact that he invokes the Blue Zones (which turn out to be BS) and hari hachi bu (eating until your 80% full) seems to cut against his other arguments. Which is it? I can eat as much as I like, or that I should limit myself to when I feel 80% full? I don't think you can have both. At least, I cannot.
That said, I do think that I have to alter how I'm doing my eating plan. Not because I'm not losing weight, I am. But because I want to try and nip the issue I'm having in the bud. So what I will do is try to eat more fiber (particularly in the mornings and afternoons) and try to minimize what I eat at dinner. Rather than doing this 2 days a week, I will try and do it all 7 days— though the need NOT to do that is what attracted me to the 5:2 way of eating in the first place.
What I do know is that simply focusing on plants two days a week is not enough, and in fact, might be part of the issue that I'm having. For me, the issue might be the fasting. I know for some people it's the answer, and if it works for you, by all means do it. It does not seem to work for me in an overall health sense. Weight loss happened, but weight loss is not the only consideration for health. Lest you think I'm going all Health At Every Size at you, I'm not. Weight IS a factor in health, your can NOT have health at any size… but it isn't the only consideration.
So in that sense, taking the time to read Fiber Fueled wasn't wasted. It's helpful to have all the information in a centralized presentation. And it was a bit odd to have him read off the symptoms I've had (because he's a doctor as he's had patience with the same symptoms). I did learn things from the book, particularly about the gut and anatomy and the gut.
Bottom line
Fiber Fueled isn't the worst diet/eating book I've ever read, but I can't say that I found it earth shattering. I pretty much knew the basics that he lays out (though maybe that's because I've been listening to ZOE podcasts for roughly 6 months and they are very plant forward as well). I didn't read through the recipes at the end of the book (which is a significant number of pages) because I've seen vegan recipes.
Would I have read it if I wasn't having issues? Probably not because I've read vegan diet books before, though the focus of those was not fiber. Fiber, if mentioned, was just a side benefit to the elimination of animal products. The author realizes that most readers have gastrointestinal issues and that's why they are reading— he addresses that point directly.
I can't remember the word vegan ever being mentioned, though the phrase "plant based" was. The phrase "plant based" is much broader then vegan, a word that has been defined by a militant portion of the plant based world, and to see that for yourself, join or read any vegan group on, pretty much anywhere.
Would I recommend Fiber Fueled? Yes, I think I would, especially if you haven't read or learned a great deal about plant based eating and its benefits.
Would I have read it if I wasn't having issues? Probably not because I've read vegan diet books before, though the focus of those was not fiber. Fiber, if mentioned, was just a side benefit to the elimination of animal products. The author realizes that most readers have gastrointestinal issues and that's why they are reading— he addresses that point directly.
I can't remember the word vegan ever being mentioned, though the phrase "plant based" was. The phrase "plant based" is much broader then vegan, a word that has been defined by a militant portion of the plant based world, and to see that for yourself, join or read any vegan group on, pretty much anywhere.
Would I recommend Fiber Fueled? Yes, I think I would, especially if you haven't read or learned a great deal about plant based eating and its benefits.