Can You Eat More Calories & Fat If The Fiber Content Is Higher In Food?

Can You Eat More Calories & Fat If the Fiber Content Is Higher in Food?

Jun 14, 2011 | By Jake Wayne

High fiber content is good for us, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, not to mention manufacturers of high-fiber foods. Whether high fiber intake enables you to increase your intake of calories and fats depends on your dietary goals.

What Fiber Does

Dietary fiber, reports Harvard nutritionist Walter Willett in "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy," supports your body's natural cleansing systems. It helps clear out accumulated waste from your digestive tract, contributing to your digestive health. Recent research also indicates that it helps your body clean harmful LDL cholesterol from your system, thus also contributing to circulatory health.

Fiber and Calories

According to fitness coach Ben Cohn, fiber intake has no effect on other calories you eat. If you're already at a healthy weight, you don't need to worry overly about calories. If you're trying to lose weight, you should count your calories carefully. In either case, your amount of fiber intake makes no difference.

Fiber and Fat

Saturated fats produce dangerous LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream. Information at MayoClinic.com reports that dietary fiber can help remove some of that LDL. This may mean that you can safely eat more saturated fat as part of a high-fiber diet than you could without the fiber.