Fiber

There are few things worse than an bad/uncomplete bowel movement in the morning. Likewise there are few better ways to start the morning than with a nice, full, fecal deposit. Imagine if there was a way to experience poo-phoria every day. Oh wait there is– it’s called fiber. Traditionally, I feel like most people, myself included, think of fiber as like a brush, made of this insoluble plant material that scrubs out our intestines like a chimney sweep. But as I recently learned there’s more to the story; it also draws water into our bowel making our poop softer and increasing the bulk, and it’s also great for supporting a healthy gut microbiome. With all these benefits, why is it so hard to incorporate fiber into our diets? I think a lot of it has do to with culture, as well as some evolution/biology/natural history.

When we make plans to go out to eat with friends, how often do people suggest all-you-can-eat salad? Maybe -3 out of 10 times. What about AYCE Korean barbeque? In the past month, among different groups of my friends it was suggested for maybe 60-70% of the outings. The other 30-40% of suggestions included ramen, McDonalds, and other miscellaneous options that may or may not have had a significant number of fiber-rich offerings on their menu, but even if they did it was definitely not the basis of suggestion. Of course craving protein and umami is part of our DNA, and businesses and restaurants work to cater to that, and that feeds into social gatherings, community building, and ultimately culture.

Makes you wonder if we ever could create a culture in which eating primarily vegetables was sexy or if our taste buds are just too averse to minimally processed ruffage for that every to happen on a wide scale. Though I think poo-phoria is a possible mechanism by which we could make it a thing, and our bodies would thank us for it.