"Everything comes down to poo." -Dr. John Dorian. Well, that's not 100% true in all cases, and the nutritional importance of fiber is one of those. When a conversation about nutrition comes up, everybody gets really focused on calories and macronutrients. This isn’t wrong, as these two things are the primary drivers of both performance nutrition and weight balance, but they aren’t the only things. What about fiber? That’s right, FIBER. It’s a more important part of your diet as an athlete than you may think. Here’s just a few reasons why (in no particular order of importance):
Satiety - Fiber slows digestion and processing in the gut, so it allows people on a weight cut to stay satiated longer and fight against the primary diet-killer: HUNGER. Getting too hungry can derail even the best dieter in a hurry.
Regularity - Yup. We’re talking about pooping now. As strength athletes, we tend to consume a larger portion of protein than the general populace. This can really bind you up, especially if you’re on a low-carb diet. Increasing your fiber intake helps to keep things running nice and smooth.
Cholesterol - Larger people (a category in which most strength athletes fall) typically have less than favorable lipid profiles. Studies have shown time and time again that increased fiber intake helps to combat this. This is especially important for enhanced athletes.
There are other good aspects to increasing fiber in your diet, but this is plenty for now. If you don’t like fruits and vegetables, consider a fiber supplement like psyllium husk or fiber gummies. However, you should probably be eating plants anyways. Now go eat some!