For years scientists have believed that when it comes to weight gain, all calories are created equal.
But an intriguing new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, suggests that’s not true. The body appears to react differently to calories ingested from high-fiber whole foods vs. ultra-processed junk foods.
The reason? Cheap processed foods are more quickly absorbed in your upper gastrointestinal tract, which means more calories for your body and fewer for your gut microbiome, which is located near the end of your digestive tract. But when we eat high-fiber foods, they aren’t absorbed as easily, so they make the full journey down your digestive tract to your large intestine, where the trillions of bacteria that make up your gut microbiome are waiting.
I feel like the definition of processed foods is a little skewed. Like I know ground beef is technically like ground into a pulp but it is at its core just beef and likewise coldcuts can vary from mystery meat bologna to thin slices of roast beef and turky breast.
It feels like the study is less “processed” vs natural foods and more high fiber diet vs low fiber.
I wonder how drinking a fiber supplement with a meaty or starchy meal impacts digestion. Is the difference in digestion the result of calories being trapped within high fiber foods and unable to be harvested quick enough, or does the fiber run interception in the small intestine while pushing away the more calorie dense stuff.