Fiber Is Your Body’s Natural Guide to Weight Management

Rather than cutting carbs out of your diet, eat them in their original fiber packaging instead

Whole foods like unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and grains are typically high in fiber.Ira Sokolovskaya/Shutterstock

Health Viewpoints

Fiber might just be the key to healthy weight management—and nature packages it in perfectly balanced ratios with carbs when you eat them as whole foods. Think unprocessed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Research suggests that carbohydrates are meant to come packaged in nature-balanced ratios of total carbohydrates to fiber. In fact, certain types of fiber affect how completely your body absorbs carbohydrates and tells your cells how to process them once they are absorbed.