Can fiber be undermining your training/health?

Nutrition Q&A [Moderated]
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Over the past 7 years i’ve experienced a big shift in digestive function (slow transit at times, sometimes pain, disstension, etc.) and endoscopy, stool test, breath test, blood tests show nothing out of the ordinary.

Around the time of the change i did have a massive life stressor but I also went from powerlifting with no cardio to training and running half marathons and went from 195lbs to 170lbs in a relatively short time without trying. I also, thanks to social media, became obsessed with optimizing bloodwork and longevity so I figured making fiber the focus was the go to move.

Still being plagued with seemingly digestive and sometimes other symptoms (brain fog, light headed, etc) that seem to potentially be related to vagal issues with gas/bloating/slow transit (not confirmed but hypothesized) - i’m wondering if going back to my diet pre-2018/19 for a few months would be useful.

When powerlifting I had cereal or bacon/egg/cheese on a roll for breakfast, steak and pasta with broccoli for lunch, chicken and rice or potatoes with broccoli or green beans for dinner - sometimes i’d substitute that dinner for chipotle, pizza, a sandwhich, or a burger and have a snack of ice cream or cookies with milk. I’d sometimes snack and have fruit (bananan/apple/orange) as well.

When i started training for half marathons i gave up powerlifting and only ran - I added oatmeal, more fruits/vegetables, nuts, whole grain bread vs. white, higher amounts of greek yogurt etc. Hard to know if the stress of running, the amount and types of fiber, or the life stress altered my gut and made these downstream symptoms occur.

What has prevented me from going back to the old diet is fear of colon cancer, heart disease, metabolic issues like diabetes etc. So i’m not seeking medical advice per say but trying to work through my thinking with intellectually like minded folks who may have similar stories, anecdotes, or better data than I can find.

I’ve had poor luck with doctors/RDN (“buy my supplements”, “don’t drink coffee” etc.) so I’ve had to resort to my own thinking to solve these issues.

What annoys me most is when my digestion is off I get other symptoms (poor sleep, light headed or " I just took benadryl" feeling in my head, increased migraine symptoms - light sensitivity, etc, and if I eat a lot of greek yogurt for extended periods I get almost tachycardia or POTS symptoms) I’ve seen cardiologist, endocrinologists etc. and they find nothing and can’t explain anything.

So, I’m thinking of making

Carbs: rice, potatoes, white bread, pasta, oats, corn flakes

Vegetables: all cooked/nuked - carrots, cooked green beans, lettuce, bell peppers

Fruit: frozen blueberries, bananas, oranges, grapes, kiwi, canteloupe

Protein: Chicken, Steak, Salmon, Cottage Cheese, 2% milk, Eggs, Egg Whites, Whey Protein (Naked Whey no flavor)

Fats: Olive/Avocado Oil, Sunflower Butter

Snack: cookies or ice cream

Curious if this seems logical given my situation?

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The diet seems like it fits the general principles we lay out surrounding how to eat a healthy diet.

Of course, this assume you don’t have any specific food allergy or condition that would benefit from restricting certain foods. I don’t really know much about you, your medical history, or the symptoms you’re experiencing. I think working with a medical professional would be helpful given your symptoms, though I can understand the reticence to do so given your experience. There’s likely little harm in the diet you mention, but I have concerns about just saying, “yea, this is fine, carry on” without any sort of work-up.

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Thanks Doc! I’m 44, 5’10 185lbs (former track athlete turned powerlifter turned runner back to just healthy living balanced trianing). Having done lots of testing with Cardiologist, Gastro, Endocrinologist, ENT etc. nothing major came up other than susecptibility to migraine with aura (seems stress or diet induced) and GI symptoms with associated neurological symptoms.

If you have suggestions of doctors in NY and/or testing to get done i’d 100% give it a try.

I was thinking of going to a basic diet like I did prior to the major life stressor and diet to optimize health (rice,potatoes, oats, chicken, steak, frozen veggies, some fruits - sort of like a modified “Vertical Diet” from Stan Efferding to focus on ease of digestion). Fear of heart disease and colon cancer have made it hard for me to give up nuts/seeds/and lots of fiber variety - that said I may be better served with healthy bowel movements, no disstension, easy digestion, and good sleep along with 4 days lifting and 4-5 days of cardio more than trying to add fiber.

Thanks!

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Yea, I’m quite limited by what I can do medically on the forum, but this certainly sounds interesting.

I do think one consideration may be how quickly you’re ramping up fiber, and the specific types of fiber you’re consuming. Our advice for that is described in detail here:

The diet you metnion seems reasonable, though I’d prefer some fish and plant-based protein. Check out the article above though. I think it’ll be helpful.

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