INSOLUBLE FIBER DEPRESSION - What I learned from wheat germ

[mikeyd]

Hi all,

It is no secret that I have been trying to cure my SIBO. This has been for over a year now, but is a condition I have probably had for close to 10, or half my life. One of the biggest takeaways I've had from Ray Peat and Georgi Dinky was that Insoluble fiber bad Soluble fiber good. What I've come to learn is that this type of reductive mindset is unproductive.

To the best of my understanding are some facts:
-Soluble fiber stimulates serotonin
-serotonin stimulates bowel movements
-the MMC cleans the gut
-SIBO will eat soluble fiber but also other things
-fat slows digestion
-carrot salad actually has a lot of soluble fiber

here are some facts I thought were true:
-insoluble fiber speeds transit
-insoluble fiber cleans the gut

So I decided to trial a WHEAT GERM incorporating diet. This is probably the "food" that is the closest you can get to pure insoluble fiber. I think it's like 50% by mass, so in a small bowl I was getting about 12 g insoluble fiber. I also decided to go low on fat to see if I might achieve even faster digestion. Without getting into the nitty gritty of the diet I basically couldn't take a s**t for 2, almost 3 days until I took cascara sagrada which purged my bowels, including undigested food. I was eating about 100 g of wheat germ a day for 3 days but my bowl was NOT moving. I was not bloated but I felt TERRIBLE, absolutely zero energy as if my food was not being digested.

I now believe soluble fiber is necessary. If I combine medium soluble fiber (along with med-high insoluble) with high fat I will not feel amazing, but certainly I will feel more regular with a more working MMC than if I prioritize insoluble in ways that are not LINDY. It is true what they say about wheat germ/cellulose that it is basically sawdust.

Most plant foods already have a good ratio of insoluble to soluble fiber. The few that dont like oatmeal I avoid. I am going to continue avoiding snacks, eating high carbs, medium protein, medium to low fat, medium to high fiber as I think this is the best thing for my MMC which is probably the only way to long term fix sibo.

[Atman]

@mikeyd How do babies survive with 0g of fiber for 2 years+?