I was looking at a new cookbook today on Amazon.com and it was one of those where you can look inside. Anyway, I read the first few pages and this one passage leaped out at me:

10 grams of carbohydrates in the form of squishy white bread will actually contribute more calories than 10 grams of carbohydrates in the form of fiber-enriched whole-grain bread because of the indigestibility of the fiber.

Now we have a real grasp of why whole grains are better for everyone in general and for dieters in particular!

BTW, the cookbook is Dana Carpender's Every Calorie Counts Cookbook.

I have heard that you actually burn more calories in the digestion of fiber then in anything else. So what you saw goes in line with this. Just one more reason to increase our fiber intake.

I try to eat a LOT of fiber -- I know it's good for me, it's more filling than food without much fiber, etc. So, this may be a little personal, but as a result I often feel bloated and gassy. Maybe this is too much info, but if anyone out there eats a lot of whole grains, veggies, and other high fiber food, let me know if you've found a good solution to the intestinal rumbles that come with it.

I don't know how long you've been doing this, but I've found that after a while, my body has adjusted and I don't get those rumblings any longer. One thing that I suggest is to eat a yogurt every day--the bacteria in there might help.

Well, I've always eaten quite a bit of fiber - I grew up in a family where we didn't eat a whole lot of meat, but we did eat lots of beans, pasta, etc. This was because my parents were frugal. I USED to be like you are. Other people would say, 'oh, I can't have beans (or brocoli or whatever). It just doesn't agree with me,' but I would have no problem. So maybe it's my age or something, but I just don't have the same tolerance anymore. Also, I do take probiotics almost every day and eat yogurt quite often. I do think that does help, but unfortunately, it's still a problem for me. Maybe I'll start a separate post? Thanks!

I used to have a LOT of stomach problems before I started on the whole foods path. Processed foods actually cause me stomach irritations. I switched to whole foods and I'm good, no more stomach problems. I also eat beans every day which would give me gas but my stomach has gotten used to them.

The average slice of whole grain bread only contains 2 grams of fiber (sometimes less) so that's just an 8 calorie difference. I'm not sure that this would make a difference in our weight, unless we generally ate a lot of bread to begin with, lol. 2 slices per day = 16 cal saved, = less than 2 pounds per year. However, whole grains contain more nutrients, including vitamins and antioxidants so they will always be a better choice.

I prefer whole grain breads because they hold up better for sandwiches. I also like the earthy flavor.

Once I started eating beans regularly, my body adjusted as well. It probably took a few weeks to a few months, I don't remember exactly. But I have no problems with them now.

We don't eat white anything. All of our bread, buns, pasta, english muffins, etc are whole wheat. When I buy grains I try to make sure that there are 2 grams of fiber per 15 grams of carbohydrate. It's harder to find this, but it works for us.

I've also adjusted to the added fiber. For the past 3 weeks I've changed my morning cereal to Fiber One, therefore adding even more fiber. My weightloss has been better and this is definitely a bit too much info, but if you've ever heard Dr. Oz he says that an "S" shaped BM means everything is working optimally. Let's just say that I'm now working optimally. See, I told ya it was too much info.

I've never heard anything about the shape, but heard that if it floats it is better (shows you've been eating more fiber). Ok, again TMI!!!

WTH? I knew the dark floaty part, but not the S shape! Too funny.

As long as we're talking about Fiber One, can anyone help me puzzle out the nutritional label? It says a serving is 60 calories for a half cup. But if you read further, it says that each serving has 1 gram of fat (= 9 calories), 2 grams of protein ( = 8 calories) and 25 grams of carbs ( = 100 calories). So why isn't a half cup serving listed as 117 calories?

I suspect it's because they've subtracted out the 14 grams of fiber (= 56 calories) but is this kosher? They're essentially using net carbs for their calories and I'm not aware of any other food that does underreports calories on the nutritional label due to fiber. Is this common and I've just been missing out?

BTW, I've read that fiber actually isn't calorie free -- it's about 1.8 calories per gram as compared to 4 calories per gram in nonfiber carbs.

Okay, I never hear about the floating part. Oh my the wealth of info that is shared amongst us here at 3FC.

As far as the "S" shape, Oprah then said to him something like, "I'm more a comma, are commas just as good?" And he said commas are fine. TMI ALERT, let's just say I have something in common with Oprah.

Meg I'm going to check my box. If what you say is so and I don't doubt for a second that you are correct I will call them up and ask them how they came to those numbers. What nerve.

Ok, girls. I must say all the TMI talk has me wondering. I have no clue if it's a comma, S, or shoot, maybe it's a question mark. Let's just say, I will definitely be checking on that tomorrow.

I also don't eat anything "white." But I still am wondering what I'm doing differently to be so gassy/bloated lately when I didn't used to get that way from eating the same foods. My mother (somewhat of a health nut) is trying to get me to take probiotics every day. In an earlier post I said that I do, but the truth is I only take it once or twice a week most of the time... just out of sheer laziness in the mornings. So, I think I'm going to try REALLY taking probiotics every day and see if that helps. I certainly don't want to stop eating fiber!

And if Fiber One is indeed calculating and labeling the net carbs instead of the actual numbers, I find that egregious and very misleading. I'm curious to know the answer on that!

I don't take any kind of probiotic supplement but I do make sure I eat plain yogurt every morning. It has helped my entire digestive system enormously. I have about 3/4 cup of yogurt with some berries or nuts and a whole grain muffin or piece of toast (I make my own from the mixes at www dot southavenfarm dot com). My whole system is working better now that I have this routine.