JJ Virgin breaks down how protein, fat, and fiber work together to control hunger and blood sugar. Aim for at least 10 grams of fiber per meal, which slows stomach emptying and suppresses ghrelin. The three macronutrients together keep blood sugar from spiking and keep you fuller longer.
I like to teach people to eat the trifecta. I call it the trifecta for satiety because this is what it does. Protein, fat, and fiber really helps you feel fuller longer and have more stable blood sugar, especially the fiber part of that. Protein and fiber work together to slow down stomach emptying and keep ghrelin, the hunger hormone, at bay, suppressed. Fat works in the small intestine to release these chemicals to tell your brain, "Hey, I'm not hungry." So those 3 together really work for satiety. And then protein, but especially fiber, helps to cause a slow blood sugar response. Here's what you wanna have. You wanna have blood sugar come up slowly, about 20 degrees, and then come back down again. You don't want a big jump up and you don't want it to stay up high for a long period of time. Both those things are problematic, but the most problematic of course is having higher blood sugar for a longer period of time. So when you're eating a high fiber diet, and that for me is at least 10 grams of fiber at a meal, you have a slower blood sugar release. So it's gonna come up slower and come back down again, which is fantastic. So protein and fiber work well together to keep that blood sugar moving, not doing as big of a spike. Then the three of them work together to keep you fuller longer.
