Robert Lustig argues that we should eat whole fruit (not fruit without its fiber) because the fiber feeds the gut microbiome. He warns that ultra-processed, fiberless foods starve the gut, causing the microbiome to strip the protective mucin layer from intestinal cells and provoking gut and systemic inflammation.
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So the question is, should we be eating fruit? If that's all true, and the answer is yes, we should be eating fruit, but whole fruit. And the reason is because the fruit comes with something else. Also not for us. It comes with the fiber. The fiber is not for us. The fiber is for our bacteria, for our microbiome. The fiber is food for our bacteria. We have to feed our gut. And right now, ultra processed food is fiberless food. And that means that it's starving our gut. And when you starve your gut, your gut gets mad and it basically turns on you. And I've often said if you don't feed your gut, your gut will feed on you. It will actually strip the mucin layer, which is a protective mechanical layer off your intestinal epithelial cells, rendering your gut susceptible to all the junk in your intestine, which can actually lead to inflammation, gut and systemic inflammation.