Are you eating fake fibre? Dietician explains how it affects your body and how to spot it: ‘Inflammation, bloating…’

Buying high-fibre processed foods? Most of that fibre may be fake. Dietician Courtney breaks down how to spot it before it harms your health.

You reach for foods labelled high fibre and low carbs, assuming they’ll support fat loss and gut health - only to end up feeling bloated, constantly hungry and stuck at the same weight. The problem may not be your discipline or portion sizes, but the kind of fibre you’re eating. Many ultra-processed foods marketed as “healthy” alternatives are padded with fake fibres designed to boost nutrition labels, not your health - and they may be doing more harm than good.

Courtney Kassis, a registered dietician from Philadelphia who specialises in nutrition counselling, has explained why you may still feel hungry, bloated and inflamed despite choosing foods labelled as high-fibre - pointing to fake fibres in ultra-processed foods as the real culprit. In an Instagram video posted on December 2, the dietician breaks down how to spot fake fibres and highlights the real fibre-rich foods you should be prioritising instead.

What is fake fibre?

According to Courtney, most of the fibres in your diet are fake, and that is why you keep feeling bloated, hungry and unable to lose fat. She describes fake fibre as, “Fake fibre is the stuff that's added to processed foods to make the nutrition label look good. But, it does nothing for fullness, cravings, hormones, or fat loss because your body doesn't treat it like real fibre. Instead, it acts like a quick acting carb with little to no benefit on the body.”

The dietician warns that foods marketed as low net carbs, high fibre, or gut-friendly are often the “worst offenders.” Sold as healthy fat-loss alternatives, their synthetic fibres can actually keep you hungry, trigger inflammation, and leave you feeling bloated rather than satisfied.

How to spot fake fibre?

If you want to spot fake fibre, Courtney says the trick is to look at the ingredients instead of the nutrition label. She notes, “If it says anything like chicory root fibre, soluble corn fibre, tapioca fibre, or inulin, these are isolated fibres added for marketing purposes, not health purposes.”

Sources of real fibre

According to the dietician, real fibre is found in real food and the highest concentrations are found in berries like raspberries and blackberries, avocados, chia and flax seeds, oats and vegetables. Hitting your daily 30 grams of fibre is important - but only when it comes from the right sources and is built into your diet with proper structure.

Courtney explains, “Getting at least 30 grams of fibre daily from real food helps to stabilise blood sugar, keeps you full, supports your hormones, reduces inflammation, and even helps you burn fat.” She recommends ditching fake fibre and focusing on the real stuff to support better metabolic health.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.