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Are Fiber One brownies good for weight loss? Even though we all love the dessert-like flavors, such as Caramel Nut, Coconut Almond Cookies and Crème, and Chocolate Caramel and Pretzel, Fiber One brownies might not be as health-conscious as we originally thought.
Can Fiber One Brownie Bars Help You Lose Weight?
Will snacking on Fiber One bars help you cut calories, avoid overeating, and lose weight? In short, yes they can. Fiber One brownies are a healthier choice than reaching for a regular fudgy brownie or high-fat cake, meaning they can help you avoid empty calories and fill up at the same time. For those who want to learn how to stop eating junk food and sugar, Fiber One brownies can help you reduce your sweet cravings even though healthier alternatives exist.
If you are used to eating tons of snacks between meals, either because you think you are ‘hungry’ or you just enjoy the mental act of snacking on salty or sweet foods, having just one Fiber One brownie can help you ingest fewer calories and lose weight.
How Fiber One Brownies Help With Weight Loss
The reason Fiber One Brownies are good for weight loss is because they’re low in calories and help keep you full due to the high protein and fiber content.
- Low In Calories
Fiber One brownies are lower in calories than other high-fat and high-sugar foods. Compared to regular brownies or cookies, one 25-gram serving of Fiber One Chocolate Fudge Brownies are just 70 calories, whereas one 25-gram serving of a fudge brownie is 132 calories.
- Fiber Curbs Hunger
This fiber helps to minimize hunger, control your blood sugar levels, and can even reduce the likelihood of coronary heart disease and cancer [1] [2]. Despite its many health benefits, most Americans consume half the recommended amount of fiber or around 15 grams per day [3].
- Protein Keeps You Full
Fiber One brownies contain 2 grams of protein per serving to help keep you full during the day and avoid mindless snacking. Furthermore, ingesting enough fiber through Fiber One brownies can help individuals lacking in daily fiber intake prevent obesity and reduce the chance of diabetes [4]. As you can see, there are many benefits of fiber so it’s no wonder it’s a key staple of the majority of trending diets.
Although eating fiber through whole foods is healthier, such as fruits and vegetables, those who do not currently have enough fiber in their daily diet can supplement low fiber levels with Fiber One brownies to aid in weight loss, reduce hunger, and lose belly fat.
Are Fiber One Brownies Healthy?
Fiber One brownies have some weight loss benefits and might be considered healthy to some people (especially those who frequently reach for junk food snacks). However, they do have some concerning ingredients that health advocates try to avoid and do not recommend for a whole-food health plan.
Fiber One Brownies Health & Nutritional Info
We need to understand the nutritional information and content to see if Fiber One brownies are good for weight loss. There are two popular Fiber One brownie options: the Fiber One Supreme Brownie and the Fiber One 70-calorie brownie.
Fiber One Supreme Brownie Nutrition Facts:
- Serving Size: 32-gram brownie
- Calories: 110 calories
- Fat: 4 grams
- Saturated Fat: 2 grams
- Sodium: 115 milligrams
- Carbohydrates: 23 grams
- Dietary Fiber: 6 grams
- Sugar: 10 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
Unhealthy Ingredients in Fiber One Supreme Brownie
Although the Fiber One Supreme Brownie is just 110 calories per serving, it contains numerous artificial ingredients that are not conducive to weight loss. The harmful processed ingredients include bleached wheat flour, sugar, chocolate-flavored chips, fructose, whole milk solids, xanthan gum, and locust bean gum.
Studies have shown that excess fructose consumption is a direct link to obesity and insulin resistance [5]. Fructose is not the only concerning ingredient in the Fiber One brownies. Whole milk solids are also listed as one of the highest-concentrated ingredients. Furthermore, studies have shown that excess dairy consumption (whole milk solids) is associated with a higher risk of cancers [6].
Lastly, unhealthy sugar and dairy consumption is supplemented by consuming unhealthy levels and sources of gluten. Consuming bleached wheat flour and excess gluten is associated with autism, chronic inflammatory conditions, and diabetes [7].
Fiber One 70-Calorie Brownie Nutrition Facts
The Fiber One 70-calorie brownie comes in various flavors, such as cinnamon coffee cake and chocolate fudge. For the chocolate fudge brownie, there are:
- Serving Size: 25-gram brownie
- Calories: 70 calories
- Fat: 3 grams
- Saturated fat: 1 gram
- Sodium: 90 milligrams
- Carbohydrates: 17 grams
- Dietary fiber: 6 grams
- Sugar: 2 grams
- Sugar alcohol: 6 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
Although this snack is low-calorie and packed with fiber, it contains harmful ingredients, such as erythritol, bleached wheat flour, polydextrose, calcium caseinate, whey protein concentrate, and sodium aluminum phosphate.
Whey protein concentrate may contain added sugar, calories, or toxic chemicals [8]. Furthermore, the Fiber One 70-calorie brownie contains sodium aluminum phosphate, a potentially harmful additive to this snack. Excessive phosphorus consumption, like sodium aluminum phosphate, can be harmful to kidney health [9].
Also, Fiber One brownies contain impure sources of protein. Although protein can be helpful for curbing cravings and stopping snacking, calcium caseinate is an impure form of this otherwise-healthy nutrient. Casein, like calcium caseinate, can cause allergic reactions.
In addition to unhealthy proteins and sodium, Fiber One brownies also contain polydextrose. This harmful ingredient can lead to bloating, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.
So, although Fiber One brownies may be low in calories and healthier than fat-filled brownies and sugar-filled candy, they are not the healthiest option.
What Is The Healthiest Way To Get Enough Fiber?
Studies have shown that whole fruits and fruit fiber provide optimal health effects vs. non whole foods. Consuming foods rich in dietary fiber from whole plant foods can improve gut health, lower LDL cholesterol, reduce the chance of weight gain, decrease cardiovascular disease prevalence, and reduce mortality risk [10].
Whole fruits are best for fiber intake, as they are low calorie, low energy density, and contain other essential nutrients besides just dietary fiber. The additional nutrients included in whole fruits include potassium, vitamin C, and phytochemicals.
Furthermore, eating fiber from whole foods can help prevent an epidemic that has taken over Western culture in the modern world. The Western diet leads to an increase in weight gain, chronic disease, unhealthy immunity, and poor energy regulatory processes [11]. Eating more fiber from plant-based diets can help individuals gain necessary prebiotic health effects and maintain a healthy microbiome [12].
Therefore, Fiber One brownies may be healthier than fat and sugar-laden snack alternatives between meals, but they cannot replace whole-food fiber from fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Being able to balance a whole food diet with one or two Fiber One brownies or Fiber One bars per week can be a good way to fend off hunger, make smart snack choices, and increase your daily fiber intake.
How Many Fiber One Brownies Should I Eat A Day?
For weight loss purposes or to cut down on unhealthy snacking and empty calorie consumption, you should only eat one Fiber One Brownie per day. However, since it is a processed food, eating a Fiber One brownie just once a week is more ideal and individuals should not make Fiber One brownies staples in their everyday diet.
If you eat three well-rounded meals between 500-700 calories and your goal is to eat 2000 calories per day, this leaves you with up to 400-500 calories to consume in drinks and snacks. Staying well below this number can help you lose weight, making Fiber One brownies good for weight loss.
Just because something is healthier than brownies, cookies, and chips, it doesn’t mean you should consume it as a regular snack. Instead, focusing the majority of your calorie intake on whole foods, fruits, and vegetables is the best way to fill up, avoid excess snacking, and lose weight.
What’s The Maximum Amount of Fiber One Brownies You Can Eat?
The maximum amount of Fiber One Brownies that you should eat boils down to staying within the healthy limits of fiber, sugar, or calories.
Eating more than four Fiber One 70-Calorie Brownies per today as a woman or six as a man can provide you with too much fiber. At 6 grams of fiber each, this will put you at 24-36 grams of fiber per day and the daily recommended fiber is 21-25 grams for women, and 35-38 grams for men [13].
And eating more than two Fiber One Supreme Brownies per day as a woman or six as a man can provide excessive sugar. At 10 grams of sugar each, that puts you at 20-30 grams of sugar and experts recommend individuals stay under 24 grams of sugar for women, and 36 grams for men.
Ultimately variety is key and eating just one food can lead to nutritional deficiencies.
Other Sources Of Healthy Fiber
Numerous sources of healthy fiber are great additions to a well-rounded diet, such as:
- Chia seeds
- Oats
- Nuts
- Beans
- Quinoa
- Fruits
- Vegetables
Eating whole foods is always better than eating processed snacks, especially if you can supplement your fiber intake with key vitamins and minerals.
Individuals should try to incorporate these healthy fiber sources into their daily meals. Eating chia seed pudding for breakfast is a great way to stay full until lunchtime. Eating oats with fruit for lunch can help you avoid hunger pangs before dinner. Lastly, eating a vegetable-heavy dinner with a complex carbohydrate like quinoa is far healthier for weight loss than a hot pocket. .
Although Fiber One brownies are a good source of fiber, they are full of processed and unnecessary ingredients. So if you’re only losing a pound a week, consider eating whole-food fiber sources.
Are Fiber one brownies good for weight loss? Snacking on one Fiber One brownie per week can help you avoid fatty foods, but eating fruits and vegetables is the best way to get fiber in your diet and lose weight.
References
[1] Fiber. (n.d.). Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/fiber/
[2] Lattimer, J. & Haub, M. (2010). Effects of dietary fiber and its components on metabolic health. Nutrients, 2(12), 1266–1289. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu2121266
[3] Akbar A. & Shreenath A. (2021). High Fiber Diet. StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559033/
[4] Tucker L. & Thomas K. (2009) Increasing total fiber intake reduces risk of weight and fat gains in women. J. Nutr., 139:576–581.
[5] Rizkalla, S. (2010). Health implications of fructose consumption: A review of recent data. Nutrition & metabolism, 7, 82. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-7-82
[6] Thorning, T., Raben, A., Tholstrup, T., Soedamah-Muthu, S. S., Givens, I., & Astrup, A. (2016). Milk and dairy products: good or bad for human health? An assessment of the totality of scientific evidence. Food & nutrition research, 60, 32527. https://doi.org/10.3402/fnr.v60.32527
[7] Flour (2022). Food Source Information. Retrieved from https://fsi.colostate.edu/flour-draft/#consumption
[8] The hidden dangers of protein powders. (2020). Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-hidden-dangers-of-protein-powders
[9] Anderson, E. & Jinpeng, L. (2020). Digging Deeper – Sodium Aluminum Phosphate. Retrieved from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/digging-deeper-sodium-aluminum-phosphate#:~:text=Sodium%20 aluminum%20 phosphate%20contains%20two,considered%20a%20 phosphorus%2Dcontaining%20 ingredient .
[10] Dreher, M. (2018). Whole Fruits and Fruit Fiber Emerging Health Effects. Nutrients, 10(12), 1833. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10121833
[11] Jew S., Abumweis S., & Jones P. (2009). Evolution of the human diet: Linking our ancestral diet to modern functional foods as a means of disease prevention. J. Med. Foods, 12, 925–934. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2008.0268
[12] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2015). 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. Retrieved from http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/ .
[13] McManus, K. (2019). Should I be eating more fiber? Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/should-i-be-eating-more-fiber-2019022115927