From Whole to Hollow: The Fiber Crisis in Indian Homes
- Madhukar Dama
- 3 days ago
- 9 min read
INTRODUCTION
In the heart of every Indian kitchen once lived abundance — whole fruits, leafy greens, hand-pounded grains, unpeeled vegetables, and rough textures that cleansed the gut and nourished the soul. But over time, modern habits, convenience, trends, and fear disguised as health have stripped our meals of their most vital ingredient: fiber.
This healing dialogue between Madhukar the Hermit and a typical urban family from Bengaluru reveals the 50 common yet unnoticed habits that slowly kill fiber in Indian households — and with it, our energy, digestion, and immunity. But healing is always possible. With every peel we preserve, every stalk we chew, every bite we respect, we return to the natural intelligence of our bodies.
Let this be a reminder: health doesn't come from supplements, but from remembering how to eat what nature made whole.
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FAMILY PROFILE: THE SRINIVASANS
1. Mr. Ramesh Srinivasan (42)
IT professional, long sitting hours, mild obesity, constipation, acidity, bloating, early fatigue.
2. Mrs. Lakshmi Srinivasan (39)
Homemaker, stylish cook, follows health trends on Instagram. Complains of hair fall, low energy, hormonal imbalance.
3. Ananya (15)
School-going teenager. Acne, mood swings, sugar cravings. Follows Western diet fads.
4. Varun (10)
Junk food lover, addicted to screens, refuses vegetables. Frequent stomach pain and hyperactivity.
5. Grandmother Jayamma (68)
Believes in “soft food for old age.” Constipation, piles, body pain, minimal physical activity.
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We’ll now proceed point by point, starting with the first fiber-reducing behavior from the list:
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THE HEALING SESSION — PART 1
“Your Gut is Not a Dustbin, It's a Garden”
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1. Drinking fruit juices instead of eating whole fruits
Ramesh: We have fresh orange or pomegranate juice every day.
Madhukar: And where is the fruit?
Lakshmi: We strain the pulp. It’s tastier.
Madhukar: You drank the sugar and threw away the broom. Fiber is what cleans your colon and slows down sugar spikes.
Ananya: So we just eat the whole fruit?
Madhukar: Peel. Chew. Swallow. That’s digestion — not sipping sweet water.
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2. Removing peels from fruits and vegetables before eating
Lakshmi: I always peel carrots, cucumbers, even apples. Who knows what’s on the surface?
Madhukar: And who knows what you’re throwing? The peel holds the highest fiber and antioxidants.
Jayamma: Peels are dirty.
Madhukar: Wash them. Not reject them. You’ve thrown the shield away.
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3. Replacing whole grains with refined white rice and maida
Ramesh: We eat basmati. And chapatis made from soft dough.
Madhukar: Basmati is perfume. Not nutrition. You replaced whole grains with lifeless white fluff.
Lakshmi: Maida tastes better.
Madhukar: And sticks better — to your intestines.
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4. Overcooking vegetables, destroying fiber structure
Lakshmi: We boil vegetables till they’re soft.
Madhukar: Then you’ve turned them into wet cloth. Fiber needs resistance. Don’t turn food into surrender.
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5. Straining soups and dals to remove pulp
Ananya: Our tomato soup is smooth. So is dal.
Madhukar: And so is your constipation. The pulp is the push. You threw it out for texture.
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6. Preferring soft, processed foods over raw or semi-cooked ones
Jayamma: We prefer soft food. Hard ones hurt the teeth.
Madhukar: What hurts your mouth saves your colon. Roughage keeps the body alert. You traded strength for softness.
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7. Avoiding leafy greens due to 'gas' fears
Lakshmi: Spinach gives gas. Methi too.
Madhukar: They only protest in a rotten gut. Fiber clears that rot. Gas isn’t from leaves. It’s from what’s rotting in you.
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8. Eating out frequently, where fiber-rich items are rare
Ramesh: We eat out 2–3 times a week. Office dinners.
Madhukar: Outside food is made for tongue, not for intestines. It fills the belly but empties your strength.
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9. Following trendy low-carb diets that cut fruits and grains
Ananya: I’m on a keto diet. Only paneer and eggs.
Madhukar: A diet made to burn fat will also burn the soil in your gut. You removed the fiber and called it ‘science’.
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10. Drinking tea/coffee with biscuits instead of fruits or nuts
Lakshmi: Tea time is with Marie biscuits.
Madhukar: Empty air pressed into circles. No fiber. Just sugar and shame.
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11. Skipping salads as they are considered 'cold' or 'Western'
Jayamma: Salad is for foreigners. We are South Indian.
Madhukar: Your ancestors ate raw greens from forests. Fiber doesn’t belong to any country. Your gut knows no flag.
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12. Using non-stick pans and pressure cookers excessively
Lakshmi: I cook everything in non-stick and pressure cookers. Fast and easy.
Madhukar: You killed the food with speed. Pressure and friction break down fiber. You ate ghost vegetables.
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13. Eating packaged snacks with almost zero fiber
Varun: I love Kurkure and chips.
Madhukar: You’re eating fiberless firecrackers. They burst in the stomach, not in the mouth.
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14. Feeding children only soft foods, avoiding chewable textures
Lakshmi: I mash everything for Varun. He hates chewing.
Madhukar: Then his stomach will forget how to digest. Chewing activates enzymes. Without fiber, even medicine won’t reach.
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15. Believing fiber causes bloating and avoiding legumes
Ramesh: Rajma and chana make me bloated.
Madhukar: Because your gut has forgotten. That’s not their fault. It’s your years of neglect.
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16. Choosing peeled cucumbers, carrots for aesthetics
Ananya: Peeled veggies look better in reels.
Madhukar: And what looks good on screen makes you weak in real life. Beauty isn’t nutrition.
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17. Believing fruits are 'sugar bombs' and skipping them
Lakshmi: Fruits have too much sugar. I avoid them.
Madhukar: They also carry fiber, enzymes, and life. Fear the mithai, not the mango.
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18. Eating late dinners with zero raw content
Ramesh: We eat dinner at 10. Just rice and rasam.
Madhukar: The body digests with the sun. By 10, your gut has slept. Raw food at night could still rescue you. But you gave nothing.
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19. Avoiding whole sprouts due to 'gas' concerns
Lakshmi: Sprouts give Varun gas.
Madhukar: Sprouts are living food. Gas happens when the rest of your food is already dead.
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20. Believing khichdi and white rice are safest for digestion
Jayamma: I eat khichdi daily. It’s light.
Madhukar: It’s light in fiber too. You’ve made digestion a funeral.
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21. Consuming meat-heavy meals without vegetables
Ramesh: My Sunday lunch is biryani and chicken.
Madhukar: Meat without fiber becomes sludge in the gut. Every piece begs for greens to move along.
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22. Replacing traditional millets with polished rice
Lakshmi: I used to cook ragi and jowar. But kids didn’t like it.
Madhukar: You gave up nature’s gift for children’s tantrum. And now they suffer. Bring it back, slowly.
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23. Thinking pickles or papad are vegetable substitutes
Jayamma: We have papad and pickle with every meal.
Madhukar: That’s salt and crunch. Not fiber. You traded healing for habit.
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24. Using too much oil which reduces overall vegetable volume
Lakshmi: I love deep-fried bhindi and aloo.
Madhukar: You drowned the medicine in grease. The gut needs volume, not viscosity.
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25. Drinking milk instead of fiber-rich breakfast options
Varun: I drink milk in the morning. Nothing else.
Madhukar: Milk fills, but doesn’t move. Your gut needs a sweep, not a coat of mucus.
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Madhukar (closing Part 1 gently):
Each of these is not just a habit — it’s a quiet betrayal. You didn’t mean to hurt your gut. But intention doesn’t digest food. Action does.
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THE HEALING SESSION — PART 2
“Your Gut Remembers What You Forgot”
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26. Using juicers instead of blenders or hand-mashing
Lakshmi: I bought an expensive cold-press juicer. It removes every drop.
Madhukar: And every drop of fiber too. A blender keeps the body of the fruit. Your juicer gives you flavored emptiness.
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27. Avoiding jackfruit, guava, custard apple due to seeds
Ananya: I don’t eat guava or custard apple. Too many seeds.
Madhukar: And so you avoid the richest fiber fruits. Modern teeth have become lazy. So has the colon.
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28. Discarding fibrous stalks of methi, palak, etc.
Lakshmi: I throw the stalks. Only use the leaves.
Madhukar: You threw the spine of the plant. The stalks are the broomsticks of the gut.
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29. Skipping breakfast or eating processed cereals
Ramesh: I usually skip breakfast or have cornflakes.
Madhukar: Skipping fiber in the morning is like forgetting to water the plant. And cornflakes? Pressed sugar with a golden lie.
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30. Thinking raw foods are unclean or 'pesticide-loaded'
Lakshmi: Raw food is risky. Pesticides.
Madhukar: So you poison it with heat instead? Wash. Peel sensibly. But don’t abandon nature’s gift.
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31. Washing vegetables too thoroughly and losing peels
Jayamma: I scrub the lauki and ridge gourd hard.
Madhukar: You’re scrubbing away the medicine. The skin is rough so it can clean you inside.
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32. Serving only 1-2 sabzis in meals with large rice portions
Ramesh: Our plates are half rice, half dal. Sabzi is a side.
Madhukar: Flip the ratio. Make fiber the hero. Right now, rice is the king and your gut is the beggar.
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33. Excessive fear of food allergies leading to food avoidance
Lakshmi: I avoid many fruits — fear of reactions.
Madhukar: And fear gave birth to deficiency. Clean your gut. Slowly reintroduce. Don’t fear food. Fear imbalance.
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34. Using atta with high maida content instead of whole wheat
Lakshmi: Our atta is soft and white.
Madhukar: Then it’s not atta. It’s powdered pretense. Look for fiber-rich flour. It should feel heavy and earthy.
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35. Eating pizza and burgers as main meals without salad
Ananya: We eat Domino’s twice a week.
Madhukar: That base is air and sugar. Where is the resistance? Where is the roughage? You swallowed cardboard for dinner.
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36. Consuming more alcohol which dehydrates and affects gut
Ramesh: I have weekend drinks.
Madhukar: One sip dries up your colon’s hope. Alcohol dehydrates and slows movement. Add fiber and water if you must sin.
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37. Following Instagram diets without local fiber sources
Ananya: I follow a wellness coach online. She uses quinoa and avocado.
Madhukar: Your gut doesn’t know California. It needs ragi, banana stem, ridge gourd. Don’t export your health.
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38. Having 'fruit chaat' with peeled fruits and sweeteners
Lakshmi: I serve fruit chaat with lemon and salt. All peeled.
Madhukar: You added taste and lost purpose. Fiber is hidden in the skin. Let the fruit be whole.
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39. Thinking oats and cornflakes are fiber-rich enough
Ramesh: I eat oats daily. That’s healthy, right?
Madhukar: Depends on the oats. Rolled ones are okay. But instant ones? Fiber lost. Nutrients lost. Time lost.
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40. Giving elderly soft, mashed food with no chewing effort
Jayamma: I eat only soft khichdi. No raw. No chewing.
Madhukar: And your colon became soft too. Chewing keeps the system alive. Add grated veggies. Add texture. Don’t retire your gut before your body.
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41. Believing sprouts need to be boiled to be ‘safe’
Lakshmi: I boil sprouts before serving.
Madhukar: Then you’ve killed the life. Sprouts are alive. Boiling silences their music. Rinse, soak, chew raw or lightly steamed.
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42. Discarding fibrous vegetable ends (beans, drumstick)
Lakshmi: I trim both ends of beans and drumstick.
Madhukar: You trimmed away nature’s brushes. Those ends scrub the insides. Don’t fear the chew.
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43. Avoiding regional wild greens and foraged vegetables
Ramesh: We don’t eat unknown leaves.
Madhukar: What your ancestors foraged with joy, you ignore with suspicion. Learn. Rediscover. These are the forgotten medicines.
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44. Using excessive packaging, thus avoiding fresh markets
Lakshmi: We buy everything packed. Looks clean.
Madhukar: Packed food is pre-decayed. Fresh food has soil, yes. But it also has life.
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45. Having dairy-heavy meals (paneer, cheese, butter)
Ananya: I love grilled cheese and paneer tikka.
Madhukar: Cheese clogs. Paneer sticks. Add greens, raw veggies, fiber. Balance or suffer.
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46. Relying on supplements instead of fiber from food
Ramesh: I take isabgol every night.
Madhukar: Supplements are scaffolding. Not the building. Real fiber must be chewed, not swallowed in a spoon.
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47. Removing seeds from tomatoes, cucumbers, papayas
Lakshmi: Seeds are annoying.
Madhukar: And essential. Seeds add bulk. You made food sterile and your body sterile too.
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48. Thinking ‘clean eating’ means white, soft, sterile food
Ananya: I follow a clean diet. Everything white and soft.
Madhukar: That’s not clean. That’s dead. Clean eating means alive, unprocessed, whole. Not fearfully filtered.
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49. Copying Western protein-focused diets with no fiber
Ramesh: High protein, low carb. That’s modern wisdom.
Madhukar: Modern wisdom is ancient ignorance. No fiber, no microbiome. And no microbiome, no immunity.
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50. Letting screen-time replace time for food prep and chewing
Varun (quietly): I eat while watching YouTube.
Madhukar: Then the body forgets to chew. Mindless eating = gutless living. Watch the food. Not the screen.
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CLOSING WORDS:
Madhukar:
Fiber is not just a nutrient. It is the proof that something is whole.
You’ve removed the parts that resist, and now you suffer from weakness.
Add back the peel, the stalk, the seed, the skin, the chew.
Let your gut feel the earth again.
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Bury Me in Basmati
they peeled the apple,
strained the soup,
boiled the life out of greens,
and called it dinner.
they feared seeds,
feared peels,
feared chewing,
feared hunger.
but never feared dying slowly.
they fed the kid white bread
and wondered why he screamed.
they fed grandma soft khichdi
and wondered why she stopped moving.
the rice was polished,
the dal was thin,
the fiber was gone
and so was the soul.
no one chews anymore.
they scroll.
they sip.
they soften everything.
even their pain.
and now they shit once a week,
pop pills twice a day,
sleep with machines,
and blame their fate.
it wasn’t fate.
it was the juicer.
it was the cereal.
it was you.
chew, dammit.
bite back.
or be buried in
a gut full of undigested dreams.
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