What if feeding your gut microbes helped your body absorb fewer calories without leaving you hungrier? That’s what researchers found when they put a gut-friendly eating plan to the test. It reveals a gap in the calorie-counting advice we’ve heard for decades.

Americans eat much less fiber than we should. So what? Constipation troubles? It’s a lot more serious that that. Without enough fiber your heart misses out on protective signaling that, among other things, lowers blood pressure…