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Dietary Fiber

Do you feel constipated? Do you have that bloated feeling?

Then you need fiber in your diet! The more the better.

Dietary fiber, sometimes called "roughage," is the indigestible portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive system, while absorbing water, softening stool and shortening transit time through the intestinal tract.

Fiber Sources

The five most fiber-rich foods are:

• Legumes (beans, lentils, and peas)
• Wheat bran
• Prunes
• Asian pears
• Quinoa

Raspberries and blackberries are also exceptional sources of fiber.

Click here for a printable chart of fiber content in various foods (102KB PDF). Please note: This list lacks data for nuts.

Benefits

"Eating fiber has many benefits for your health. The consumption of soluble fiber has been shown to protect you from developing heart disease by reducing your cholesterol levels. The consumption of insoluble fiber reduces your risk of developing constipation, colitis, colon cancer, and hemorrhoids."

—Medical News Today "What Is Fiber? What Is Dietary Fiber? Fiber Rich Foods"

• Weight control — Adds bulk to your diet, making you feel full faster.
• Controls variance in blood sugar levels — Attracts water and turns to gel during digesting, trapping carbohydrates and slowing absorption of glucose.
• Helps prevent heart disease — Lowers total and LDL cholesterol.
• Helps control metabolic syndrome and diabetes — Regulates blood sugar.
• Reduces time that toxins in waste are in your system — Speeds the passage of foods through the digestive system.
• Helps prevent intestinal microbes from producing substances that increase the risk of colorectal cancer — Balances intestinal pH.

Recognizing the growing scientific evidence for physiological benefits of increased fiber intake, regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States have given approvals to food products making health claims for fiber.

Clinical trials have shown that eating high-fiber foods significantly reduces blood cholesterol levels.

Consistent intake of fermentable fiber through foods like berries and other fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts is now known to reduce risk of some of the world’s most prevalent diseases — obesity, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and numerous gastrointestinal disorders. In this last category are constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, and colon cancer — all disorders of the intestinal tract where fermentable fiber can provide healthful benefits.

Fiber Intake Guidelines

The ADA currently recommends a minimum of 20-35 grams daily for a healthy adult. Estimates are that an average American's daily intake of dietary fiber is presently only 12-18 grams.

Sources

Wikipedia "Dietary fiber" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber)

Tadashi Ehara
April 2009

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Last modified: August 05, 2009