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You Are Here » Fiber » High Fiber Food
High Fiber Food
Many foods contain a mixture of soluble and insoluble fiber. Both types of fiber are important for your health. Fiber is a substance found only in plants, such as fruits, vegetables, grains and psyllium pronounced sil'e-um. Fiber cannot be digested by humans.
Since it is not absorbed into the body, fiber has no calories. 25 to 35 grams each day, recommended by the American Dietetic Association, helps form a soft, bulky stool. Children - 10 grams plus the child's age. Example, an 8 year old child would need 10 grams + 8 years = 18 grams per day.
Fiber in the diet is good for us.
- Fiber produces a soft satisfying stool.
- Fiber cleanses and keeps your digestive tract in good working order maintaining regularity (keeps the bowels moving) which helps prevent constipation.
- Fiber helps regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels which helps reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Fiber improves symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome.
- Fiber may help people to lose weight.
- Fiber helps control blood sugar in people with diabetes.
- Fiber protects against colon cancer and may protect against stroke and heart attacks and other heart problems.
Increase your intake of water to at least eight glasses a day.
Soluble Fiber dissolves easily in water and takes on a soft, gel like texture in the intestines. Soluble fiber is not broken down until it reaches the large intestine where digestion causes gas (flatulence). Soluble fiber can help lower blood cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. You can get soluble fiber from oat bran, oatmeal, apples, pears, oranges, grapefruit, cabbage, green peas, corn and legumes (dry beans, lentils or peas).
Insoluble Fiber often called roughage, provides the "bulk" needed for proper functioning of the stomach and intestines. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, passes essentially unchanged through the intestines and produces little gas. Insouble fiber helps move waste through the digestive tract decreasing the time that potentially harmful substances may stay in the colon. It promotes healthy intestinal action and prevents constipation and intestinal disease. Found in whole grain breads and cereals and some vegetables. Examples include 100% whole wheat bread and 100% bran flakes, fruit with edible peels or seeds, and vegetables.
Example of a High Fiber Diet Would Include
* Breakfast - Bran cereal (All-Bran 13 gram, or Fiber One 18 gram)
* Lunch - A large salad (Dinner Plate)
* Dinner - Two one cup servings of vegetables (broccoli, etc), Starch, 4 or 5 oz chicken or fish, Salad
Fiber Supplements
If you can't get all the recommended daily amounts of 25 to 35 grams from your fiber foods, fiber supplements can help. But remember to take it slow, adding too much of a fiber supplement in the diet "too quickly" can cause constipation, diarrhea and bloating, intestinal gas (flatulence) and other digestive discomforts.
This problem can usually be reduced by increasing fiber in your diet "slowly" over a period of weeks which helps your health and your body to adjust. When fiber is increased, water must be increased. Be sure to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day if you use fiber supplements, otherwise, fiber supplements may make you even more constipated.
Fiber supplements create a feeling of fullness so take before meals if you are overweight or take after meals if you are underweight or normal weight. Follow fiber supplement directions and always check with your doctor when starting any new supplement. Remember to continue to try to get most of your fiber from foods.
So Remember:
- When increasing the fiber content of your diet, it's best to take it slow.
- Add just a few grams at a time to allow the intestinal tract to adjust, otherwise, abdominal cramps, gas, bloating, and diarrhea or constipation may result.
- Drink at least 2 liters - 8 cups - of fluid daily.
- Don't cook dried beans in the same water you soaked them in.
- Use enzyme products, such as Beano or Say Yes To Beans, that help digest fiber.
Use the United States Department of Agriculture Food Pyramid at www.mypyramid.gov/ as a guide. If you eat 2 to 4 servings of fruit, 3 to 5 servings of vegetables, and 6 to 11 servings of cereal and grain foods, as recommended by the pyramid, you should have no trouble getting 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day.
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