Fiber Facts

Fiber is the part of plant-based foods your body does not absorb, and according to the USDA, most Americans would benefit from increasing their fiber intake.

A high-fiber diet can help lower cholesterol and may protect you from colon problems such as diverticulosis and irritable bowel syndrome. It may also help reduce your risk of diabetes.

It is recommended that an indiviual consume 20 and 35 grams of fiber each day.

To make sure you get the fiber you need:

• Start your day with a high-fiber breakfast cereal — 5 or more grams of fiber per serving. Opt for cereals with the word bran or fiber in the name. Or add a few tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran to your favorite cereal.
• Switch to whole-grain breads. These list whole wheat, whole-wheat flour or another whole grain as the first ingredient on the label.
• Eat more whole grains and whole-grain products. Experiment with brown rice, barley and whole-wheat pasta.
• Take advantage of today's ready-to-use vegetables. Mix frozen broccoli into prepared spaghetti sauce. Snack on baby carrots.
• Eat more beans, peas and lentils. Add kidney beans to canned soup or a green salad. Or make nachos with black bean dip, baked tortilla chips and salsa.
• Make snacks count. Fresh and dried fruit, raw vegetables, popcorn and whole-grain crackers are all good sources of fiber.
• Eat fruit at every meal. Apples, bananas, oranges, pears and berries are good sources of fiber.
• To avoid bloating and gas problems, increase your fiber intake gradually. And drink plenty of water as you increase your fiber to promote regularity.

What is the difference between insoluble and soluble fiber?

Soluble fiber forms a gel when mixed with liquid, while insoluble fiber does not. Insoluble fiber passes through your digestive tract largely intact. Both types of fiber are important in the diet and provide benefits to the digestive system by helping to maintain regularity. Soluble fiber has some additional benefits to heart health.

What are some good sources of soluble fiber?

Soluble fiber is found in oats, peas, beans, certain fruits, and psyllium (pronounced sil'e-um). Psyllium is a grain that is found in some cereal products, in certain dietary supplements, and in certain bulk fiber laxatives. Read labels carefully to check for the addition of psyllium.
What are the benefits of soluble fiber?
In additional to the digestive system benefits mentioned above, soluble fiber has been scientifically proven to reduce blood cholesterol levels, which may help reduce your risk of heart disease. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration recently authorized food companies to use a health claim for soluble fiber from both psyllium and oats. For example, the new claim for psyllium states, "Soluble fiber from foods with psyllium husk, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease."

Fiber content is often listed on product labels. Here's the fiber in some common food products:

Fruit	Grams		Pasta, Rice, Grains	Grams
Apple	2.8		Barley (1/2 c)	3.0
Banana	1.1		Popcorn (3 c. popped)	2.0
Grapes (15 small)	0.5		Rice, White (1/2 c)	0.8
Kiwi	1.7		Rice, Brown (1/2 c)
Orange	2.9		Pasta, White (1/2 c)	0.9
Strawberries (1.25 c)	2.8		Pasta, Whole Wheat (1/2 c)	2.7
Watermelon (1.25 c)	0.6
Vegetables 1/2 c, Cooked			Bread One slice
Broccoli	2.4		White	0.6
Corn	1.6		Whole Wheat	1.5
Carrots	2.0
Cauliflower	1.0		Nuts and Seeds
Green Beans	2.0		Almonds (6 whole)	0.6
Peas	4.3		Peanuts, Roasted (10 lg)	0.6
Potato,Sweet	4.0		Sesame Seeds (1 tbsp)	0.5
			Sunflower Seeds (1 tbsp)	0.5
Legumes			Walnuts (2 whole)	0.3
1/2 cup
Black Beans	6.1
Chick Peas (Garbonzo Beans)	4.3		Cereal One cup unless specified
Kidney Beans	7.9
Lentils	4.3
Navy Beans	6.5
Pinto Beans	6.1