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It's
time to bulk up with fiber
Sept. 4, 03
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
So
much food, so little roughage.
Considering the obesity epidemic,
you’d think we’d be getting
enough fiber in all of that food
we’re eating.
Think again. The average American gets
less than half the fiber recommended.
Fiber’s important, because evidence
shows that low intakes are associated
with higher risks for heart disease.
Fiber can also help control Type 2
diabetes and prevent diverticular
disease, hemorrhoids, and constipation,
and it may help prevent colon cancer and
obesity.
The Institute of Medicine last year
issued the first recommended daily
intakes of total fiber: 38 grams for
adult men and 25 grams for adult women
under the age of 50; 30 grams for mean
and 21 grams for women over age 50. The
rule of thumb for kids over age 2 is the
child’s age plus 5 grams.
All fiber is not the same, hence the word
"total" in recommendations for
"total fiber" intake. Total
fiber is the sum of all "dietary
fiber" and "functional
fiber" in the diet.
Dietary fiber comes from parts of plants
that we eat but don’t fully digest.
Examples of foods rich in dietary fiber
include whole-wheat cereal, carrots,
beans, oatmeal, lentils and cabbage.
Functional fiber can be extracted from
natural sources or it can be man-made,
but it has similar health benefits as
dietary fiber. One example is pectin,
which is a fiber extracted from fruit and
used to thicken jams and jellies.
Also, fiber can also be described as
being water-soluble or water insoluble.
We need both. Most foods contain a
combination, though a food may be higher
in one type than the other.
Rich sources of soluble fiber include
oatmeal and oat bran, dried beans, peas,
and lentils, berries, and nuts. Studies
have shown that soluble fiber helps lower
blood cholesterol and control blood sugar
levels by slowing the absorption of
glucose into the bloodstream.
Insoluble fiber is found in high
concentrations in whole grains such as
whole-wheat, brown rice, and barley,
wheat bran, carrots, celery and tomatoes.
Insoluble fiber absorbs fluid in the
large intestine to form a large, softer
stool mass that can be more easily
passed.
It’s not hard to get what you need.
Just a half-cup of chickpeas, navy beans,
or kidney beans contains 6 grams of total
fiber. A good-sized bean burrito with
chopped lettuce and tomato contains 15
grams.
A cup of raisin bran cereal contains more
than 8 grams of total fiber; a medium
apple will give you nearly 6. A 1-cup
serving of cooked mixed vegetables,
mashed sweet patato or pumpkin has 8
grams of total fiber.
A peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat
bread, 1/2 cup of carrot sticks, and a
medium pear measures in at 15 grams of
total fiber.
See how quickly it adds up?
If you avoid the junk, that is. White
bread, snack chips, commercial cakes and
cookies, ice cream, and soft drinks
contain little, if any, fiber. Neither do
meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, and
cheese.
Foods high in fiber are the same foods
that form the foundation of a healthful
diet: fruits, vegetables, whole grain
breads and cereals, dried beans and peas,
nuts and seeds.
Other tips:
* Get your fiber from whole foods. While
fiber supplements may be helpful in some
instances, most people can get what they
need from real food. Eat a mix of foods
to get a mix of fibers, both soluble and
insoluble. Remember: you need both.
* Don’t neglect fluids. Fiber
absorbs fluid, keeping stools soft and
easy to pass.
* Make gradual changes. Let your body
adjust to an increased fiber intake over
a period of weeks to minimize discomfort
from gas or bloating. Those side effects
will eventually subside. As I mentioned
in last week’s column, if you do
have trouble with gas, regular exercise
can help relieve it, or you can try an
over-the-counter, anti-gas product such
as Beano.
* Think big. Servings of fruits and
vegetables, that is. Make your usual
portion a full cup and cut back in places
that need cutting back, like entrees,
desserts, sweetened beverages and snacks.
Want to monitor your fiber intake? Check
out the fiber content of foods online at
the USDA Nutrient Database at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl.
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