Fiber!

Fiber, the indigestible part of plant foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes) is essential to a healthy diet. As it passes through the body it’s not absorbed like other nutrients and helps to eliminate harmful build-up in the intestines. 

Consuming fiber provides bulk in the diet that makes you feel full for longer. It also aids in weight loss by providing a small number of calories in large volumes of food.

Fiber prevents constipation, promotes regular bowel movements, helps to control blood sugar & cholesterol and lowers the risks of diabetes, colon cancer, heart disease.

How Much

The National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine gives the following daily recommendations for adults:

• Women under 50: 25 grams
• Women over 50: 21 grams
• Men under 50: 38 grams
• Men over 50: 30 grams

If you're like most people, you have no idea how many grams of fiber you consume per day. A great way to find out is by tracking your food using a website or app such as MyFitnessPal.

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• Increase your fiber intake gradually to prevent stomach irritation, and increase your intake of water and other liquids to prevent constipation.

• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, especially those with edible skin (apples, corn, zucchini) and those with edible seeds (berries).

• Choose whole grains: oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat. Brown rice has 5 times more fiber than white rice!

• Be sure to look for 100% whole wheat or whole grain when buying groceries. "Wheat" does not mean "whole wheat." Choose bread that has 2-3 grams of fiber per slice. 

• Remember to eat beans & legumes (black, kidney, pinto, garbanzo & white beans; lentils; split peas) and nuts & seeds (peanuts, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds).

Fake Fibers

"Isolated" fibers in processed foods do not give us the same health benefits of "intact" fiber, the kind that occurs naturally in whole foods.

Manufacturers add isolated fibers to foods in order to boost the number of grams of fiber they can claim on the packaging.

To find out if your food contains isolated fiber, look for the following ingredients: inulin ("chicory root"), maltodextrin, oat fiber, and polydextrose.