Fiber is one of three types of carbohydrates found in foods. It is significantly healthier for you than simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates, also known as sugars and starches, because it reduces your risk of many diseases, including colon cancer, diverticulitis, heart disease, rectal cancer and varicose veins, according to "Nutripoints: A New Guide to Simple, Healthy Eating." There are two kinds of fiber -- insoluble and fiber. Insoluble fiber doesn't dissolve and is in many plant-based foods.
Grains
Insoluble fiber is in all whole grains, but is not in all of the other plant-based foods, including beans, fruits and vegetables, according to "The New Pritikin Program." Eating whole grains is important because people who eat them every day are 15 to 25 percent less likely to die of cancer and heart disease, according to "An Invitation to Health."
"The New Pritikin Program" author Robert Pritikin explained that the spongelike insoluble fiber in whole grains absorbs so much liquid that your stools become much softer and are "propelled more quickly" through your digestive system. This rapid transit means that all the foods you eat have less time to deposit cancer-causing compounds in your body. Pritikin's "Fiber Content of Selected Foods" chart lists oat bran as the grain with the most insoluble fiber -- 2.2 grams per serving. It is followed by cornmeal, oats, whole-wheat bread and barley.
Beans
All beans don't have insoluble fiber, but the four foods with the most insoluble fiber are beans, according to "The New Pritikin Program." Black-eyed peas have 6.8 grams of insoluble fiber per serving. Pinto beans, kidney beans and lima beans have 3.3, 3.3 and 3.2 grams of insoluble fiber per serving. Americans eat only 11 to 13 grams of fiber per daily, but they should eat 20 to 35 grams daily, according to "Invitation," a college textbook.
Beans also are "helpful in controlling cholesterol," but cooking them properly is important in making sure they maintain their insoluble fiber before they are consumed, reports "Nutripoints." Soaking them overnight and cooking them slowly at a low, nonboiling temperature preserves their fiber.
Fruits
Unrefined fruits such as apples and oranges have far more insoluble fiber than refined fruits such as apple juice and orange juice. Fruit juices are considered fruits by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but the refinery process eliminates nutrients and fiber while adding more fat, salt and sugar. Pritikin's "Fiber Content" chart lists dried figs as the fruit with the most insoluble fiber -- 2.9 grams per serving. Apples with skin, strawberries, dried dates, oranges and bananas also have a lot of insoluble fiber.
Vegetables
Foods with insoluble fiber helps you lose weight because they "swell inside your stomach" and make you so full that your craving for other food diminishes, wrote Robert Pritikin. Leafy green vegetables with insoluble fiber are particularly beneficial because they're low in calories and require a lot of chewing. Other vegetables with lots of insoluble fiber include corn, yam, onions, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes.
References
- "Nutripoints: A New Guide To Simple, Healthy Eating"; Dr. Roy E. Vartabedian and Kathy Matthews; 2008
- "The New Pritikin Program"; Robert Pritikin; 2007
- "An Invitation to Health"; Dianne Hales; 2003
- FoodReview: Many Americans Are Not Meeting Food Guide Pyramid Dietary Recommendations
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