Dietary fiber is made of tough, fibrous structures in plants. Although your body cannot digest dietary fiber into energy, foods with fiber have many benefits that help you minimize your risks for certain diseases and disorders. Foods that contain a high amount of fiber are always plant-based since animal sources do not contain any fiber.
Types
Different fiber foods have different amounts of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and becomes a gel-like substance that slowly passes through your digestive tract. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and does not change its form in your body. Both types excrete from your body with very little or no change in chemical properties.
Benefits
Soluble fiber slows your nutrient absorption rate without increasing your blood sugar rapidly. According to former nutrition professor Gordon Wardlaw of Ohio State University, soluble fiber binds with cholesterol from bile acids in your intestines, which lowers your cholesterol level. The lowering of bile level causes your liver to make more high-density lipoproteins, or HDLs, that carry cholesterol away from your blood vessels and into your liver to make more bile acids. This reduces your risks for heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Insoluble fiber increases the amount of bulk in your feces, helping to prevent constipation. It also helps maintain pH balance, or acidity, in your colon, which helps reduce your risk of colon cancer. An increase in bowel movements help you reduce the amount of toxins, cholesterol and other wastes in your body.
Since your body cannot digest either type of fiber, soluble and insoluble fibers create a feeling of satiety without providing extra calories. Therefore, fiber foods are very low in calories per serving and are ideal choices for those who wants to lose weight.
Definition
According to the Colorado State University, foods that have high amounts of fiber contain more than 5g of fiber per serving. Foods that have moderate amounts of fiber have 2.5g to 4.9g per serving. Low-fiber foods contain less than 2.5g of fiber per serving.
Recommended Intake
Aim for 38g of dietary fiber daily if you are an adult male and 25g daily if you are an adult female. You can obtain these amounts of fiber by adding high-fiber foods to every meal and snack.
Sources
Dietitian Ellen Coleman, author of "Ultimate Sports Nutrition," recommends that you get fiber from a variety of plant sources. You can get soluble fiber from eating oats, barley, fleshy parts of fruits and vegetables, legumes and chia. Good sources of insoluble fiber include whole-wheat bread, whole-grain cereals, brown rice, nuts, seeds and the skin of some fruits and vegetables such as potatoes, apples and carrots.
References
- "Ultimate Sports Nutrition"; Ellen Coleman; 2004
- "Perspective in Nutrition"; Gordon Wardlaw; 2002
- MayoClinic.com: Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet
- Colorado State University: Dietary Fiber
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