Dietary fiber refers to the portions of fruits, grains and vegetables that your body can't digest. High-fiber foods are generally low in fat and calories but rich in vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. There are two types of dietary fiber: soluble fiber that dissolves in water and insoluble fiber that does not dissolve in water. Both forms are essential for your overall health and disease prevention.
Sources
Oat bran, oatmeal, barley and legumes such as dry beans, lentils and peas are excellent sources of soluble fiber. You can also select fruits with edible peels, such as apples and pears, or eat citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit with their membranes intact. Cabbage, green peas, corn and other vegetables offer plenty of soluble fiber. Fruits with edible seeds or peels, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole-grain foods contain insoluble fiber.
Recommendations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that adults eat between 25 and 30 g of dietary fiber a day but does not differentiate between soluble and insoluble fiber intake. Children should ingest 10 g a day plus the child's age. A 7-year-old, for example, should eat 10g + 7 g, or a total of 17 g a day of dietary fiber.
Balancing Intake
You can balance your intake of soluble and insoluble fiber by eating a variety of high-fiber foods each day. The American Institute for Cancer Research outlines a meal plan that provides at least 30 g of dietary fiber each day. Select at least five servings of fruits and vegetables and three or more small servings of whole grains daily, varying your choices to get an array of essential nutrients. Incorporate unprocessed grains and beans into most of your meals, and munch on a handful of nuts and seeds several times a week. When you're at the grocery store, read Nutrition Facts labels to identify the number of grams of fiber in a particular food, and opt for high-fiber varieties.
Bowel Function
Your body needs both soluble and insoluble fiber for bowel health. Soluble fiber combines with bile acids in your intestines to create a gel-like substance that becomes part of your stools. Insoluble fiber, or roughage, makes your stools softer and bulkier. The combined effects help promote regular bowel movements without any straining and reduce your risk of developing chronic constipation, hemorrhoids or diverticulosis, a chronic digestive disorder that forms small pouches on the inner lining of your colon.
Health Benefits
When you eat foods high in soluble fiber, your liver pulls cholesterol from its storage areas to create the bile acids that bind soluble fiber in your intestines. The liver then filters more cholesterol from your blood to replenish its stores. Lower blood cholesterol levels reduce your risk of developing coronary artery disease, heart failure, heart attack and stroke. Soluble fiber also decreases the rate at which sugar is absorbed from your digestive tract and improves your blood glucose level. Finally, high-fiber foods improve weight management by filling you up quicker and helping you stay full longer.
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