Fiber is a type of carbohydrate your body is unable to digest. However, your body uses fiber in a variety of ways, and ensuring you get enough of it in your diet is key to maintaining good health. While fruits can be a good source of fiber, fruit juices, in general, have much less fiber than the fruits from which the juices are derived.
Fiber
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that plays a key role in your ability to maintain optimal health. According to MayoClinic.com, fiber helps maintain bowel health, lowers blood cholesterol and helps control the body's blood sugar levels. Eating foods high in fiber can also help you lose weight, as these foods generally take a longer time to chew and cause you to feel fuller for a longer period of time than foods that don't have fiber.
Fiber in Fruits
Fruits contain various amounts of fiber, mostly in their skin and pulp. According to the Food and Drug Administration, fruits generally contain from 1 to 6 g fiber per serving, or between about 4 and 24 percent of your recommended daily fiber intake. High-fiber fruits include kiwi, with 4 g per serving; apples, with 5 g; and pears, with 6 g. Fruits such as avocado, grapes and pineapple have about 1 g of fiber per serving.
Fiber in Fruit Juices
Fruit juices typically have less fiber than whole fruits. For example, according to the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, a 1-cup serving of orange juice has about 1 g dietary fiber, significantly less than a medium orange, which has about 3 g. One brand of apple juice has 0 g dietary fiber even though an apple has about 4 g. This is not unexpected, as fruit juices are mostly made from the liquid of the fruit, with much of the skin and other parts of the plant removed.
Other Considerations
While fruit juices generally have less fiber than their whole-fruit counterparts, different amounts of fiber are present in various kinds of juices and even in the same type of juice made by different manufacturers. Always check the nutritional label on juices to determine the amount of fiber. If you don't get enough fiber in your diet, consider adding more fruits and vegetables instead of juices.
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