[tikanique]

found a cereal that i like better than Fiber One. it is All Bran's Bran Buds. these are great with fresh strawberries on them and 1/3 cup has 14 grams of fiber (3 soluble, 11 insoluble)

what the heck does that mean? is it good or bad, should i toss it and go back to fiber one? help a sister out here, please?

[Meg]

I (modestly) consider myself to be the Queen of Fiber because I live with two guys with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and fiber is the cornerstone of any therapy to treat IBS. I am forever sneaking fiber into whatever I can for DH and DS, including smoothies.

As you saw on your Bran Buds package, there are two kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble. There's probably a better scientific explanation, but I think of them as gentle and not-so-gentle fiber. Soluble (gentle) is the kind of fiber that you can digest -- it's found in apples and oatmeal. It gets gummy when water is added to it -- think about what your oatmeal bowl looks like if you don't put water in it when you are done with breakfast. That's why they always recommend a lot of water with any kind of fiber -- it absorbs water. Insoluble fiber (not-so-gentle) is indigestible fiber -- it's more like a whisk broom moving through your colon and cleaning it out. It absorbs water and creates bulk. Bran and psyllium are insoluble fibers (as are popcorn kernels).

I don't think it makes any difference for you which kind of fiber you are eating so long as you can tolerate it. DS can't have the insoluble kind because it is too harsh for his delicate system, so we give him a lot from fruits and oatmeal. I've been trying him on Benefiber, a clear, tasteless fiber supplement that you can add to foods and liquids and so far it is OK.

Personally, I eat both Fiber One and All-Bran Extra Fiber and consider them interchangeable. Watch the bran though -- there's one brand (can't remember which) that has sugar added to it. Mine is Kelloggs and is sweetened with Nutrasweet.

Meg

[Goddess Jessica]

Wow Meg, thanks for that explaination. I never knew the difference either.

So, here's another highly debatable question: How much fiber should you get a day? How much do you get from supplements?

[Meg]

Jessica -- I think the conventional wisdom is a minimum of 30g of fiber per day. I personally need more than that for things to run smoothly, as they say possibly due to the large proportion of protein that I eat in my diet. Veggies and my bowl of oatmeal aren't enough for me, so I supplement with SF Metamucil or I'll eat some Fiber One or homemade chili.

I looked on the label of the Benefiber and it is indeed soluble fiber (guar gum) so if anyone has trouble tolerating insoluble fibers, like those in Fiber One, bran cereals, and Metamucil, try the Benefiber. I've been putting it in fruit smoothies for DS, but it would also work in our beloved protein shakes. The label says you can put it in soup, soft foods, and hot and cold drinks. http://www.benefiber.com/index.jsp

Meg

[BethO]

I'm a Bran Buds fan - I blend them to powder in my blender then add them to my homemade protein bars for crunch. This doesn't impact on their fibre content does it (the blending)? Is that a stupid question?

BethO

[Meg]

Beth -- I don't know for sure, but don't think that grinding the bran would change the fiber content. You could add some water to a bit sometime and see if it still swells up and soaks up the water.

Meg