Here's a great article on
FIBERthat I had posted last year. The link was changed, so here's the new link:
http://www.wegmans.com/kitchen/diet/fiber/fiber.asp
The Scoop on Dietary Fiber
The Bran Difference
It used to be that bran was bran and everyone knew what it was good for. Wheat bran was the only thing we thought of and it had a clear mission: to keep you "regular." But now oat bran is on the supermarket shelves with promises to lower cholesterol. Wheat bran, despite proven benefits to the intestinal tract, cannot claim to lower cholesterol.It is the amount and type of fiber that makes oat bran work differently from wheat bran. You will learn that fiber goes far beyond bran.
Bran (high fiber)
wheat bran
oat bran
corn bran
rice bran
Whole Grain (moderate fiber)
whole wheat flour, whole wheat pasta
oatmeal, rolled oats, steel cut oats, whole-oat flour
cornmeal
brown rice
Refined (low fiber)
white flour (bleached/unbleached), pasta, cream of wheat
oat flour
cornstarch
white rice
Focus on Dietary Fiber
Before you load your grocery cart with bran products, there are important things you need to learn about dietary fiber in general. Dietary Fiber is:
the part of food that resists digestion.
found only in plant foods such as grain products, vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts and seeds.
not a source of calories or vitamins or minerals (but these are often found in foods that contain fiber).
not always high in foods that appear fibrous. Lettuce and cucumbers are low in fiber.
several different substances. These are gums, mucilages, pectins, lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses.
Not All Fiber is Alike
Dietary fiber can be divided into two basic categories: insoluble and soluble. Both are important for health. Some foods are better sources of one form than the other. For example, soluble fiber accounts for half of the fiber in oat bran but only a fifth of the fiber in wheat bran.
Insoluble Fiber
Insoluble fiber is a coarse, chewy material that will not dissolve in water. It is what we think of as roughage. Insoluble fiber helps:
Bowel Regularity -- Insoluble fiber, when taken with enough water, swells and softens the stool. This stimulates the intestinal muscles, thus helping to pass the stool and relieve constipation.
Prevent Intestinal Disorders -- By speeding up the movement of food through the intestine, insoluble fiber reduces pressure in the intestine. This may help prevent hemorrhoids, spastic colon, and diverticulitis.
Prevent Intestinal Cancer -- Increasing both the bulk and speed of food moving through the intestinal tract leaves less time for harmful substances to build.The shortened transit time of certain body toxins may help prevent cancer of the colon. Many researchers want to see more evidence before promising that fiber prevents cancer.
Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber dissolves in water. This kind of fiber is made up of sticky substances like gums and gels. Soluble fiber may help:
Control Diabetes -- Extra fiber along with complex carbohydrates (starches) can make the hormone insulin work better. This allows patients to take less diabetes medication while keeping their blood sugar normal. Persons with diabetes often have sharp rises of blood sugar following meals. Increased soluble fiber in meals slows down the release of food into the intestine and keeps the blood sugar from rising rapidly.
Lower Blood Cholesterol -- Foods high in soluble fiber can further lower the blood cholesterol of people who are already following a lowfat, low cholesterol diet. Soluble fiber probably works by increasing the passage of bile acids through the digestive tract. Cholesterol is taken out of the blood to form more bile acids. Some researchers think that smaller fragments of soluble fiber are absorbed into the bloodstream. These fragments may decrease the production of cholesterol.
Clinical studies show a lowering of blood pressure in response to increased amounts of fiber. This may be the result of other factors such as dietary fat, calories, or sodium.
Control Weight
You may be less likely to gain weight and find it easier to lose weight on a high fiber diet. These foods often require more chewing and take longer to eat. Extra time is needed for food to leave the stomach. That means more satisfaction with fewer calories. Fiber pills are advertised as promoting weight loss. They seem to produce a very modest loss (four pounds at best) over several months. This was with 36 Fiber Trim pills per day! For lifetime weight control include more fiber in everyday food choices.
Soluble Fiber: The Hot Topic
Best-selling books have touted several daily servings of oat bran as the answer to the high rate of coronary disease in this country. Legitimate scientific studies of oat bran, oatmeal and beans have shown significant reductions in blood cholesterol. Preliminary research indicates that corn bran, carrots and apples can reduce cholesterol. Although brown rice contains soluble fiber, no research to date has documented cholesterol lowering.
How Much Will Soluble Fiber Lower Cholesterol?
There are no hard and fast rules or guarantees when it comes to lowering blood cholesterol by eating foods high in soluble fiber. People with higher cholesterol levels appear to have greater cholesterol lowering than people with normal levels. For example, people with high blood cholesterol have been able to reduce their blood cholesterol by 20% (down from 260 to 208 milligrams per deciliters) with 5 ounces (about 1 2/3 cups) of oat bran. That would be like eating three large bowls of cooked oat bran each day! Other (perhaps more practical) studies used 1 cup of oatmeal or 2 muffins (oat bran as main ingredient) daily to lower normal cholesterol levels by 3% (from 196 to 190 mg/dl). Though one research group has found no difference between oatmeal and oat bran, most researchers agree that you have to eat twice as much oatmeal to get the same cholesterol-lowering benefits as oat bran.
Other possible sources of soluble fibers are laxatives based on psyllium (such as Metamucil and Fiber All). Men consuming their typical diet had a 15% cholesterol lowering with the addition of three daily doses. This won't appeal to everyone. The powder, made from the seeds of the psyllium plant, must be mixed into a beverage to be taken. Although these laxatives have had a long track record for safety, they may not be completely harmless. One study indicated poor absorption of riboflavin, a B vitamin, with psyllium use. Be sure to check with your physician or Wegmans pharmacist before considering the use of any supplement.
Trim The Fat As Well
This does not mean that you can have all the saturated fat and cholesterol you want as long as you eat oat bran and beans. Cutting back on fat will further help control blood cholesterol and weight and may also help prevent some types of cancer.
How Much Fiber?
Most Americans eat 10 to 15 grams of total dietary fiber each day. Health organizations such as the National Cancer Institute, the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association encourage 20 to 30 grams each day.
What Does 20 to 30 Grams of Fiber Mean?
It means having every day:
3 to 5 servings of whole-grain breads and cereals
3 servings of vegetables
2 to 3 servings of fruit
A serving is:
2 slices of bread, 1 bagel, 1 cup rice or pasta
1 medium piece of fruit
1/2 to 2/3 cup vegetables
Fiber Analysis Confusion
Years ago, fiber could only be measured as "crude fiber." The crude fiber measurement of food could be as little as 20% of the actual fiber content. Today scientists are still having difficulty finding a reliable way to measure total dietary fiber. Measurements of soluble versus insoluble fiber will vary depending on the laboratory technique used.
Be Wise To Size
Look for grams of fiber. A gram is about the weight of 2 paper clips. Fiber pills are often measured in milligrams (1 gram = 1000 milligrams). Using milligrams for daily fiber is like counting out your paycheck in pennies. A pill containing 275 milligrams of fiber has .275 grams. It would take 100 pills to get the amount of fiber recommended in one day.
Bakery-size bran muffins, at about 5 grams of fiber, seem to be great fiber food. They average 350 calories each -- as much or more than any desserts. It's not that they are bad foods, it is just that they are BIG. Other foods would also be "rich" in fiber if large-size servings were used.
Too Much Of A Good Thing
Adding too much fiber too quickly (especially wheat bran) can cause intestinal gas and other digestive discomforts. These side effects are not serious and usually go away after bacterial levels in the intestinal tract adjust, but why go through it to begin with?
Another concern is that too much fiber may bind important minerals. Fortunately, most high fiber foods are good sources of minerals and the fiber levels being recommended do not cause problems.
What's In A Name?
Some products with oat bran in the name (muffins, crackers, breads, cereals) contain only small amounts of oat bran.
Remember that ingredient labels list those ingredients found in greatest amounts by weight down to those found in least amounts. For example, if sugar is listed before wheat bran, the cereal may be sweeter and not as high in fiber as another wheat bran cereal. Many products have coconut oil, palm oil, animal fat or eggs listed as ingredients. These could cancel the cholesterol-lowering benefit of an oat product.
General Tips For Good Fiber Nutrition
Purchase whole grain breads and cereals rather than refined ones.
Buy fresh produce and eat it raw and unpeeled whenever possible. Don't drink juice for the fiber; it is not a good source.
Instead of refined flour, roll chicken in whole grain flour, wheat bran or oat bran before baking.
Use oatmeal or oat bran in place of bread crumbs in meatloaf or meatballs.
Substitute cooked dried beans for part or all of the meat in casserole recipes. Use in soups, salads and sandwich spreads.
Drink more fluids. Water is what helps fiber work. Without it, insoluble fiber can block the digestive system.
Spread fiber throughout the day. As a general rule, try two servings of fiber-containing foods at each meal.
Exercise regularly. All the benefits of fiber will not outweigh the problems that come with too little physical activity.
