Your body benefits in many ways from a fiber-rich diet with foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils.
Fiber helps you feel fuller longer. It slows the breakdown of carbohydrates, which helps control blood sugar levels, and lowers LDL cholesterol levels, known as “bad” cholesterol levels. Fiber also promotes regular bowel movements.?Fiber comes in two forms – soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber creates a gel-like substance in the intestines, which binds to cholesterol and prevent its absorption into the bloodstream. Just five to 10 grams or more of soluble fiber a day can decrease your LDL cholesterol.
Sources of soluble fiber include nuts, seeds, barley, beans, lentils, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, and avocado. One cup of black beans contains 15 gm of soluble fiber.
Insoluble fiber fights constipation by keeping bowels moving. It’s found in stalks, skins, and seeds of fruits and vegetables.
How much fiber do I need?
• Men 50 years and younger: 38 gm fiber per day
• Men 51 and older: 30 gm fiber per day
• Women 50 years and younger: 25 gm fiber per day
• Women 51 and older: 21 gm fiber per day
How to identify whole grains:
Whole wheat, whole grain, and high fiber are all labels that stick out on bread and grain product packaging. In the U.S., we are far too good at stripping the nutrients and fiber from wheat/grain products and “enriching” them by adding back in vitamins and minerals.
The bottom line is whole grain products contain more fiber per serving than the enriched flour or white flour alternatives. Look at the ingredient list. Choose a product if the first word is “whole” because it is made primarily from whole wheat or whole grain, which has more fiber.
How much fiber is enough?
Use these methods when evaluating items like bread, crackers, cereal, rice, pasta, and grains to choose the healthiest item.
Quick method: Check the nutrition label to ensure the product contains at least 4 gm of fiber per serving
In-depth method: Compare the ratio of carbohydrates to fiber to assess if there’s enough fiber for the number of carbs in the item. The goal should be 1:5 at most and 1:1 as the best.
For example:
• If a product contains 32 gm carbohydrate and 8 gm of fiber, that means there is 1 gm of fiber for every 4 gm of carbohydrate. This is a 1:4 ratio, which is adequate.
• If the product contains 56 gm of carbohydrate and 8 gm fiber, there is 1 gm of fiber for every 7 gm of carbohydrate and this is a 1:7 ratio, which is too much carbohydrate or not enough fiber.
High Fiber Whole grains:
• Wild rice
• Quinoa
• Barley
• Farro, a whole grain similar to barley
• Freekeh, a whole grain similar to quinoa
• Wheat Berries
Other items to note:
• When choosing cereal, take note of the grams of sugar (listed below dietary fiber on the nutrition label). Choose items with <10 gm per serving.
• Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. This helps with digestion and absorption of fiber containing foods.
• If you have a history of GI disease, check with your doctor or health professional before increasing fiber intake.
This post is sponsored by Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center and is written by Jessica Shickel, a registered dietitian.
