What is fiber?

Fiber is a carbohydrate that gives food its bulk.  It can’t be digested by the body, so it’s calorie-free. Fiber-rich foods include fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and products made with whole grain, like certain cereal and crackers.  (Refined grains, like white flour, have been stripped of fiber.)  Fiber-rich foods are helpful to weight loss because they fill you up for relatively few calories.  Plus, certain types of fiber can slow down the conversion of starch to blood sugar, preventing spikes and dips in blood sugar, which, in turn can help quell appetite.  Fiber can also trap a little of the fat and cholesterol from a meal, ushering them out of the body before they can be absorbed - another little weight loss perk.   Women should be aiming for 25 grams of fiber per day; men should consume 38 grams.

Dietary fiber is the part of plant foods that the body cannot digest. Eating foods with fiber helps to keep the digestive tract healthy, stabilize blood sugar levels, and control cholesterol levels.

The recommended daily intake of fiber is 20 g to 35 g .

Fiber in the diet is classified as either soluble or insoluble.

• Soluble fiber-- As part of a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, soluble fiber has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol. Foods high in soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, dry beans and peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries, and apple pulp (the solids left after making apple juice).
• Insoluble fiber-- Insoluble fiber does not lower blood cholesterol, but it is important in keeping the bowels healthy and preventing constipation and diverticular disease. Foods high in insoluble fiber include whole-wheat breads, whole-grain cereals, and whole bran. Other examples are cabbage, beets, carrots, brussels sprouts, turnips, cauliflower, and apple skin.

Bran is widely known as a good source of fiber. But many commercially made bran products, such as muffins and waffles, actually contain very little bran, and they are often high in saturated and total fat. Check the labels for the actual fiber content.