"Dietary Fiber - Helps You Lose Weight and Lowers Cholesterol"

We're often told we need to include more dietary fiber in our diets. It's becoming increasingly clear that what we eat can help prevent, even reverse, certain medical conditions.

On this page, I discuss what fiber is and how it can help improve your health.

Fiber is the indigestible part of plant foods that take the form of complex carbohydrates. Fiber helps to push food through the digestive system.

Unlike fats, proteins or carbohydrates, which your body is able to break down and absorb, fiber passes through your digestive system virtually unchanged.

There are two different types of fiber, soluble and insoluble.

Foods containing this type of fiber can help individuals that have problems with constipation, as a bulkier stool is easier to pass.

Some food sources of insoluble fiber include: fresh vegetables such as green beans, whole-wheat products, cereals, corn bran and seeds and nuts.

By including these foods in your diet, you can help regulate your bowel movements, normalizing your bowel habits.

It also functions as a natural thickening agent in food.

Soluble fiber is found in foods such as apples, beans, carrots, citrus fruits and barley.

Fiber can also help control your blood sugar levels. Soluble fiber can slow the absorption of sugar, which can help diabetic individuals. Also, eating a high fiber diet can reduce the likelihood you will become diabetic.

Eating a high fiber diet can help you lose weight. Foods that are high in fiber generally take longer to chew, thus making it easier for your body to determine when it’s full, making you less likely to overeat. Also, fiber has no calories. A high fiber meal leaves you feeling full for longer periods of time.

As soluble fiber lowers blood cholesterol levels, it may reduce your risk of developing coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is a condition where blood flowing to the heart is either partially or completely blocked.

By including a proper balance of soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet, you help to maintain the proper balance of bacteria in your large intestines. The dietary fiber that is found in the large intestines serves as a source of energy for the various bacteria found there.

Although results are mixed, there is some evidence that eating dietary fiber reduces your risk of developing colorectal cancer.

According to the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, these are the recommended amounts of dietary fiber children and adults should consume each day:

Children
1-3 years
19 g
4-8 years
25 g

Adolescent Males
9-13 years
31 g
14-18 years
38 g

Adolescent Females
9-13 years
26 g
14-18 years
26 g

Adults, age 50 and younger
Men
38 g

Women
25 g

Adults, age 51 and older
Men
30 g

Women
21 g

Fiber supplements come in a variety of forms ranging from bran tablets to purified cellulose.

In fact, many laxatives that are sold as stool softeners mainly contain fiber.

Although fiber is generally thought to be good for you, its role is still under investigation.

Furthermore, fiber supplements can also interact with certain prescription medicines.

Also, fiber supplements don't contain the vitamins and minerals that high fiber foods do.

These are some good reasons why you should avoid fiber supplements. You should get your fiber by eating a variety of fiber rich foods.

• Start your day by eating a high fiber cereal. Many of these cereals will have 5 g or more of fiber in each serving. Look for cereals that have the words bran or fiber in their names.
• When you bake, add crushed bran cereal or wheat bran to products you bake including bread, cakes and cookies, meatloaf and muffins.
• Switch from white breads to whole wheat breads. These breads list whole grain or other wheat products as the first ingredient on their labels.
• Eat more foods that contain many whole grain products. Try eating more brown rice or barley, for example.
• Eat more beans and green peas. Try adding kidney beans to canned soups or a salad.
• Include a fruit with every meal. Fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges and pears are good sources of fiber.

Additionally, you should drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day. If adequate levels of water are not part of your daily dietary regimen, you may end up becoming constipated.

Last, be sure to check the labels on each food product you purchase. Nutrition labels now contain a Daily Reference Value (DRV) for fiber. Your DRV for fiber should be 25 g each day, based on a 2000-calorie diet.