HEALTH and NUTRITION

Everyone Can Benefit from More Dietary Fiber

FIBER IS IMPORTANT IN EVERYONE'S DIET. A HIGH-FIBER DIET IS AN
excellent way to improve health, especially for those with digestive problems. For those who are already healthy, adding fiber to one's diet (especially in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables) can prevent a number of problems down the road. Fiber is beneficial in reducing risk of heart disease, lowering cholesterol, reducing risk of some cancers, and aiding in a healthy gastrointestinal system.

Dietary fiber is a group of complex carbohydrates that are not a source of energy for human beings. Because human digestive enzymes cannot break the bonds that hold fiber's sugar unit together, fiber adds no calories to your diet and cannot be converted to glucose. You find insoluble and soluble fiber in all plant foods- fruits, vegetables, and grains. Insoluble fiber aids in bowel regularity. These fibers are not digested by the body and may be seen in the stool. An example of insoluble fiber is the skin on corn.

Soluble fibers are fibers that can be digested by the body and seem to lower the amount of cholesterol circulating in your blood. The last stage of digesting these fibers happens in the large intestine where they go through a fermentation process. Fermentation can cause increased gas, bloating, and discomfort when you are not used to a lot of fiber in your diet. Legumes are an example of a soluble fiber source.

Recommended fiber intake for adults is 25-35 grams/day.

Tips for Adding Fiber to Your Daily Diet:

1. Add fiber slowly—adding fiber too fast can cause increased bloating, gas and stomach pains. Add 1 extra serving a day for several days, then add another serving the same way until you reach your goal.
2. Drink plenty of water—without adequate fluids, you could become constipated or have hard stools. Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day. Caffeine drinks can cause dehydration and should not be considered in your daily fluid intake.
3. Exercise—daily exercise helps the GI tract to work better. A daily walk is all it takes.
4. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables—fresh fruits and vegetables are an easy way to add fiber to your diet. Another great way to add fiber is to include legumes (beans like kidney, garbanzo, and limas) or peas, such as split peas and lentils.

The table below provides a list of vegetables and fruits high in fiber. To reach your goal of 30 grams of fiber per day (without eating any type of grains), in a typical day you would need to consume:

• 1 cup of berries and a banana in a smoothie for breakfast;
• ½ cup of lentils in the form of soup for lunch;
• 1.5 ounces of nuts for an afternoon snack; and
• 1 cup cooked vegetables, (such as broccoli, peas or carrots) and a baked potato with dinner.

Now that doesn't seem overwhelming at all!

VEGETABLES
Food	Serving Size	Grams of Fiber
Beans (navy), cooked	½ cup	9.5
Beans (pinto, black), cooked	½ cup	7.7
Chickpeas(garbanzo beans),cooked	½ cup	6.2
Lentils, cooked	½ cup	7.8
Potato (with skin), baked	3.5 ounces	5.0
Sweet Potato, cooked	3.5 ounces	3.0
Peas (frozen), cooked	½ cup	4.4
Peas (frozen), cooked	½ cup	4.0
Soybeans, cooked	½ cup	3.8
Broccoli, cooked	½ cup	2.5
Carrots, cooked	½ cup	2.3
Carrots, raw	1 carrot	2.0
Green beans, cooked	½ cup	2.0
Sweet corn (on the cob), cooked	1 ear	1.8
Vegetable soup (Progresso™)	1 cup	1.4
Lettuce (romaine), raw	1 cup	1.2
Lettuce (green leaf), raw	1 cup	0.7
Celery, raw	1 stalk	0.6
FRUITS
Raspberries(sweetened), frozen	½ cup	5.5
Pears, raw	1 pear	5.1
Raspberries, raw	½ cup	4.0
Blackberries, raw	½ cup	3.8
Kiwifruit	½ cup	3.4
Apples (with skin), raw	1 apple	3.3
Oranges, raw	1 orange	3.1
Bananas, raw	1 banana	3.1
Raisins (1 miniature box), seedless	14 g	0.6
Pears, canned in syrup	½ cup	2.2
Grapefruit (pink and red), raw	½ grapefruit	2.0
Grapefruit (white), raw	½ grapefruit	1.3
Orange juice(unsweet.), froz concen.	6-fl-oz can	1.7
Applesauce (sweetened), canned	½ cup	1.5
NUTS
Almonds, oil-roasted	3.5 ounces	11.2
Pistachios	3.5 ounces	10.8
Coconut, raw	3.5 ounces	9.0
Peanuts, dry-roasted	3.5 ounces	8.0
Hazelnuts, oil-roasted	3.5 ounces	6.4
*Gluten Intolerance Group of North America (2004) Retrieved from www.gluten.net ©2006 by Claudia Pillow and Annalise Roberts

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