The Secret of Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber is the non-digestible portion of plant food that flows through your digestive system and creates the bulk of the feces you eliminate. How important is dietary fiber? What does it really do?
Dietary fiber can come in two forms:
1. Water soluble fiber
This type of dietary fiber is broken down in the colon via fermentation which will produce gases and some useful by products.
2. Insoluble dietary fiber
This is the fiber that creates the feces you eliminate from your system. It will absorb water as it travels the digestive system and will aid in the absorption of other nutrients.
Sources of Dietary Fiber
Soluble dietary fiber:
- legumes: beans, peas
- grains: oats, rye, barley
- fruits: plums, apples, pears, berries
- vegetables: broccoli, carrots, sweet potato, onions
- nuts like almonds
Insoluble dietary fiber:
- wheat
- corn bran
- nuts and seeds
- potato skins
- vegetables: green beans, cauliflower, celery
- fruits: kiwi and avocado, unripe bananas
Benefits of Dietary Fiber
- treatment of constipation
- rolled oats helps lower blood cholesterol levels
- possible links to the reduction of colon cancer
- gives a “full” feeling to help people lose weight
Daily Intake of Dietary Fiber
| Dietary Fiber Intake | |
| Age | g/day Fiber |
| Males | |
| 9-13 years | 31 |
| 14-18 years | 38 |
| 19-50 years | 38 |
| 51+ years | 30 |
| Females | |
| 9-13 years | 26 |
| 14-18 years | 26 |
| 19-50 years | 25 |
| 51+ years | 21 |
What does this translate into for food needed to reach these intake levels?
| Dietary fiber content of foods. | ||
|
Serving size |
Fiber(grams) |
|
| Breads, cereals, grains | ||
| White bread |
1 slice |
0.6 |
| Whole grain bread |
1 slice |
1.7 |
| 100% All Bran |
1/2 cup |
8.8 |
| Corn Flakes |
1 cup |
0.7 |
| Shredded Wheat |
2 biscuits |
5.5 |
| Oatmeal, cooked |
1 cup |
4.0 |
| Rice, brown, cooked |
1 cup |
3.5 |
| Rice, white, cooked |
1/3 cup |
0.6 |
| Fruit (fresh unless otherwise noted) | ||
| Apple, with skin |
1 large |
3.3 |
| Apricots |
1 |
0.7 |
| Banana |
1 |
3.1 |
| Blackberries |
1 cup |
7.6 |
| Dates |
5 |
3.3 |
| Grapes |
10 |
n/a |
| Grapefruit, pink and red |
1/2 |
2.0 |
| Grapefruit, white |
1/2 |
1.3 |
| Melon, cantaloupe |
1 cup |
1.4 |
| Nectarine |
1 |
2.3 |
| Orange |
1 small |
3.1 |
| Peach |
1 |
1.5 |
| Pear |
1 medium |
5.1 |
| Pineapple |
1 cup |
2.2 |
| Plums |
1 small |
0.9 |
| Prunes, dried |
5 |
3.0 |
| Raisins |
1 cup |
5.4 |
| Strawberries |
1 cup |
3.3 |
| Vegetables | ||
| Beans, baked, canned, plain |
1 cup |
10.4 |
| Beans, green, cooked |
1 cup |
4.0 |
| Beets, canned |
1 cup |
2.9 |
| Broccoli, raw |
1 cup |
2.3 |
| Cabbage, raw |
1 cup |
1.6 |
| Carrots, raw |
1 cup |
3.1 |
| Cauliflower, raw |
1 cup |
2.5 |
| Celery, raw |
1 cup |
1.9 |
| Corn, yellow, cooked |
1 cup |
3.9 |
| Lentils, cooked |
1 cup |
15.6 |
| Lettuce, romaine, raw |
1 cup |
1.2 |
| Lettuce, iceberg, raw |
1 cup |
0.7 |
| Peas, boiled |
1 cup |
4.5 |
| Peas, split |
1 cup |
16.3 |
| Potato, baked, fresh |
1/2 potato |
2.3 |
| Sweet potato, cooked without skin |
1/2 potato |
3.9 |
| Tomato, red, ripe |
1 tomato |
1.5 |
| Winter squash, cooked |
1 cup |
5.7 |
| Zucchini squash |
1/2 cup |
n/a |
Dietary fiber is far better than fiber from supplements. As you eat food in your regular diet, you will receive the dietary fiber you need as well as a number of nutrients.
