Dietary Fiber...Not a Joking Matter!

Dietary Fiber seems to be a staple of late night comics and gets no respect but it is most definitely a staple of good health.

For example, from Alan King, American comic, "You do live longer with bran, but you spend the last fifteen years on the toilet".

It really is a serious subject, albeit, one that makes a great punch line.

Dietary fiber comes from plants and includes such things as cellulose, pectin and gums.

They are the indigestible part of plant foods that move through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing the passage of waste products.

Most dietary fiber is classified as to whether it is water soluble or not and both types are present in all plant foods, with varying degrees of each according to the plant’s characteristics.

Insoluble fiber has passive water-attracting properties that help to increase bulk, soften stool and shorten transit time through the intestinal tract.

Soluble fiber undergoes metabolic processing via fermentation, yielding end-products with broad, significant health effects.

For example, plums (or prunes) have a thick skin covering its juicy pulp. The plum's skin is an example of an insoluble fiber source, whereas soluble fiber sources are inside the pulp. So with prunes we get a double benefit on the issue of colon health.

Other sources of insoluble fiber include whole wheat, wheat and corn bran, flax seed and vegetables such as celery, green beans, potato skins and tomato peel. Some sources of soluble fibers are peas, beans, oats, apples and carrots.

It is estimated that North Americans consume less than 50% of the dietary fiber levels required for good health.

In the preferred food choices of today's youth, this value may be as low as 20%, a factor considered by experts as contributing to the obesity crisis we see in our young people.

In view of the growing scientific evidence for physiological benefits of increased fiber intake, the FDAis now allowing food producers to make health claims for dietary fiber.

And we were all wondering how those cereal manufacturers could get away with selling pharmaceuticals in a box. After all, only an FDA approved drug can make health claims, or so we thought. Wonder what that cost the cereal companies?

In clinical trials, these fiber sources were shown to significantly reduce blood cholesterol levels, an important factor for general cardiovascular health, and to lower risk of onset for some types of cancer.

Soluble (fermentable) fiber sources gaining FDA approval are:

Psyllium seed husk (7 grams per day)

Beta-glucan from oats (3 grams per day)

Beta-glucan from whole grains or barley (3 grams per day)

Consistent intake of fermentable fiber through foods like berries and other fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts is now known to reduce risk of some of the world’s most prevalent diseases — obesity, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and numerous gastrointestinal disorders.

Link to the page on the Gastrointestinal System to see just how complex and vitally important all this stuff about dietary fiber really is.

In this last category are constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, and colon cancer — all disorders of the intestinal tract where fermentable fiber can provide healthful benefits.

Insufficient fiber in the diet can complicate defecation. Low-fiber feces are dehydrated and hardened, making them difficult to evacuate. This is acutally the definition of constipation and, as many of us know too well, can lead to development of hemorrhoids or anal fissures.

Although many researchers believe that dietary fiber intake reduces risk of colon cancer, one study conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Medicine of over 88,000 women did not show a statistically significant relationship between higher fiber consumption and lower rates of colorectal cancer or adenomas.

The American Dietetic Association recommends a minimum of 20-35 g/day for a healthy adult depending on calorie intake. The ADA's recommendation for children is that intake should equal their age in years plus 5 g/day, for example, a 4 year old should consume 9 g/day.

In the event anyone has a need to know the fiber content of various foods, Continuum Health Partners (CHP), a non-profit hospital system in New York City has a pretty decent fiber chart that can be accessed by clicking on CHP Dietary Fiber Chart.

Soluble fiber is found in varying quantities in all plant foods, including:

legumes (peas, soybeans, and other beans)

oats, rye, chia, and barley

some fruits and fruit juices, especially prune juice

vegetables such as broccoli, carrots and artichokes

root vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions

psyllium seed husk (a mucilage soluble fiber)

Sources of insoluble fiber include:

The top dietary fiber plant foods, according to the Linus Pauling Institute, are legumes (15-19 grams of fiber per US cup serving, including several types of beans, lentils and peas), wheat bran (17 grams per cup), prunes (12 grams), and Asian pear (10 grams each, 3.6% by weight).

So put your prunes on your All Bran, sprinkle with Flax, add a few blueberries and strawberries and have a regular day.

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