Abstract
Including fiber-rich foods in your daily diet benefits your heart health and digestive health. How much dietary fiber is enough? Guidelines recommend that if you are aged 50 years or younger, men get 38 grams and women 25 grams daily. If you are 51 years or older, men should get 30 grams and women 21 grams daily.
What Is Dietary Fiber?
Fiber is a component of plant foods. It is a carbohydrate but a type that our bodies can’t digest or absorb. (That means it has no calories.) Dietary fiber comes in 2 types—soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel. In this form soluble fiber can bind with other matter or slow digestion to provide health benefits. Insoluble fiber provides bulk for the digestive system and promotes digestive health.
What Health Benefits Does Dietary Fiber Provide?
Eating enough dietary fiber may provide health benefits such as the following:
Lowered blood cholesterol and reduced risk of heart disease.
Soluble fiber appears to bind with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the bad type) in the digestive tract, so that it is removed from the body and may help reduce blood cholesterol levels. People who eat a diet rich in soluble and insoluble fiber also appear to help lower the overall risk of heart disease. Fiber-rich plant foods also contain a lot of other nutrients, such as antioxidants, that may help promote heart health and overall health.
Decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and better control of blood sugar levels.
A diet with plenty of insoluble fiber may help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. If you have diabetes, soluble fiber helps slow the absorption of sugars from food. This action appears to help improve blood sugar levels.
Better success at weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight.
Foods rich in fiber take more time to eat. And they help you feel full longer. Fiber-rich plant foods are also typically higher in nutrients but lower in calories. So you get more food value and decreased hunger for fewer calories.
Better digestive health and less constipation.
Foods with fiber provide bulk to digestive matter and help it move more easily through the intestines. These qualities can help promote digestive health and may prevent diverticular disease (small pockets of inflammation in the colon). The bulk and softness provided by fiber also help you avoid constipation. Drinking plenty of water helps fiber do these jobs better.
What Foods Are Good Sources of Fiber?
Many whole plant foods offer good sources of fiber. Most plant foods have both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Good sources of soluble fiber include beans, peas, and lentils (legumes); oatmeal and oat bran; raspberries, strawberries and blackberries; flaxseeds; apples, pears, and citrus fruits; and carrots and Brussels sprouts.
Good sources of insoluble fiber are whole wheat, bulgar wheat, and wheat bran; corn bran; brown rice, barley, and other whole grains; nuts and seed; dark leafy greens such as collards, turnips, and spinach; skins of root vegetables such as potatoes; and the skins and seeds of fruits and berries. The majority of vegetables have insoluble fiber.
A number of prepared foods such as ready-to-eat cereals, breads, and juices may have fiber added. Oatmeal cereal, for example, is a good source of soluble fiber.
What Are Some Examples of Foods With More Fiber?
What About Taking Fiber Supplements to Boost Intake?
Taking fiber supplements in addition to eating foods rich in fiber may be appropriate for some people. However, fiber supplements do not provide the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients present in whole foods. If you are thinking about taking a fiber supplement, be sure to discuss the issues with your doctor or registered dietitian nutritionist.
Footnotes
Science of Choices Fact Sheets are sponsored by the ConAgra Foods Science Institute. This handout is from your health care provider and provides a general overview that may not apply to everyone. Be sure to discuss how to use this information with your health care provider.