The Importance of Fiber for Healthy Life: Why Do We Need It?
Fiber is a special kind of carb that our bodies can’t really process. You see, most carbs turn into sugar in our bodies, but fiber doesn’t. It just goes through our bodies without getting broken down. But this is actually a good thing!
Fiber does a helpful job by keeping our sugar levels and hunger in control. We need around 25 to 35 grams of fiber every day to stay healthy. But many people in the US only eat about 15 grams a day, which is not enough.
You can find lots of fiber in foods like whole grains, whole fruits and veggies, beans, and nuts. These foods are super sources of fiber that our bodies really need.
Benefits of Fiber:
Eating fiber can be really good for you because it can:
- Lower Cholesterol: Fiber in your tummy can help your body not absorb too much cholesterol, especially if you take certain medicines like statins. There’s a type of fiber called psyllium that can help, and you can find it in fiber supplements.
- Help with Weight: Foods with lots of fiber, like fruits and veggies, often have fewer calories. Fiber also makes your tummy work slower, so you feel full for a longer time.
- Keep You Regular: Fiber can help things move through your tummy faster and prevent constipation. Some fiber doesn’t get digested by your body and adds “bulk” to your tummy, which helps your intestines do their job.
- Control Blood Sugar: Foods with lots of fiber take more time to become sugar in your body. This means your blood sugar levels stay more stable.
- Lower Cancer Risk: Eating enough fiber might stop certain cancers, like colon cancer. This could be because some types of fiber, like what’s in apples, have things that fight off bad stuff in your body.
If you’re eating more high-fiber foods, do it slowly over a few days and also drink plenty of water. This can help you avoid problems like feeling bloated or having gas.
Types of fiber:
There are two kinds of fiber that are really good for our health:
1. Soluble Fiber:
This type of fiber can dissolve in water. It’s helpful because it can make our sugar levels and cholesterol go down. Some foods with soluble fiber are oatmeal, chia seeds, nuts, beans, lentils, apples, and blueberries.
2. Insoluble Fiber:
This type of fiber doesn’t dissolve in water. It’s great for making sure our food moves smoothly through our tummy and helps prevent constipation (when it’s hard to go to the bathroom). Foods with insoluble fiber include things like whole wheat products (especially wheat bran), quinoa, brown rice, legumes (like beans), leafy greens like kale, almonds, walnuts, seeds, and fruits with skins we can eat, like pears and apples.
A chart of foods with lots of fiber:
If you want more fiber in your meals, that’s great for your tummy. Fiber moves through your belly and helps it work well. It might even lower your chances of getting overweight, heart problems, and diabetes.
For women, it’s good to have about 21 to 25 grams of fiber every day.
Men can aim for around 30 to 38 grams a day.
Here’s a list of common foods and how much fiber they have. When you buy packaged foods, look at the label to see how much fiber it has. The amount can change depending on the brand you choose.
Fruits:
- Raspberries (1 cup): 8.0 grams
- Pear (1 medium): 5.5 grams
- Apple with skin (1 medium): 4.5 grams
- Banana (1 medium): 3.0 grams
- Orange (1 medium): 3.0 grams
- Strawberries (1 cup): 3.0 grams
Vegetables:
- Green peas, boiled (1 cup): 9.0 grams
- Broccoli, boiled (1 cup chopped): 5.0 grams
- Turnip greens, boiled (1 cup): 5.0 grams
- Brussels sprouts, boiled (1 cup): 4.0 grams
- Potato with skin, baked (1 medium): 4.0 grams
- Sweet corn, boiled (1 cup): 3.5 grams
- Cauliflower, raw (1 cup chopped): 2.0 grams
- Carrot, raw (1 medium): 1.5 grams
Grains:
- Whole-wheat spaghetti, cooked (1 cup): 6.0 grams
- Pearled barley, cooked (1 cup): 6.0 grams
- Bran flakes (3/4 cup): 5.5 grams
- Quinoa, cooked (1 cup): 5.0 grams
- Oat bran muffin (1 medium): 5.0 grams
- Instant oatmeal, cooked (1 cup): 5.0 grams
- Air-popped popcorn (3 cups): 3.5 grams
- Brown rice, cooked (1 cup): 3.5 grams
- Whole-wheat bread (1 slice): 2.0 grams
- Rye bread (1 slice): 2.0 grams
Legumes, nuts, and seeds:
- Split peas, boiled (1 cup): 16.0 grams
- Lentils, boiled (1 cup): 15.5 grams
- Black beans, boiled (1 cup): 15.0 grams
- Canned baked beans (1 cup): 10.0 grams
- Chia seeds (1 ounce): 10.0 grams
- Almonds (1 ounce, about 23 nuts): 3.5 grams
- Pistachios (1 ounce, about 49 nuts): 3.0 grams
- Sunflower kernels (1 ounce): 3.0 grams
Fiber supplements and foods with extra fiber:
- Usually, it’s better to get your fiber from real foods, not supplements. Fiber supplements like Metamucil, Citrucel, and Fibercon don’t have the mix of different fibers, vitamins, minerals, and other good things that foods do.
- You can also eat foods with added fiber to get more. Some examples are cereal, granola bars, yogurt, and ice cream. The added fiber might be called “inulin” or “chicory root.” But some people might feel gassy after eating these kinds of foods.
- Still, some people might need a fiber supplement if they can’t change their diet enough or if they have certain health problems like constipation, diarrhea, or irritable bowel syndrome. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before using fiber supplements.
How Much Fiber Do You Need?
The Institute of Medicine, a group that helps with health advice, says that grown-ups need this much fiber every day:
- If you’re 50 or younger:
- Men should try to have 38 grams of fiber.
- Women should aim for 25 grams of fiber.
- If you’re 51 or older:
- Men should have around 30 grams of fiber.
- Women should have about 21 grams of fiber.
Some tips for increasing fiber intake:
Here are some ways to eat more fiber:
- Eat whole fruits instead of just drinking fruit juices.
- Choose brown rice and other whole grains instead of white rice, bread, and pasta that’s been changed a lot.
- Add high-fiber foods to what you already eat: like a small handful of almonds, ground flaxseeds, or chia seeds on your cereal, or cut-up veggies in dishes like casseroles and soups.
- For breakfast, go for cereals that have whole grains as the first thing on the ingredient list. Look on the nutrition label and pick cereals with 20% or more of the “Daily Value” for fiber.
- Snack on crunchy veggies or a small bunch of almonds instead of chips and crackers.
- Try using beans or legumes instead of meat a few times a week in dishes like chili and soups.
- If it’s hard to get enough fiber from food, you can use a fiber supplement like powders or wafers. These can make your stool softer and easier to pass. But remember, supplements shouldn’t replace real high-fiber foods completely.
Bottom line:
Different kinds of fibers come from different plant foods, like fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, and seeds. Each type of fiber is good for us in its own way. So, it’s best to eat lots of different plant foods to get around 25-35 grams of fiber each day.
