Why is fiber important?Including fiber in your diet is good foryour health in lots of ways. A diet rich inhigh fiber foods can: • reduce the risk of heart disease and type

2 diabetes• l ower the risk of several forms of cancer • i m p rove cholesterol and blood pre s s u re• help regulate your digestion• help you feel fuller, so you may eat less

What exactly is fiber?Fiber is the part of plant foods that ourbodies can’t absorb or digest. It is foundin fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, lentils,nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Fiber isalso known as roughage or bulk.

T h e re are two kinds of dietary fiber:insoluble and soluble. It is important toeat plenty of both.

Insoluble fiber comes from fru i t s ,grains, and vegetables. It adds bulkand acts like a brush to clean out thecolon. As it passes through the diges-t i ve tract, insoluble fiber re m a i n smostly intact. This helps keep yo u rb owel movements re g u l a r. Soluble fiber comes from fruit, somevegetables, oats, beans, peas, lentils,and barley. When mixed with l i q u i d ,it forms a gel, which helps contro lblood sugar and reduces cholesterol.

What is a whole grain?A whole grai n has all three of itsoriginal parts: the bran (fiber-rich outerl a yer), the germ (inner layer), and theendosperm (middle layer). Whole grainsa re rich in nutrients, including fiber.Whole wheat flour, oatmeal, rye, corn-meal, bulgur, barley, brown rice, ande ven popcorn are all whole grains.

A re f i n ed grain has been milled, soonly the middle layer (endosperm) isleft. Milling re m oves much of the vita-mins, iron, protein, and fiber. “W h i t e”and “w h e a t” flours are refined grains.“ En r i c h e d” flour has had some of thenutrients added back, but not the fiber.White rice is also a refined grain.

How much fiber do I need?The American He a rt Association re c o m-mends between 25 to 38 grams of fiber aday in a well-balanced diet. The ave r a g eAmerican eats only 15 grams of fiber a day.

Adding more fiber to your diet1 . Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and

vegetables eve ry day. Eat the skinsand peels whenever you can, becausethey contain a lot of fiber.

2 . Try more recipes with beans, peas,lentils, quinoa, bulgur, or brown rice.

3 . Eat oatmeal, bran, or another wholegrain cereal for bre a k f a s t .

4 . Choose breads, cereals, tortillas, andcrackers that list a whole grain as thefirst ingredient on the label.

5 . Make at least half of your grains e rvings whole grains.

6 . Add fiber to your diet slow l y. If yo uadd it too fast, you may feel bloatedor have gas pains.

7 . Unless your doctor has told you notto, drink 6 to 8 cups of water andother fluids a day to keep thingsm oving smoothly through yo u ri n t e s t i n e s .

8 . If you eat wheat bran to keep yo u rb owels moving, start with 1 teaspoonper meal. In c rease slowly to 2 to 4tablespoons a day.

9 . Buy unprocessed foods when you can.Food processing often re m oves fiber.

Read food labelsLook for the “d i e t a ry fiber” content onfood labels. Good sources of fiber haveat least 10% of the “p e rcent daily va l u e”for fiber.

When looking for whole grainp roducts, read the ingredient list. In theexample below for whole wheat cere a l ,the first ingredient is “whole grain wheat.”

Regional Health Education

Fiber Fa c t s :Why fiber is important

WheatCereal

© 2006, The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Regional Health Education.

915800109 (Revised 11-07) RL 8

This information is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of medical advice or care you receive from your physician orother health care professional. If you have persistent health problems, or if you have additional questions, please consult with your doctor. If youhave questions or need more inform a t i o n about your medication, please speak to your pharmacist. Kaiser Permanente does not endorse the med-i c a t i o n s or products mentioned. Any trade names listed are for easy identification only.

Additional resourcesConnect to our Web site at k p . o r g. Here you’ll find the Health Encyclopedia and k p . o r g/ n u t r i t i o n ,

which offers more in-depth information on this and many other topics. Check your Kaiser Permanente

Healthwise Handbook. Contact your Kaiser Permanente Health Education Center or Department for

health information, programs, and other re s o u rces.

FIBER CONTENT OF FOODS