Posts Tagged ‘soluble fiber’

Estimate Your Fiber Intake

(This part is continuation of the previous stories regarding dietary fiber)

It is obvious that dietary fiber has significant role in keeping your optimum health and, furthermore, has ability to prevent you from cancer.  The question is: can we estimate the content of fiber in our foods?

If you want to estimate your dietary fiber intake, consult the following charts in which divide fiber into the two basic types: insoluble and soluble.

Insoluble Fiber Content of Foods

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More Health Benefits of Dietary Fiber

Two More Benefits of Fiber

(This part is continuation of the previous article)

The soluble forms of fiber have value in control of blood cholesterol and blood sugar. Fruits, vegetables, beans, and oat bran are good sources of these forms of fiber.

The soluble fibers don’t lower blood cholesterol nearly as much as the cholesterol’s sources raise it. But a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has a mild cholesterol-lowering effect, thanks to the fiber. Lower blood cholesterol, of course, means lower rates of heart disease.

These soluble forms of fiber have also revolutionized the treatment of diabetes. New research has shown that a high-fiber diet helps diabetics control their blood sugar better than the diets used in the past. Their insulin requirements often drop on a high-fiber diet. Changes in insulin doses should be made only on a doctor’s instructions.

Fiber’s ability to keep the blood sugar under control may very well help people who do not have diabetes. A low-fiber meal can cause the blood sugar level to rise quickly, then drop abruptly. Headaches, hunger, and irritability can set in as a result.

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Dietary Fiber Prevents You from Cancer, Part II

More Whole Grain Ideas

(The previous story of fiber)

Of course, there are whole grain foods other than those that we think of as cereals.

Here are some ideas for whole grain foods that go well with lunch and dinner or make good snacks:

1. for lunch : whole wheat or rye bread
2. for dinner : brown rice, millet, bulghur wheat (as in tabouli)
3. for snacks : graham crackers, rye wafers, or whole wheat crackers

All of these foods are moderate sources of insoluble fiber.

A Matter of Milling

You may be surprised to see brown rice and whole wheat bread described as only moderate sources of fiber. These foods contain less fiber than is commonly believed.

Brown rice, for example, has only a moderately higher fiber content than white rice. The difference amounts to about 1.5 grams per half cup of cooked rice.
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