Friday, October 03, 2008
All About Fiber....
Dietary fiber comes from the thick cell wall of plants. It is an indigestible complex carbohydrate. Fiber is divided into two general categories- water soluble and water insoluble.Where is it found?
Whole grains are particularly high in insoluble fiber. Oats, barley, beans, fruit (but not fruit juice), psyllium, and some vegetables contain significant amounts of both forms of fiber and are the best sources of soluble fiber. The best source of lignan, by far, is flaxseed (not flaxseed oil, regardless of packaging claims to the contrary).
Who is likely to be deficient?
Most people who consume a typical Western diet are fiber-deficient. Eating white flour, white rice, and fruit juice (as opposed to whole fruit) all contribute to this problem. Many so-called whole wheat products contain mostly white flour. Read labels and avoid “flour” and “unbleached flour,” both of which are simply white flour. Junk food is also fiber depleted.
The benefits of eating whole grains are largely derived from the beneficial constituents present in the outer layers of the grains, which are stripped away in making white flour and white rice. Preliminary research has found that women who ate mostly whole grain fiber had a lower mortality rate than women who ate a comparable amount of refined grains.1
Labels: fiber, fruit juice, fruits and veggies, grains, healthy diet, insoluble fiber, refined foods, soluble fiber, sugar, Whole Foods, Whole grains, whole wheat
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