Dietary Fiber 101
Dietary fiber - you’ve probably heard about it but might not know exactly what it is or why you need it. The first thing to know is that your body does not break down fiber, it serves as bulk helping move food through the digestive system. There is also emerging science that when the bacteria in our gut ferments the fiber, the result is short chain fatty acids that can provide various health benefits. We’ll get to the benefits next week but first, the types of dietary fiber.
There are three types of dietary fiber, two you probably have heard of and one that’s a little less known but equally as important.
Soluble fiber. This type of fiber is water soluble and dissolves into water to form a gel-like material. The top 20 food sources of soluble fiber are:
Black beans
Lima beans
Brussels
Avocado
Sweet Potato
Broccoli
Turnip
Pears
Kidney Beans
Figs
Nectarines
Apricots
Carrots
Apples
Guava
Flax Seed
Sunflower Seed
Hazeluts
Oats
Barley Sprouts
Insoluble fiber. This type of fiber is found mostly in the structures that make up the cell walls of plants. It promotes the movement of material through your digestive system and increases stool bulk. The top 20 sources of insoluble fiber are:
Kale
Lima Beans
Brussels Sprouts
Soybeans
Wheat bran and wheat germ
Oat bran or oatmeal
Quinoa
Almonds
Flaxseeds
Garbanzo Beans
Sesame Seeds
Psyllium seed husks
Sweet potato
Potato
Pear
Raspberries
Figs
Apricot
Apples
Walnuts
Strawberries
Resistant Starch: resistant starches resist digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the large intestine feeding your beneficial gut bacteria. The top sources of resistant starches are:
Oats that have been cooked and cooled
Cooked and cooled rice
Sorghum
Barley
Pinto beanch
Black Beans
Soybeans
Garden peas
Fava Beans
Raw potato starch
Cooked and cooled potatoes
Green Bananas
Hi-maize flour or fiber made from corn
