Health and Fitness Information Center

The Facts and Benefits of Fiber, Part 1

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• Multiply the number of grams of fat in a serving by 9 (the number of calories in a gram of fat). 11 X 9 = 99
• Divide the result by the number of calories in a serving. 99 / 325 = 0.3046
• Multiply your answer by 100, then round to the nearest number. 0.3046 x 100 = 30.46 or 31
• This food would get 31 percent of its calories from fat.

Fiber Facts
Fiber is not a single substance. It is an enormous group of widely different chemical substances with varied physical properties. Fiber is divided into two basic types - soluble and insoluble. Foods differ in the type and amount of fiber they contain. But all types of fiber have two things in common: they are found only in plant foods and they are resistant to human digestive enzymes (that is they pass through the digestive tract without being completely broken down).

While other basic foods are nearly all digested and absorbed as they pass through the small intestine, fiber enters the large intestine more or less intact. Being indigestible, fiber also contributes no nutrients to the body, and so for many years, no one thought removing it from food was bad (hence, the popularity of "softer" white bread over whole wheat). But nutritionists have discovered that fiber performs valuable functions precisely because it is not digested.

Insoluble fiber is like a sponge: it absorbs many times its weight in water, swelling up within the intestine. Insoluble fiber is found mainly in whole grains and on the outside of seeds, fruits, legumes, and other foods. It is best to eat unrefined foods since insoluble fiber is key in promoting more efficient elimination by increasing stool bulk and may alleviate some digestive disorders.

Soluble fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, seeds, brown rice, barley, oats, and oat bran. It can help produce a softer stool, but does less to help the passage of food; rather, it works chemically to prevent or reduce the absorption of certain substances into the bloodstream.