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Fiber: What Is It? Why Eat It?
Fiber is the material that gives plants their
form and support. Dietary fibers are fibers
that we can eat.
Dietary fibers pass through the
digestive system mostly undigested until
they reach the colon where they help to
form stools and help improve how the
colon works.
The colon uses fibers to form stools.
Fiber helps to moisturize the colon lining.
Fiber also helps to keep you healthy.
The text below explains more about
what fiber is and why it is important to
eat fiber every day.
Where Does Fiber Come From?
Fiber comes from plant cells. These cells
give plants their form and support. Dietary
fibers are the fibers that we eat. Because
we do not have what it takes to break
them down, these fibers pass through the
digestive system mostly undigested until
they reach the colon where fiber is used to
form soft stools.
Insoluble Fibers: Fibers that make up
the walls of a plant cell are called insoluble
fiber. Because they do not dissolve in water,
they pass into the colon (still somewhat
stiff—though mashed from chewing) where
they help to create volume in stools.
Soluble Fibers: Fibers inside the cell
are called soluble fibers. These fibers are
easily dissolved by water. They are also
passed to the colon where bacteria change
soluble fiber into a gel that helps to make
stools soft and helps to moisturize the
colon lining.
How Do These Fibers Help the Colon?
Insoluble and soluble fibers work
together to help the colon to work better:
1) Fiber helps to moisturize the colon,
and helps healthy bacteria to grow (bacteria
fight infection).
2) Fiber helps exercise intestinal
muscles and speeds stool transit time (the
time it takes for stools to move through in
the colon). Good stool transit time helps to
prevent stools from drying out.
3) Fiber helps to make soft stools that
have good texture and volume that do not
dry out quickly. Stools are easy to pass.
Without fiber, the body does not produce
soft, well formed stools, the health of the
colon breaks down, and stools move more
slowly. As a result, stools can become dried
out and hard. This is constipation.
Why Should I Eat Fiber Every Day?
Fiber helps to make stools soft, flexible,
and easy to pass. Eating fiber everyday can
help prevent stools from becoming hard and
difficult to pass when you move your bowel.
Sometimes, small tears can happen in
the skin at your anus. These tears are called
anal fissures. If you are passing hard stools,
these anal fissures can be painful. Because
dietary fiber can soften your stool, passage
of stools is made easier whether you have
anal fissures or not.
Fiber is beneficial in other ways. For
example, dietary fiber can make you feel full.
This may be helpful if are trying to eat less.
Dietary fiber also helps to improve the health
of the heart by lowering cholesterol and by
helping to lower blood sugar.
What is a “High Fiber” Diet?
A “high-fiber” diet is rich in both the
insoluble and soluble forms of fiber. Only
plant foods contain dietary fiber. Animal
products such as milk, eggs and meat do
not contain dietary fiber.
Eating foods that are high in animal fat
(meat, dairy products, and eggs), refined
foods (white sugar, white flour), sweets (rich
desserts, candy), convenience foods (frozen
or instant meals), and “fast” foods does not
contain enough dietary fiber to properly form
stools.
Eating dietary fiber every day makes
stools soft and flexible. It helps stools to
move quickly and helps the colon to work
well.
Examples of fiber are listed on page 2.
Text Questions appear on page 3.
Article by Carole Engel
Director of Outreach
© 2004 Fruit-Eze™, Inc.
Fiber, What Is It? Why Eat It?
P. 2 Examples of Fiber
Though all plant cells contain both soluble and insoluble fibers in varying amounts, some
foods, or parts of foods, are especially rich in one type of fiber.
Examples of Foods That Are Rich in Insoluble Fibers:
Foods especially rich in the insoluble type of fiber are: grapes, prunes, apple skins, pear
skins, berries, nuts, celery, artichokes, beets, carrots, brussels sprouts, turnips, cabbage,
cauliflower, broccoli, rhubarb, red chard, asparagus, corn, pop corn, kidney beans, potato
skins, whole grain pasta, whole wheat bread, bran muffins, bran, and Fruit-Eze™ pure fruit
regularity blend.
Examples of Foods That Are Rich in Soluble Fibers:
Foods especially rich in the soluble type of fiber are: apples, apple sauce, pears, prunes,
citrus fruits, strawberries, peaches, bananas, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, navy
beans, baked beans, soy beans, peas, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, baked
potato, sweet potato, yams seaweed, granola, oats, barley, rye, rice, psyllium seeds, flax
seeds, and Fruit-Eze™ pure fruit regularity blend. The highest concentration of soluble fiber
is found in dried fruit such as raisins and dates.
Fiber, What Is It? Why Eat It?
P. 3 Text Questions & Answers
Fiber comes from plants.
Fiber comes from inside plant cells.
These are called soluble fibers.
□
Fiber comes from the walls of plant
cells. These are called insoluble fibers.
□
All of the Above. Dietary fiber comes
from plants that we can eat.
How Do These Fibers Help the Colon?
□
Insoluble and soluble fibers work
together to form stools that are moist,
soft, and flexible.
□
Insoluble and soluble fibers help to
give stools volume. Volume helps to
prevent stools from drying out.
□
Fibers help to tone intestinal muscles
and speed stool transit time.
□
Without fiber, stools become dry and
hard and the colon lining breaks down.
□
All of the above. Fibers help to form
stools and help the colon to work well.
List some examples of foods that are
rich in soluble fiber:
Apples, apple sauce, pears, prunes,
citrus fruits, strawberries, peaches,
bananas, kidney beans, garbanzo beans,
lentils, navy beans, baked beans, soy beans,
peas, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts,
carrots, baked potato, sweet potato, yams
seaweed, granola, oats, barley, rye, rice,
psyllium seeds, flax seeds, and Fruit-Eze™
pure fruit regularity blend are all rich in
soluble fibers.
□
□
Fiber: Though all plant cells contain both
soluble and insoluble fibers in varying
amounts, some foods are more abundant
in one type of fiber. List some examples
of foods rich in insoluble fiber:
Grapes, prunes, apple skins, pear skins,
berries, nuts, celery, artichokes, beets,
carrots, brussels sprouts, turnips, cabbage,
cauliflower, broccoli, rhubarb, red chard,
asparagus, corn, pop corn, kidney beans,
potato skins, whole grain pasta, whole
wheat bread, bran muffins, bran, and
Fruit-Eze™ pure fruit regularity blend are
all rich in insoluble fibers.
Where Does Fiber Come From?
What is a “High Fiber” Diet?
Why Should I Eat Fiber Every Day?
□
□
A “high-fiber” diet is rich in both the
insoluble and soluble forms of fiber.
□
Only plant foods contain dietary fiber.
Animal products such as milk, eggs and
meat do not contain dietary fiber.
Eating fiber every day helps to make
stools soft, flexible, and easy to pass.
Eating fiber everyday can help prevent
stools from becoming hard and difficult to
pass.
□
Fiber helps to make the passage of
stools easier whether you have anal
fissures or not.
□
□
Fiber is beneficial in other ways.
All of the above. Fiber makes stools
soft and helps to prevent constipation.
□
□
Eating foods that are high in animal
fat, refined foods, sweets, convenience
foods, and “fast” foods do not contain
enough dietary fiber to properly form
stools.
□
All of the above. Eating a high fiber
diet every day makes stools soft, flexible
and easy to pass.
Text Questions & Answers by Carole Engel
Director of Outreach,
© 2004 Fruit-Eze™, Inc. / www.fruiteze.com
Educators: Exact reprint for children and parents is
permitted if credit to Fruit-Eze, Inc. is retained.