Dietary Fiber in the All-American Diet: Missing, But Easy to Find

By Unnur K. Gylfadóttir, Ph.D., RD, LD/N, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida
Reviewed by Linda B. Bobroff, Ph.D., RD, LD/N, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida

If you’re like most of us, you may have heard that it’s important to include plenty of fiber in your diet. Fiber-rich foods are important for a healthy digestive tract, which makes for a healthier you. Eating adequate fiber helps to control blood sugar and lower blood cholesterol. It also reduces your risk for heart disease.

But does dietary fiber have to be boring, dry, and tasteless? Not at all! Today, all kinds of colorful and tasty fiber-rich foods abound in the marketplace–just not in the typical American diet. In fact, the latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans highlighted fiber as a nutrient of concern, since the usual intake for Americans is only about 15 grams a day, which is far below the recommended intakes of 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Older adults are not doing much better, even though their recommended intakes are a bit lower than for younger adults. It may even be harder for older adults to get the fiber they need, since they eat less food than younger Americans, and often limit foods that are high in fiber.

So where can we find fiber, and how do we get it into our daily diets? Many people probably know that dietary fiber is found only in plant foods, like fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans. The problem is that most Americans, including older adults, don’t eat enough plant foods. Those they do eat may not provide much fiber.

For example, how many of your friends eat about 2 ½ cups of vegetables and 1 ½ cups of fruit every day? This is the recommended intake for an 1,800 calorie a day eating plan, which is about right for quite a few adults. If you eat more calories than this, then you need to eat even more fruits and vegetables. Fortunately, finding creative ways to add fruits and vegetables to your diet is pretty easy these days, and you can find some great resources at the end of this blog!

On the other hand, I don’t know a dietitian who would say that Americans don’t eat enough grain foods. We eat plenty of them, but we eat the wrong kind! Our grain foods are mostly refined (meaning that the fiber-rich bran and germ have been removed) and high in added sugars and fat. We love pastries, doughnuts, cupcakes, white-flour breads and pasta, and other refined grain foods.

When shopping, use the food labels to compare ingredient lists and grams of dietary fiber. For example, examine the food label of your favorite cold cereal and see if it gives you at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Try new kinds of cereals, breads, crackers, rice, pasta, and other grains to make at least half your grains whole. You don’t have to give up all your favorite grain foods, but you probably will need to make some adjustments.

Fiber is not destroyed by cooking, canning, freezing, or drying. However, it can be removed by refining, juicing, and peeling. For example, brown rice has 3.5 grams of fiber per cup, while white rice, which has had its fiber mechanically stripped away, has only about ½ gram. And remember, whole fruits are always going to give you more fiber than juiced fruits. A fresh orange has about 3 grams of fiber, while orange juice has none. Eating fruits and vegetables (like potatoes) with their edible skin provides maximum fiber content. Slicing fruits like apples and pears thinly makes them easier to eat unpeeled.

Here are some easy ways to boost your fiber intake:

  • Keep canned beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, and kidney) handy to add to your salads, soups, and casseroles. Just ½ cup will add about 8 grams of fiber! Rinse the beans before using to lower their salt content.
  • Raspberries and blackberries are packed with fiber (8 grams per cup). Enjoy them when they are in season and when they are on sale at your grocery store. Also have them on hand, washed and ready to use, in the freezer to add to your smoothies.
  • Grating raw vegetables (like carrots) makes them easier to eat. They add not only fiber but also color, texture, and nutrients to foods like sandwiches and salads. A medium carrot contains about 2 grams of fiber.
  • Use dried fruits for snacks and on your breakfast cereal and yogurt. They store well, and there are many to choose from, like apricots, cherries, figs, raisins, and prunes.
  • Give new whole-grain foods, like whole wheat pasta, a try. If you are not too fond of it alone, combine it with cooked white pasta.
  • Sprinkle a few nuts or seeds on your foods, or eat them as a snack.
  • Snack on whole grains, like air-popped popcorn!

Keep in mind that eating fiber-rich foods in small amounts throughout the day adds up. Choose plant foods most of the time, and before you know it you’ll be on your way to eating a healthy, fiber-rich diet!

(Photo credit: West Show Jersey July 2010 17 by Man vyi. Public domain.)

Further Reading:

Healthy Living: Staying Regular (from UF/IFAS EDIS)

Healthy Living: Tips for Staying Regular (from UF/IFAS EDIS)

Nutrition for Health and Fitness: Fiber in Your Diet (from UF/IFAS EDIS)

Additional, reliable information:

Elder Nutrition and Food Safety (ENAFS)

Solutions for Your Life

Wheat Foods Council

 

References

Institute of Medicine. (n.d.) Dietary reference intakes: Macronutrients. Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/Global/News%20Announcements/~/media/C5CD2DD7840544979A549EC47E56A02B.ashx

Elder Nutrition and Food Safety (ENAFS). MyPlate for Older Adults. Retrieved from http://fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/Extension/HNFS/MyPlate/MyPlate/MyPlate_for_Older_Adults_Front.pdf

USDA. (n.d.) National nutrient database for standard reference. Retrieved from http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

USDA (2010). Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-PolicyDocument.htm

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Posted: April 7, 2014


Category: Health & Nutrition, Work & Life
Tags: Healthy Aging, Nutrition And Food Systems


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