Fiber has become a household word.  When I was growing up, it was never mentioned, but now labels are read frequently for fiber content.  Even with this increase in awareness, fewer than 20% of Americans eat the recommended daily allowance.  The disease and discomforts  of not eating enough fiber, like constipation, are growing higher and higher in numbers.   What’s really funny about the paradigm of reading labels for fiber content is that the foods with the best fibers don’t have labels!  I’m talking about fruits and vegetables, which naturally have several different types of fiber.   Food manufacturers have to use the addition of fiber to help compensate for not having a high-nutrient processed food. Just one more way man tries to improve upon what God has created…and again failing.

There is much to learn about fiber: what kinds there are, where to find it, what it’s good for, and what diseases can be prevented by having enough.  This is way too much for one column, so I will break it down to 2 columns  making  it easier. 

Fiber is the part of plants, whether grains, vegetables, fruits or legumes, which your body cannot break down, digest or absorb.  Fiber is only found in plant foods.   It passes through the stomach and small intestines basically unchanged, just adding bulk to the final stool.  The two general categories of fiber we think of are soluble and insoluble.  Another way to classify fiber which many have never heard of is how fermentable it is.  Though we can’t actually digest fiber, some is fermented in the colon by our natural flora, or good bacteria, creating byproducts that are very beneficial.  These fibers are usually soluble.  Of these types, none are more important than others, nor are they segregated so only some are found in each type of plant.  In reality all plants have a combination of fibers; just some have higher concentration of one type.

Soluble and insoluble fibers both absorb water.  Keep in mind when you increase your intake of fiber, you must drink more water too or the effects won’t be what you’re looking for!  Of course, naturally occurring fiber comes in foods that typically have more moisture.  The soluble fiber actually dissolves in water verses insoluble that does not.

Fiber is typically thought of in insoluble forms.  The major ones are Cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin.  Cellulose is found in the structural walls of vegetables, fruits and legumes.  This is what helps speed the transit of stool through the digestive tract.  Hemicellulose makes up the structural fiber of grains.  Lignin (not to be confused with lignan, a phytochemical in flaxseed and cruciferous plants) is found in berry seeds and in the woody part of vegetables like carrots, which is the toughest fiber.  These three can help many digestive problems.  As you can see, whole foods including the skins have plenty much needed fiber.

There are more varieties of soluble fibers, many you know of, you just may not consider them fibers.  Gums, such as guar, are often used as thickening agents in processed foods.  It is naturally in the sticky substances exuded by plants.  Pectins, found in most fruits, is most known for use in making jams and jellies.  Mucilage, is used as a stabilizer in some foods and are similar to gums.  From an herbal standpoint, this is very soothing and healing.  Beta glucan forms a gel in the digestive tract and then is “digested” by healthy bacteria, producing short-chain acids that get reabsorbed into the bloodstream.  Good sources of this are okra, barley and oats.  Oligosaccharides are fermentable and help the growth of good bacteria.  It is also called FOS which is a mixture of these which can be added to foods like yogurt.  The best sources of soluble fiber are legumes (beans, lentil, peas), oats, barley, psyllium, seed, some fruits (citrus and apples, apricots, blueberries, peaches, plums, pears, strawberries), and some vegetables (okra, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, other root vegetables and green beans).

There are a few other fiber categories having cooperative health benefits, just less commonly known.  On labels, all fiber is listed as one unit.  You only need to be aware of the various types if you have a condition or are prone to one which a higher concentration of one type can be more beneficial. When looking at fiber, it’s best to eat a full spectrum of whole food and grains so you get a good variety.  It’s nice to know the differences, but God didn’t make eating healthy complicated by having to read labels, just eat His foods.  You can trust you’re getting a nice mix of good fiber even without a label!