Bulk Up with Fiber
Question:
What is a quick way to see if a food is a good source of fiber?
Answer:
Read the words about fiber written on the front of the package. Look for these words:
High fiber - 5 or more grams of dietary fiber per serving.
Good source - 2.5 to 4.90 grams per serving.
More added fiber - At least 2.5 grams more fiber per serving as compared with a standard serving size of the food without adding extra fiber.
Question:
What would you look for to see quickly if a food is a good source of fiber?
Answer:
You are right if you said, High fiber.
Question:
Is it possible to get too much fiber in your diet?
Answer:
Most Americans eat only about one-half of their daily fiber requirement, so most of us are not in danger of getting too much fiber; however, too much fiber causes digested food to move too quickly through the gastrointestinal tract. When this happens, your body cannot absorb as many of the nutrients from the food. Also, fiber is bulky, so too much fiber will cause a person to feel full faster. Therefore, they may not eat enough foods from other food groups and miss out on important nutrients. Parents of young children should be especially careful of this, because children have smaller appetites and it is easy for them to fill up on fiber. Finally, excess fiber can cause painful stomach conditions such as gas and bloating. Elderly people are more likely to feel these negative effects of too much fiber and should have moderate fiber intake.
The following foods in the basic food groups of the Food Guide are good sources of fiber:
Grain Group
raisin Bran (Any cereal with the word bran in its name)
oatmeal
Whole-wheat bread
mini-wheat cereal
brown rice
Vegetable Group
Baked potato with skin
Cooked (frozen) peas
Cooked brussels sprouts
Cooked (frozen) spinach
Sweet potato with the skin
Tomatoes
Raw carrots
Corn
Green beans
Fruit Group
Pears
Berries such as strawberries, blueberries and blackberries
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Kiwi
Meat and Beans Group
Lentils
Beans
The milk group is not included because fiber is found only in plant foods. The meat group is included because the plant foods in the meat group give you fiber (not the food that comes from animals).
Add fiber to your diet slowly, over a period of weeks. It takes your body time to become used to an increase in fiber. Some people get gas and bloating that goes away as the body becomes adjusted to a higher fiber intake.
Drink plenty of water, fruit and vegetable juices. You need at least 9 cups of water and other fluids a day, so there will be enough water for the fiber to attract or absorb as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract.
Cooking tip: Since potatoes have more fiber when you eat the skin, be careful how you cook your potatoes. Put only a light coating of reduced-calorie margarine on potatoes, if any at all.
Dietary fiber information on food labels.
Question:
How can you tell if a food is a good source of dietary fiber? The amount of dietary fiber in a serving of food is listed in grams (g) and as a % of the Daily Value on the nutrition label. The manufacturer may also list the amount of insoluble fiber and soluble fiber. The % Daily Value for dietary fiber gives a general idea of how much fiber a serving contributes to the total daily diet. The % Daily Value for dietary fiber on the nutrition label is based on 25 grams of fiber for a 2,000 calorie diet.
Activity:
1. Look on the front of several boxes of cereals and also at the Nutrition Facts panel on nutrition labels. See if there are any words about fiber on the front. Then see how much dietary fiber each cereal has. Also look at the list of ingredients. What are the first three ingredients listed? What did you find out about the fiber content of those cereals? Explain to someone about how to tell if a food is a good source of fiber and why fiber is needed.
Complete this Internet activity:
Key in the locator address: http://www.kelloggs.com
Read through the learning center.
Click on Are You at Risk?
When through, Click on the tab at the bottom of the screen, Course 1: Wheat Bran and Fiber
Read the information given. When you come to Dietary Dialogue, click on it to open.
Go to the frame on the left of the screen and click on Fiber Facts and Fables.
Read through the questions and answers.
Click on Fiber Favorites for high fiber recipe ideas.
Open all.
After reading Wheat Bran tips, go to frame at the left and click on Phasing in Fiber.
Click on Dietary Dialogue in the frame at the left of screen.
Click on Reducing Your Risks in frame at the left of screen.
Click and read Fiber Physics.
Scroll down and read the remaining information.
Click on Fiber Flash in the frame at left.
Click on What's Your Command of Bran?
Click on On to the Quiz.
Read the correct answers and check your score.
Click on The Bran Plan in the frame at left (the recipes).
Go back to home page.
Open up Likely Links. Visit one or two.
For fun, click on T-Shirt Contest in left frame and complete, if you like.
Click on home to go back to Kellogg's home page. Explore other sections, if you would like.
2. Complete the following Internet activity.
Note that this company recommends eating 20-35 grams of fiber per day and only three servings of each a day of fruits and vegetables. The Food Guide recommends 2 cups of fruits and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables each day. The % Daily Value of dietary fiber on the Nutrition Facts panel of food labels is based on 25 grams of fiber a day for a 2,000-calorie diet.
Visit the Fiber Space of the following Web site.
Type in the Internet locator address: http://www.metamucil.com/
Click on The Importance of Fiber. Read the information.
Click on Facts. Read the questions and answers.
Click on Fiber Meter to see fiber content of various foods.
Click to go back to the Fiber Space home page.
Click on Constipation. Read about the symptoms, causes, and your digestive system, prevention and treatment.
Click to go back to the Fiber Space home page.
If you would like, you can read through the other sections:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Hemorrhoids
Diverticular Disease
3. Complete a self-study assignment about fiber, using the video tape listed below. Also complete the Before & After quiz
Needed Resources
1. VHS video tape: All About Fiber. Produced by the National Health Video, Inc.
2.. Television monitor and video tape player
3. Photocopy of Before & After tests for each segment of each video. The tests may be photocopied from the companion teacher's guide that comes with each video tape or ordered from National Health Video (1-800-543-6803). Call this number for ordering information regarding purchasing and cost information, if the videotapes and support materials are needed. The e-mail address for National Health Video is healthvid@aol.com . The address is: National Health Video, 12021 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 550, Los Angeles, CA 90025.
Self Quiz on Dietary Fiber
Take the following quiz on the Net! Once you read the question, write down your answer on a separate sheet of paper. Then click on the question to see if you had the correct answer. When you complete the quiz, come back to this lesson. Good luck!
Type in the following Internet locator address:
http://www.exnet.iastate.edu/Quiz/Quiz10
How did you do? Good for you.
Summary:
Eating more dietary fiber is important to our health. To be sure you get a mixture of dietary fibers, eat a variety of food to include at least six servings from the bread and cereal group and 2 cups of fruits and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables each day. Read food labels for dietary fiber content. Select foods high in dietary fiber. Drink at least 9 glasses of water and other fluids each day. Increase dietary fiber gradually until you get 20-30 grams each day. Prepare foods to keep their fiber content. Enjoy!
Wheat Foods Council