PRESCRIPTIONS
Fiber helps people lose weight, ward off diabetes, heart disease

By Amy Tousman

Q. My doctor told me to eat brown rice to increase my fiber intake. Can I take a fiber supplement instead?

A. Fiber is found in foods such as brown rice, oatmeal, bran, fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans. Fiber is the part of these foods that cannot be broken down by our digestive systems.

Health benefits of fiber include preventing constipation, hemorrhoids, diabetes and heart disease. It even helps you lose weight!

In the digestive system, fiber soaks up water like a sponge. This speeds up the elimination of waste while softening our stools. This is how it prevents constipation and hemorrhoids.

Fiber helps remove cholesterol from the body. It also helps control blood sugar by slowing the blood's carbohydrate absorption.

High-fiber foods take up space in our stomachs, making us feel full. They take longer to chew, forcing us to eat slower. This is how they helps control our weight.

For example, if you drank apple juice made from two apples, you would get no fiber. You could drink it in 30 seconds and feel hungry 30 minutes later. Applesauce, made from two apples, has some fiber. It takes a few minutes to eat. Eating this, you would feel hungry one or two hours later.

If you ate two apples, you would get lots of fiber. They would take 20 to 30 minutes to eat, and you wouldn't be hungry again for several hours.

If you don't eat enough fiber, fiber supplements such as Metamucil or Citrucel may be useful. Supplements are usually single types of fiber. Foods give you many types of fibers. Fiber-rich foods also give a nutrition bonus of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals.

Health experts recommend 25 to 38 grams of fiber daily. Increasing fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans helps you meet your fiber needs.

When increasing fiber, whether from food or supplements, it is best to do it gradually. This will help prevent gassiness and bloating.

Fiber in foods

1 cup mango has 5 grams of fiber; 1 apple, 4 grams; 1 cup bran cereal, 7 grams; 1 slice whole-wheat bread, 2 grams; 4 cups popcorn, 4 grams; 1 cup broccoli, steamed, 5 grams; 1 cup cooked taro, 7 grams.