European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 26, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 16 the stars and stripes saturday april 26, 1986dietary fiber fad Breeds confusion on the benefits by Jane e. Brody new York times f Iber is being touted today As a treatment or preventive of Many of the major and minor ailments afflicting people in the Overly refined20th Century from heart disease cancer and diabetes to constipation haemorrhoids and obesity. Shoppers face a dazzling array of High fiber cereals each claiming to be Richer in fiber than its competitor. A plethora of packaged breads includes some of questionable fiber Content or nutritional Benefit or both. Health food store shelves bulge with supposed fiber products ranging from Raisin bran tablets to cookies. Pharmacies offer fibrous supplements to soften the Stool and stimulate the gut. The latest weight reduction Aid requires dieters to take 15 fiber tablets a Day with water As a filler before meals. Is this what fiber is about Are the Many product claims at least reasonable if not provable most Well informed nutrition experts and researchers Are sceptical. They Are also concerned about the confusing advertising claims and fiber listings on food packages most of which Bear Little or no resemblance to actual fiber Content. Some Are worried about Side effects in people who go overboard on fiber. At the same time fiber experts Are praising an underplayed form of fiber oat bran. Studies indicate it can play an important role in countering heart disease and diabetes by helping to lower cholesterol Levels in the blood and to stabilize blood sugar. Here Are some facts and guidelines on taking advantage of fiber s benefits and avoiding its potential Pitfalls. See the accompanying table for food portions and fiber amount fiber is that portion of Plant foods that human digestive enzymes cannot break Down. The two major types Are insoluble fibres which pass through the digestive tract pretty much intact and soluble fibres which Are digested by microorganisms in the gut. Insoluble fibres found in the cell Walls of plants include cellulose Hemicellulose and lignin. The Best known source of these fibres is wheat bran which is almost pure cellulose. Major sources of insoluble fibres Are whole grains dried Beans and peas and most fruits and vegetables especially those eaten with their skin. These fibres increase the size and softness of the Stool and act As natural laxatives. They Are also thought to be important in preventing and in some cases treating some intestinal ills including Colon cancer diverticulosis irritable Bowel syndrome and haemorrhoids. By increasing the bulk and water Content of the Stool insoluble fibres May reduce exposure to and absorption of cancer causing chemicals often present in body waste. Soluble fibres which dissolve in water include pectin Gums mucilage and storage polysaccharides. They Are found in such foods As Oats dried Beans and peas carrots Barley okra apples and most other fruits and vegetables. These fibres absorb water in the stomach and Small intestine promoting satiety and helping to slow food absorption. They Are thus useful in weight control and in treating diabetes and hypoglycemia by helping to prevent wide swings in blood sugar. Although these fibres do not prevent constipation they can reduce the amount of artery damaging cholesterol in the blood. Most experts say that except for pharmaceutical products sold As aids to elimination fiber pills and potions Are of unknown and doubtful Benefit. For one thing the amount of fiber in the pills is Small. A Day s Supply of diet tablets for example has the amount of fiber found in 21/2 Tablespoons a third of an ounce of bran Cereal which costs far less. The amount of fiber in the Tablet is Likely to be too Little to have the desired effects. Ironically a naturally laxative fiber ground can become const Pating. As for fiber enriched products some Are beneficial and others Are of questionable value. They Are hard to compare for fiber Content because the measurements used differ. Look for a listing of total dietary crude fiber represents Only cellulose dietary fiber includes All insoluble fibres but misses most of the soluble fiber. Most cereals Are enhanced by adding wheat bran. Corn bran has a similar laxative effect but cereals made from 100 percent wheat bran Are highest in total fiber. Also Check for sugar Content since some Are Overly sweetened. Oat bran sold separately As a Cereal to be cooked or recipe ingredient in muffins breads meat and vegetable loaves or in soups and sauces for thickening also occurs naturally in rolled Oats and other oat products. High fiber breads Are another Story. Several of the so called Low calorie breads Are filled with Wood pulp listed As Alpha cellulose on the Label. Their claims Are sometimes distorted. One product purporting to contain 400 percent More fiber than whole wheat bread relies on an outdated method of fiber analysis. When new techniques Are used the results show that it has no More fiber than Ordinary whole wheat bread. Consumers might also be fooled by the name of a bread product. Any bread made from wheat flour whole or refined can be called wheat bread. In a fiber Rich product at least the first ingredient listed should be whole wheat flour and at Best whole wheat should be the Only flour. Breads made with cracked wheat May not have much added fiber although they Are Cruncher but Oats in a bread recipe do increase the fiber Content. Don t rely on color in buying bread darkness May be due to molasses chocolate or Coffee not fiber Rich Grain. Among Grain products unrefined versions Are richest in fiber. Brown Rice has More fiber than White Stone ground Corn has More than Deger med Corn meal and bulgur with an obvious dark Brown coating has More than Tan coloured bulgur. Buckwheat groats oat groats and rolled Oats Are always whole Grain As Are wheat and Rye berries. All dried Beans and peas lentils kidney Beans chickpeas and Lima Beans for example Are High in fiber. In the fruit and vegetable category those eaten raw and unpeeled Are highest in fiber. Overcooking destroys much of the fiber in vegetables Mushy canned vegetables have much less fiber than those steamed or lightly stir Fried. Fruit and vegetable juices contain Little or no fiber although certain juices May contain some soluble fiber. The watchword in fiber consumption is slowly. Too rapid or extreme an increase can make your system rebel. It is natural to have More intestinal Gas on a High fiber diet but problems with flatulence and bloating can be minimized if fiber is added gradually Over several months. Some High fiber foods May continue to be troublesome the Only solution May be to avoid them and there Are Many other choices. Don t overload your body with fiber too Many essential nutrients can be lost. Certain fibres bind up some nutrients including Calcium Iron magnesium and Zinc so they cannot be absorbed. If your diet is reasonably Well balanced and your fiber intake moderate nutrient binding should not cause deficiencies. For healthy people who want to remain that Way nutrition specialists suggest doubling the average fiber intake to about 25 to 35 Grams of total dietary fiber each Day. Natural sources of fiber breads and cereals fib Erone 1 of. 100%bran i of. All bran 1 of. Bran buds 1 of. Cor bran 1 of. Branches l of. Fruitful bran 1 of. Raisin bran 1 of. 40% bran flakes 1 of. Bran muffin Crisp. 1 l of. Wheaties of. Shredded wheat 1 l of. Cornflakes l of. Oatmeal uncooked. % cup Rye wafers 31/2 in 3 whole wheat bread. 1 slice cracked wheat bread 1 slice Pumpernickel 1 slice Rye bread slice vegetables and legumes. Beets Broccoli Brussels sprouts y2 cup cabbage shredded and boiled carrots Corn eggplant i/2 cup kidney Beans Vic up lentils uncooked a cup peas dried uncooked Vic up a hang As Imp Ved methods of analysis come into wider and peas us Ower eds Black fiber Grams 12 9 9 8 5 4.4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3.5 3 3 1.9 2.3 2.1 2.1 1.2 1.2 2.1 3.2 2.3 2 2.3 3.1 2.5 9.3 5.6 vegetables and legumes peas Green. A cup potato medium baked with skin. 1 potato medium boiled peeled. L spinach boiled. Y2 cup Sweet potato boiled i/2 cup Tomato medium. L turnips boiled mashed. A cup fruits Apple 3 in. L applesauce. Apricots dried. Banana sliced dates. Fig medium. Nectarine medium Orange 21/2 in. Peach 2% in. Pear,2i/2inprunes uncooked. Prunes stewed. Raspberries. Rhubarb stewed. Strawberries. Tangerine medium. A cup 5 l 1 l la 4 h Cupi 2cup snacks almonds peanuts Popcorn Graham Cracker squares i/2 cup1 i/4 cup i cup 4cups 2 fiber Grams 4.2 3 2.7 5.7 2.3 2 3.2 3.3 2.6 7.8 2.6 3.1 2.4 3 2.4 1.4 2.6 4 7.8 4.6 2.8 1.7 1.6 5.1 2.9 1.6 1.3
