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The basis of a healthy diet are vegetables, fruits and wholegrain cereal products. In addition to vitamins, minerals and bioactive ingredients, they contain extremely valuable dietary fibre. It is part of food that does not nourish the body, but regulates its functioning. Discover the best sources of dietary fiber and learn how to properly introduce it to your diet.

What is dietary fiber?

Dietary fiber is the parts of plants that are not digested and absorbed in the digestive tract. It is divided into 2 groups:

soluble fiber (inulin, pectins, β-glucans, guar gum),
insoluble fiber (cellulose, hemicellulose, resistant starch, lignin).
Soluble fiber

Soluble fiber is especially helpful in lowering blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Its presence in the meal makes us feel full longer, which is a beneficial phenomenon, especially if we are trying to lose weight. Soluble fiber is broken down by the natural flora of the large intestine and is an important nutrient for these bacteria.

Products rich in soluble fiber are primarily vegetables and fruits (e.g. apple, pear, citrus, beetroot, onion, broccoli, legumes), but also oats, barley and brown rice.

Insoluble fibre

Insoluble fiber is especially valued for improving the functioning of the digestive tract. It enables efficient transport of food content through the intestines, thus preventing constipation. It is an important element in the prevention of many serious diseases, including diverticulosis of the large intestine, hemorrhoids and gastrointestinal cancers. In addition, it reduces the absorption and accelerates the excretion of toxic substances and heavy metals. Resistant starch also has similar properties to soluble fibre.

What does insoluble fiber contain? Most of it can be found in wholegrain cereal products, dry legumes, brassica and root vegetables, corn, nuts and seeds.

What is the most dietary fiber in?

Products with a high fiber content in 100 g include:

wheat bran (42.4 g),
poppy seeds (20.5 g),
white beans, dry seeds (15.7 g),
peas, dry seeds (15 g),
almonds (12.9 g),
rye flakes (11.6 g),
hazelnuts (8.9 g),
brown rice (8.7 g),
black currants (7.8 g),
oat flakes (6.9 g),
raspberries (6.7 g),
wholegrain rye bread (6.1 g),
sunflower (6 g),
blueberries (3.2 g),
Brussels sprouts (5.4 g),
root celery (4.9 g).
Fiber in the diet

Consuming the right dose of both fractions of dietary fiber is very important for humans. A healthy adult should consume 25 g of dietary fiber every day, and an elderly person should consume 20 g. This amount is appropriate for people who do not have diseases that may be exacerbated by its excessive supply (e.g. diseases of the gallbladder, liver, pancreas, chronic diarrhoea).

It is also necessary to properly introduce fiber into the diet. If you have previously avoided consuming fiber-rich foods, a sudden introduction of a large amount of it can cause bloating, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Therefore, it is necessary to gradually introduce products containing dietary fiber into the diet.

It is also important that increased fiber intake is combined with more fluids. Otherwise constipation may occur.

Fiber for children

For children, fiber is also a very important part of the diet, especially if they develop constipation. Despite this, in the case of small children, do not exaggerate with its amount, so as not to disturb the absorption of basic nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. In the diet of children, products with more and less fiber should alternate.

Fiber and weight loss

A good example of a high-fiber diet is the low-calorie diet offered by the Sofra Institute of Health. It was created for people who want to lose weight. Proper selection of ingredients promotes weight loss and at the same time prevents nutritional deficiencies. The high content of fiber means that, despite the low caloric content of the diet, there is no constant feeling of hunger, which can be experienced by choosing a poorly composed treatment.