• wheat bran
• oat bran
• corn bran
• rice bran

Whole Grain (moderate fiber):

• whole wheat flour, whole wheat pasta
• oatmeal, rolled oats, steel cut oats, whole-oat flour
• cornmeal
• brown rice

Refined (low fiber):

• white flour (bleached/unbleached), pasta, cream of wheat
• oat flour
• cornstarch
• white rice

Focus on Dietary Fiber:

Before you load your grocery cart with bran products, there are important things you need to learn about dietary fiber in general. Dietary Fiber is:

• the part of food that resists digestion.
• found only in plant foods such as grain products, vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts and seeds.
• not a source of calories or vitamins or minerals (but these are often found in foods that contain fiber).
• not always high in foods that appear fibrous. Lettuce and cucumbers are low in fiber.
• several different substances. These are gums, mucilages, pectins, lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses.

Not All Fiber is Alike:

Dietary fiber can be divided into two basic categories: insoluble and soluble. Both are important for health. Some foods are better sources of one form than the other. For example, soluble fiber accounts for half of the fiber in oat bran but only a fifth of the fiber in wheat bran.

Insoluble Fiber
Insoluble fiber is a coarse, chewy material that will not dissolve in water. It is what we think of as roughage. Insoluble fiber helps:

• Bowel Regularity -- Insoluble fiber, when taken with enough water, swells and softens the stool. This stimulates the intestinal muscles, thus helping to pass the stool and relieve constipation.
• Prevent Intestinal Disorders -- By speeding up the movement of food through the intestine, insoluble fiber reduces pressure in the intestine. This may help prevent hemorrhoids, spastic colon, and diverticulitis.
• Prevent Intestinal Cancer -- Increasing both the bulk and speed of food moving through the intestinal tract leaves less time for harmful substances to build.The shortened transit time of certain body toxins may help prevent cancer of the colon. Many researchers want to see more evidence before promising that fiber prevents cancer.

Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber dissolves in water. This kind of fiber is made up of sticky substances like gums and gels. Soluble fiber may help:

• Control Diabetes -- Extra fiber along with complex carbohydrates (starches) can make the hormone insulin work better. This allows patients to take less diabetes medication while keeping their blood sugar normal. Persons with diabetes often have sharp rises of blood sugar following meals. Increased soluble fiber in meals slows down the release of food into the intestine and keeps the blood sugar from rising rapidly.
• Lower Blood Cholesterol -- Foods high in soluble fiber can further lower the blood cholesterol of people who are already following a lowfat, low cholesterol diet. Soluble fiber probably works by increasing the passage of bile acids through the digestive tract. Cholesterol is taken out of the blood to form more bile acids. Some researchers think that smaller fragments of soluble fiber are absorbed into the bloodstream. These fragments may decrease the production of cholesterol.

Clinical studies show a lowering of blood pressure in response to increased amounts of fiber. This may be the result of other factors such as dietary fat, calories, or sodium.

Control Weight:

You may be less likely to gain weight and find it easier to lose weight on a high fiber diet. These foods often require more chewing and take longer to eat. Extra time is needed for food to leave the stomach. That means more satisfaction with fewer calories. Fiber pills are advertised as promoting weight loss. They seem to produce a very modest loss (four pounds at best) over several months. This was with 36 Fiber Trim pills per day! For lifetime weight control include more fiber in everyday food choices.

How Much Fiber?

Most Americans eat 10 to 15 grams of total dietary fiber each day. Health organizations such as the National Cancer Institute, the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association encourage 20 to 30 grams each day.

What Does 20 to 30 Grams of Fiber Mean?

It means having every day:

• 3 to 5 servings of whole-grain breads and cereals
• 3 servings of vegetables
• 2 to 3 servings of fruit

A serving is:

• 2 slices of bread, 1 bagel, 1 cup rice or pasta
• 1 medium piece of fruit
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup vegetables

Look for grams of fiber. A gram is about the weight of 2 paper clips. Fiber pills are often measured in milligrams (1 gram = 1000 milligrams). Using milligrams for daily fiber is like counting out your paycheck in pennies. A pill containing 275 milligrams of fiber has .275 grams. It would take 100 pills to get the amount of fiber recommended in one day.

Bakery-size bran muffins, at about 5 grams of fiber, seem to be great fiber food. They average 350 calories each -- as much or more than any desserts. It's not that they are bad foods, it is just that they are BIG. Other foods would also be "rich" in fiber if large-size servings were used.

What's In A Name?

Some products with oat bran in the name (muffins, crackers, breads, cereals) contain only small amounts of oat bran. Remember that ingredient labels list those ingredients found in greatest amounts by weight down to those found in least amounts. For example, if sugar is listed before wheat bran, the cereal may be sweeter and not as high in fiber as another wheat bran cereal. Many products have coconut oil, palm oil, animal fat or eggs listed as ingredients. These could cancel the cholesterol-lowering benefit of an oat product.