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Report: Americans need more fiber in diet
September 2, 1997
Web posted at: 8:45 p.m. EDT (0045 GMT)From Correspondent Linda Ciampa
(CNN) -- The next time you head into the kitchen to start making a meal, think about adding some extra vegetables and grains to the menu. A new report out this summer warns that Americans aren't getting enough fiber.
According to the report from the American Heart Association, Americans eat only about half the recommended amount of fiber.
"The recommendation is from between 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day, and currently our intake is about 12 or 13 grams on an average," said Linda Von Horn of the American Heart Association.
Good sources of fiber include fruits and vegetables, beans, lentils, brown rice, barley, bran cereal, oat bran, oatmeal, whole wheat bread and wheat bran.
There are two types of fiber, and both are good for your health. Soluble fiber can help lower blood cholesterol, while insoluble fiber can reduce the risk of colon cancer. Eating a variety of high-fiber foods will provide both types.
To get the recommended 30 grams of fiber, a typical day might include these foods:
- One slice of whole wheat bread -- 2 grams
- Half a cup of bran cereal -- 13 grams
- One apple -- 3 grams
- One pear -- 4 grams
- Half a cup of beans -- 7 grams
But you can't just add fiber to a high-fat diet and expect miracles.
"The goal is to reduce the diet in total fat and saturated fat, and replace some of those high-fat foods with high-fiber foods," Von Horn said.
Supplements do provide fiber, but they lack the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants of real food.
"The best sources of fiber come from food," Von Horn said. "Taking a supplement or multiple vitamin can't replace the damage of a poor diet."
Related stories:
- Nutritionists: Oatmeal isn't the only 'right thing to do' - March 6, 1997
- FDA: Oats good for hearts, and boxes can say so - January 21, 1997
- Studies call for more fiber, OK java - February 14, 1996
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