Nutrition News

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Fiber - Fiber comes from plant foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts and seeds. It helps promote and maintain good health, playing an important role in reducing the risks for some chronic health problems.

Fun Fiber Facts

  • Hippocrates (4th century B.C.), considered by many the father of medicine, first championed the health benefits of wheat with the bran, which is fiber, to help keep the large intestine healthy.
  • In the 1830s, Rev. Sylvester Graham, a Presbyterian minister and advocate of dietary reform believed bran was a cure-all for the bad eating habits of his fellow countrymen and created Graham flour, which is still used today.
  • In 1870, the introduction of new mills meant that fine white flour became affordable for all, resulting in a dramatic fall in fiber intakes.
  • In 1915, W.K Kellogg, the founder of Kellogg's cereals, invented Bran Flakes®, the world's first high-fiber breakfast cereal. All-Bran® followed in 1916.
  • The 1970s, renowned physician Denis Burkitt launched his "Bran Hypothesis." He studied people in rural Africa and discovered that, thanks to their high-fiber diets, people had fewer hernias, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis and other diseases of the bowel, as well as diabetes and heart disease.
  • Research continues to show the benefits of fiber. Read more about fiber's role in health and wellness right here in our FIBER-pe-dia section of the site.

In 1915, W.K Kellogg, the founder of Kellogg's cereals, invented Bran Flakes®, the world's first high-fiber breakfast cereal. All-Bran® followed in 1916.Today, Kellogg has more ready-to-eat cereals that are good or excellent sources of fiber than any other cereal manufacturer in the United States1. Kellogg also provides a variety of other fiber-ful foods, such as All-Bran® crackers, Pop-Tarts® Whole Grain with Fiber toaster pastries, Fiber Plus™ Antioxidants cereal bars, Eggo® Nutri-Grain® waffles and Special K® protein products.

 

What is Fiber?

Fiber is a non-digestible part of plant foods (like grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes) that supports good health. Non-digestible means that the enzymes in the digestive system are not able to break this part of food down, which means it travels through the whole digestive system, including the colon. The fact that fiber isn't digested by the body is part of what makes it so beneficial to good health. 2

Soluble and Insoluble fiber

One way of classifying fibers is as soluble and insoluble, which relates to how well they dissolve in water. Both function very differently in the body, and both types are needed as part of a healthy diet.

  • Soluble fiber is soluble in water, which means it can blend with water to form a gel. Soluble fiber helps you to feel full. It can also help lower Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) blood-cholesterol (also known as the "bad cholesterol") levels and regulate blood sugar levels. Some examples of foods that contain soluble fiber are psyllium, oat bran, apples, pears, legumes and barley.
  • Insoluble fiber is not soluble or does not dissolve in water. Acting like a sponge, this fiber swells in size, absorbing up to 15 times its own weight in water. Insoluble fiber is often referred to as "roughage". Insoluble fiber provides bulk, which can help you feel full longer. It also speeds up the movement of food through the digestive system, helping to promote regularity and reduce the incidence of constipation. Some examples of foods that contain insoluble fiber include wheat bran and bran cereals, corn bran, some whole-wheat foods, vegetables and fruit.

A greater understanding of fiber's role in health has brought innovations in the development of fiber-enhanced foods and ingredients. Traditionally, corn, wheat and oat ingredients have been used to supply the fiber in other foods. Today, components of fiber are being extracted (or "isolated") from fruits, vegetables, legumes and seeds, too. These are sometimes referred to as "isolated", "novel" or "functional" fibers - because they do, indeed, function as a fiber. 3

A few examples of these newer fiber sources include inulin (which is most often found in chicory root, onions and Jerusalem artichokes) and polydextrose (which is made from corn).

While these ingredients may seem relatively new, they have been around and studied for quite some time. What's important to understand is that even if you don't recognize these newer fibers, you're body sure does! They are all non-digestible and support good health. The development and use of these newer fiber ingredients has, and will continue to, improve the taste of fiber-containing processed foods, helping us to get more fiber in our diets each day.

Are all fibers the same?

No, but they are all beneficial to the body in their own way. While all fibers have one thing in common - they are not digested by the body - each fiber has its own special characteristics. For example, some fibers can help lower cholesterol and others can't. Some fibers help promote regularity while others don't. Certain fibers may help you feel fuller longer. So are all fibers the same? No - but they are all good for you.

References:
1. Based on 80.7% share of cereal category according to IRI, 52 weeks ending February 22, 2009.
2. International Food Information Council (2008) Fiber Fact Sheet. See www.ific.org
3. Institute of Medicine (2005) Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids (macronutrients). National Academies Press