What is Fiber and How Does it Affect Body Weight?
Fiber is the part of carbohydrates that cannot be digested. It is found in the tough cell walls of plants – fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains – that the body cannot break down. Fiber is not found in animal products.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) recommends women get 25 to 35 grams of fiber in their diet daily, and men, 38 grams, yet most adults in the U.S. get only 9 to 11 grams of fiber per day, less than half of the recommended amount. This is due to our over-reliance on processed foods that have been stripped of fiber.  Lack of fiber in the diet leaves people hungry and more prone to overeating.

swells like a sponge in the stomach giving food a jellylike bulk that makes you feel full. Soluble fiber also binds with calories and fat in the stomach and intestines and pulls them out of the body before they can enter the bloodstream. Good sources of soluble fiber include oatmeal, oat cereal, oat bran, apples, oranges, pears, lentils, strawberries, nuts, beans, dried peas, blueberries, cucumbers, celery, and carrots.

Most whole plant foods contain both types of fiber. Eating a variety of fiber-rich foods will provide you with beneficial amounts of both.

Also known as roughage, includes the woody or structural parts of plants. Insoluble fiber works like nature’s broom, helping speed the passage of material through the digestive tract, burning calories in the process. Good sources of insoluble fiber include: whole wheat, whole grains, wheat bran, corn bran, barley, couscous, brown rice, bulgur, seeds, nuts, zucchini, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, dark leafy vegetables, and cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, as well as certain fruits, such as apples, as well as raisins, grapes, root vegetables eaten with skin.