1. FOOD AS MEDICINE: FIBER
Dr. Tiffany A. Bradley NM FAM MED RESIDENT, PGY-2
Dr. Baxley Erie Family Health Center Medical Director

2. Dietary fiber is plant material that your body can’t digest
Dietary fiber is plant material that your body can’t digest. It stays in the gut and doesn’t get absorbed. It is VERY important for your health.
What is fiber?

3. Soluble Fiber Dissolves in water, mixes food into a gel-like material.
Slows stomach emptying. Slows intestinal movement blood sugar doesn’t rise as much.
Soluble Fiber
This type of fiber is found in fruits, oats, barley, psyllium, and legumes.

4. Soaks up bile acids helps remove cholesterol from the body
Soluble Fiber
Is eaten by bacteria in the
intestine good for the
immune system
Photo: Martin Oeggerli. School of Life Sciences, FHNW

5. Insoluble Fiber Doesn’t dissolve in water
Speeds up the gut large, soft stools more often.
As large, soft stool moves through the gut, it removes waste  
Insoluble Fiber
Insoluble fiber is in cereals; wheat bran; stalks, peels, and seeds of fruits & vegetables.

6. Insoluble fiber prevents constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis.

7. More Benefits of Dietary Fiber
Reduces the risk of colon cancer by keeping the colon clean.
Provides a ”full” feeling after eating, yet it has no calories
Helps with weight loss.
More Benefits of Dietary Fiber

8. Dietary or supplemental fiber can help regulate stools
The Bristol Stool Scale The Bristol Stool Chart is a medical aid designed to classify the feces forms into seven groups.
STOOL
Types 1 and 2= constipation; 3 and 4= "ideal stools" especially the latter, as they are the easiest to pass; 5-7 tending towards diarrhea
Dietary or supplemental fiber can help regulate stools

9. Dietary fiber is found only in plant products, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains. Both insoluble and soluble sources of fiber are in the parts of a plant that we eat: skin, pulp, seeds, stems, leaves, and roots. Foods considered the best sources of fiber will have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Good sources have at least 2.5 grams per serving.
Best sources of fiber are in whole-grain products (includes the bran of the grain kernel), raw or cooked fruits and vegetables, and legumes (dried beans and peas).
Refined or processed foods (white bread, pasta, fruit juices, and non-whole-grain cereals) are low in fiber content.
Because of their higher water content, fruits and vegetables provide less dietary fiber per gram of ingested material than grains and cereals. Fiber content will be lowered if you remove the skin from fruits and vegetables.
Fiber Sources

10. Fiber rich food ½ cup contains: Bananas, 3 grams – 1 medium
Beans, 6-10 grams - baked beans, black beans, great northern beans, kidney beans, garbanzos, pinto beans, white beans
Berries, 4-5 grams - blackberries, raspberries
Bran Cereals, 5-10 grams - All-Bran, Bran Buds, 100% Bran, Raisin Bran
Bread, 4-7 grams - 2 slices whole wheat, pumpernickel, seven-grain
Broccoli, 4-5 grams
Carrots, 3-4 grams
Fruit, 4 grams - medium apple, medium pear
Greens, 4-6 grams - beet greens, collards, kale, spinach, turnip greens
Lima Beans grams
Peas, 7-9 grams - black-eyed peas, green peas
Potatoes, 4-5 grams - medium baked Idaho or sweet potato
Sweet Corn, 5 grams
Fiber rich food

11. How much? Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for Fiber:
Males years 38 g/day years 38 g/day
Females years 26 g/day years 25 g/day
How much?
Adult: 25-38g total daily
Breakfast: 1 banana and 1/2 cup raisin bran g
Snack: medium apple g
Lunch: 1 cup bean salad & ½ sandwich g
Dinner: 1 cup Lima beans and 1 cup corn g
47g
___
The average American consumes only 14 grams of dietary fiber a day.

12. FOOD AS MEDICINE: Mindful eating
Dr. Tiffany A. Bradley NM FAM MED RESIDENT, PGY-2
Dr. Baxley Erie Family Health Center Medical Director

13. The Second Brain
The gut has it’s own nervous system – a network of 500 million nerves (more than are in the spinal cord). These nerves signal the gut to make digestive juices and to churn and move food through.
In stressful situations, the gut’s nerves are quieted. The body focuses all of its energy on external threats. Digestion slows or even stops.

14. You have to rest to digest
Chronic stress weakens digestion and is associated with ulcers, heartburn, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome.

15. Mindful Eating Take 10 deep abdominal breaths before a meal
Sit at a table to eat
Set an intention or say a prayer over the food
Express gratitude
Pay attention to the body’s signals – stop eating when you feel full
When eating, just eat. Try not to multitask.
Mindful Eating

16. Slide images and some content obtained from Nebraska Department of education
REFERENCES