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Kansas City's Premiere Digestive Health Specialists
Request An Appointment
816-836-2200
Kansas City's Premiere Digestive Health Specialists
A doctor may recommend a high fiber diet if a patient struggles with constipation and hemorrhoids. A high fiber diet may also lower cholesterol levels. Studies have shown that high fiber diets are beneficial in many ways. Stools are larger and contain more bulk. When food is flushed through the digestive system quicker, harmful toxins are also flushed out quicker and have less time to cause damage.
| Breads, crackers, & grains
2 grams of fiber per serving One serving equals: 1 slice bread 4-6 crackers 3 cups popped popcorn 1/2 cup pasta, rice or grains |
Try to choose bread and crackers made from whole grains. Good Choices: Graham, rye and whole wheat crackers Rye, pumpernickel and whole wheat breads Barley, millet, bulgur, brown rice and wild rice. Whole what pastas Popcorn (Not for Diverticulosis patients) |
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High fiber cereals |
Choose cereals made form whole grains, wheat, corn, oat or rice brand, & wheat germ
Good Choices: All bran, Bran Buds, Fiber One, Complete Bran Flakes, 100% Bran, Multigrain Chex, Raisin Bran and Oatmeal |
| Vegetables 2 grams of fiber per serving One serving equals: 1 cup raw leafy vegetables 1/2 cup cooked or chopped raw |
Good choices:
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, corn, peas, potatoes with skin and spinach |
| Fruits 2 grams of fiber per serving One serving equals: 1 medium piece fresh fruit 1/2 cup chopped, cooked, or canned |
Good choices: Apples, bananas, pears, oranges, prunes, raisins and strawberries. Choose fruits over juices. Fruit juice contains very little fiber |
| Dry beans and Peas 4-8 grams of fiber per serving One serving equals: 1/2 cup cooked |
Choose baked, kidney, navy, pinto, lima and garbanzo beans; lentils, split green peas and yellow or black-eyed peas |
| Nuts and seeds (Not for Diverticulosis Patients)
3 grams of fiber per serving One serving equals: 1 ounce |
All varieties of nuts and seeds contain fiber, but are also high in calories and fat. |
Some people don’t tolerate fibrous foods well. If you can’t consume enough fiber in your diet alone, certain stool softening and bulking agents are available. These products absorb water and produce the bulk necessary for the digestive tract to perform naturally. They help create soft and well-formed stool. For this reason, they can be very useful in preventing and treating digestive tract disorders. Metamucil®, Konsyl®, and Per Diem Fiber® are such products. These contain psyllium mucilloid and come from the seed of the psyllium plant. Citrucel® (hemicellulose) and FiberCon® (polycarboxisal are other bulking agents that can also be used.)
Dietary fiber is part of a plant that provides and maintains the plant’s structure. Celulose hemicellulose, polysaccharides, pectins, gums, mucilages and lignins are dietary fibers. These fibers are unrelated chemically, however, they all have one thing in common – they can’t be digested by the human body. For this reason, they can help correct disorders of the large intestine (colon), and keep it functioning normally. Therefore, it is important to increase the amount of fiber in the diet.
The main job of the colon is to complete the digestion process. This occurs by removing excess water from food wastes entering from the small intestine. When wastes pass through the intestines too quickly, not enough water is absorbed. Watery stools and diarrhea are the result. In contrast, if the passage of waste is too slow, too much water is absorbed. This results in hard stools and constipation, which often leads to straining. These simple problems occasionally lead to more serious disorders.
Fiber (also called roughage or bulk) promotes the wavelike contractions that keep food moving through the intestine. Also, high-fiber foods expand the inside walls of the colon. This eases the passage of waste. Fibrous substances pass through the intestine undigested. They also absorb many times their weight in water, resulting in softer, bulkier stools.
Studies show that rural Africans, who eat diets high in fiber, eliminate food waste in one-third the time it takes people from urban westernized cultures. Their stools are larger and softer. Because of the greater bulk and speed of foods through the digestive tract, it is believed that harmful substances are also swept out before they can cause problems. In fact, these rural people have fewer of the digestive tract diseases that plague Western man. It is thought that this may be related to the nature of their diet.
A high-fiber diet causes a large, soft, bulky stool that passes through the bowel easily and quickly. Because of this action, some digestive tract disorders may be avoided, halted, or even reversed simply by following a high-fiber diet. A softer, larger stool helps prevent constipation and straining. This can help avoid or relieve hemorrhoids. More bulk means less pressure in the colon, which is important in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis (defects in the weakened walls of the colon). In addition, fiber appears to be important in treating diabetes, elevated cholesterol, colon polyps and cancer of the colon.
As long as a balanced selection of foods from each of the basic food groups is chosen, the High Fiber Diet is nutritionally adequate. Some studies indicate that excessive intake of certain dietary fiber sources may bind and interfere with the absorption of the following minerals: calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc. However, there appears to be no problem for those adults who follow a balanced, regular diet. Occasionally, a physician may prescribe supplements.
