Fiber

Fiber in vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains helps with digestion, weight loss, heart health, and cancer prevention. It can even increase your lifespan. Meat and dairy products contain no fiber—it’s found only in plant foods.

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. 

Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol. How? Soluble fiber acts like a sponge, soaking up waste cholesterol in your digestive tract and then whisking it out of the body. You’ll find soluble fiber in oats, beans, lentils, vegetables, and some fruits.

Insoluble fiber—found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and bran—acts like a broom, cleaning your digestive tract.

While most people get only 10 to 15 grams of fiber a day, we recommend 40 grams per day for healthy people.

The Quick Fiber Check is a handy little tool. Using its simple scoring concept, which takes only a minute or two to learn, you’ll automatically be able to estimate the fiber content of virtually everything in the grocery store.