Some Questions and Answers:
1) Question:
How many grams of fiber should I eat every day?
Answer:
A total of 35 grams of fiber every day.
2) Question: 
I drink an orange flavored powder mixed with water to give me more fiber. It states on the label that it is made from psyllium husk fiber. What is psyllium?
Answer:
Psyllium is a plant high in fiber content. Some folks take psyllium seeds or psyllium husks, grind them up into a powder, and then add a flavoring in order to sell it to you and me.
3) Question:
I have looked at different fiber charts and many times the fiber amount varies from food to food. How come do the fiber charts NOT always agree on the amount of fiber for each food?
Answer:
Each chart usually gives a general rather than a specific set of guidelines for the fiber amount of foods. Why? Because there are differences such as whether the food is canned or fresh, processed or non-processed, whether each food has additives such as sugar or corn starch or other food stuffs, the size of the fruit such as a medium sized versus a large sized, or various kinds of the same fruit such as Gravenstein apples versus Washington delicious apples, etc. Important as dietary fiber is, food scientists have not yet been able to regulate a specific total content of fiber in all foods, especially vegetables and fruits, due to the complexity of all variables.
4) Question: 
I get tired of eating all of this rabbit food. Give me my meat and potatoes any time. Can you give me one good reason why I should eat rabbit food?
Answer:
This rabbit food may help you when it comes to the avoidance of constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis (the inflammation of pouches in the digestive tract), and irritable bowel syndrome. This rabbit food may also help you lower your cholesterol, and reduce your risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
5) Question:
I like to eat grapefruit to help get the fiber I need, and, besides, it helps keep me slim. Do you see any drawbacks to that?
Answer:
Generally speaking, eating healthy, drinking plenty of water, getting plenty of sleep, and getting plenty of exercise is great. However, do not eat grapefruit if you are taking most anti-depressant pills lest you get a drug interaction in your body and start feeling really bad. Other than that, eating fiber-rich foods may aid in your digestion, may help with the absorption of nutrients, and generally helps you to feel fuller longer after a meal (which may help curb overeating and thus weight gain).
6) Question: 
Do you have any idea how this "fiber business" works inside of my body to help keep me healthy?
Answer:
One author put it this way: "Since fiber is not digested in the body, it simply follows along the digestive tract binding to water, cholesterol, and carbohydrates. By binding to cholesterol-making compounds as they move through the body, fiber causes less overall blood cholesterol, which may improve heart health. As fiber binds to other carbohydrates, it slows down the absorption of these carbohydrates. This helps prevent unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels and may decrease a person’s risk for diabetes. Fiber also binds to water while passing through the digestive tract, which improves the frequency and density of bowel movements. This decreases the risk of digestive disorders."
7) Question:
How come processed foods contain very little fiber?
Answer:
The raw state of foods usually contain much fiber. However, a lot of vitamins, nutrients, and fiber is often lost when foods are processed. Processing strips the wheat germ from wheat that is used to make your bread. Juices are boiled and strained and canned for convenience sake. Many fruit juices and vegetable juices originally started out as high-fiber foods, but after processing, ended up with virtually no fiber content. This is a sad state of affairs in America. One person may say that they can take a one-a-day vitamin to make up for the vitamin shortages in their food but this isn't usually the case with fiber. Once fiber is gone, it is gone. One can take fiber supplements but it would be better if you got it from your daily food intake.
8) Question: 
What about medications and dietary fiber?
Answer:
One author had this to say: "Dietary fiber, especially the fiber found in fruit, beans, and oat bran, reduces the absorption of a class of cholesterol-lowering medications called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (for example, lovastatin) by binding to the drug in the gastrointestinal tract. Dietary fiber decreases the absorption of hydralazine, digoxin, and lithium. Diets high in dietary fiber may improve glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes, thereby reducing the dose of insulin or oral glucose lowering medications needed to control blood sugar. Certain medications, including pain medications (for example, codeine) and calcium channel blockers (for example, verapamil) can cause constipation. Increased intake of dietary fiber can reduce the constipation caused by these medications."
Any information on this web page is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnose, treat, or cure any diseases. Please consult your doctor about any foods that you have questions about.
I want to eat healthy and I am sure that you want to eat healthy, too. One way we can do this is to eat a minimum of 35 grams of fiber in our food every day. I try to keep count but it is really tough for me to get to that 35 mark as most of the foods that I eat are so processed that there is very little nutrition or fiber in them. Consequently, I sometimes fall short of my goal. Since I am a male I like to eat a lot of food. To help me with my fiber intake, I created this chart. I thought I may as well share it with you, too, in case you are interested in reaching this same goal. In this first chart the amount of food is usually around 1 cup as this is the most likely way that I am going to eat it. Sometimes I will eat a whole can of beans or other items so I list the amount of fiber content by the can rather than by the cup. Nevertheless, please check the labels on packages, bottles, or food containers that you purchase in order to determine the amount of the food fiber in that container.
Generally speaking, soluble fiber breaks down in water, absorbs bile and waste, and helps lower cholesterol. It is important to help make the bowels function correctly, and, like garlic, it helps promote friendly bacteria in the digestive tract.
