{"id":16873,"date":"2019-01-29T13:29:46","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T18:29:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caloriecontrol.org\/addressing-the-fiber-gap\/"},"modified":"2019-01-30T13:28:55","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T18:28:55","slug":"addressing-the-fiber-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/caloriecontrol.org\/addressing-the-fiber-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing the Fiber Gap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Robyn Flipse,\u00a0MS, MA, RDN \u2014 January 29, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHY IS SO MUCH FIBER MISSING FROM U.S. DIETS?
\n<\/strong>The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), first published in 1980 and revised every five years since, have each contained recommendations that provide ample sources of dietary fiber to meet every American\u2019s needs. \u00a0\u00a0If all Americans ate the recommended daily servings of whole grains; beans, peas and lentils; nuts and seeds; vegetables; and fruits there would be no \u201cfiber gap<\/a>,\u201d or shortfall between our consumption of fiber and our requirements. \u00a0But Americans are not eating the recommended servings each day, or most days, of the foods rich in this indigestible carbohydrate that provides numerous health benefits<\/a> (1).<\/p>\n

The reasons Americans don\u2019t consume enough dietary fiber are as diverse as the population itself. For some, it is simply a matter of taste preferences. Many who are \u201cfinicky eaters\u201d in childhood grow up to be adults who still won\u2019t eat broccoli.\u00a0 For others, the reason is time constraints. Their schedules are so full they don\u2019t believe they have the extra 20 minutes it takes to cook brown rice instead of white or slice a tomato for their sandwich.\u00a0 Other reasons include perceived higher cost of high fiber foods, limited cooking skills to prepare them, lack of awareness about their options, and concern over digestive issues to name a few.<\/p>\n

Whatever the reason for not eating enough fiber, the first step to closing the gap requires a change in one\u2019s dietary pattern.<\/p>\n

THE CHALLENGE OF DIETARY PATTERNS
\n<\/strong>The 2015-2020 DGA acknowledge that no individual food or nutrient is more important to our health than our overall dietary pattern (2). That is because dietary patterns reflect the amounts, variety and combinations of the different foods and drinks we regularly consume. Dietary patterns can also provide insight into where and when we eat, with whom, and how our food was prepared. (3). They are the key to knowing what our usual caloric and nutrient intake is over time.<\/p>\n

If adequate amounts of fiber-rich foods are not part of someone\u2019s dietary pattern, their habitual way of eating will have to be modified to incorporate them. This requires changes in long-established eating behaviors.<\/p>\n

USING NUDGES FOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE
\n<\/strong>There is no one best way to help individuals, let alone entire populations, change their dietary patterns, but one method that has broad appeal is the use of \u201cnudging\u201d (4).\u00a0 Nudge theory was popularized in the 2008 book, Nudge<\/em>, co-authored by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, and helped Richard Thaler win a Nobel Prize in Economics in 2017 (5).Simply stated, nudge theory encourages people to make decisions that are in their own best self-interest by making it easier for them to do so.<\/p>\n

The current recommendations for fiber intake are 14 grams for every 1000 calories or a total of 25 \u2013 38 grams a day for adults. These are difficult goals for most people to comprehend, let alone calculate. But if we nudge someone to eat just one more serving <\/em>a day of a good source of fiber from choices that are already part of their dietary pattern, they have a goal that is both doable and sustainable.<\/p>\n

For example, if someone eats lunch in their school or workplace cafeteria every Monday through Friday and makes a salad from the salad bar, we can encourage them to add<\/em> one more<\/em> serving of a fiber-rich food to their bowl. This could be 6 cherry tomatoes, \u00bd cup chickpeas or barley salad, or 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds or dried cranberries. They don\u2019t have to know how many grams of fiber they added or go out of their way to find these options. They just have to add one more<\/em> serving of a vegetable, bean, grain, seed or fruit that they like and is right in front of them.<\/p>\n

The next nudge to add one more<\/em> serving could be to put an extra can of kidney beans in their homemade chili or mix a cup of frozen lima beans into a can of minestrone soup or blend some chopped walnuts with the bread crumbs they\u2019re using to coat chicken cutlets. Little by little these nudges can help people increase their fiber intake by using foods that fit within the framework of their existing dietary pattern.<\/p>\n

There are endless ways to \u201cnudge\u201d more sources of fiber into a dietary pattern by using higher fiber options in place of, or in addition to, the foods already being eaten, including the use of foods containing added fiber. The chart below provides examples of some ways to get started.<\/p>\n

WAYS TO INCREASE FIBER IN THE DIET*
\n<\/strong>By replacing a Current Choice<\/strong> with the New Choice<\/strong> illustrated below, fiber intake can be nudged higher with each selection.<\/p>\n

GRAINS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Current Choice<\/strong><\/td>\nPortion Size<\/strong><\/td>\nFiber (grams)<\/strong><\/td>\nNew Choice<\/strong><\/td>\nPortion size<\/strong><\/td>\nFiber (grams)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bagel, pumpernickel<\/td>\n3.5\u201d diameter<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nBagel, whole wheat<\/td>\n3.5\u201d diameter<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bread, whole wheat<\/td>\n1 ounce slice<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nBread, whole wheat with added fiber<\/td>\n1 ounce slice<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pasta, white<\/td>\n2 ounces dry<\/td>\n1<\/td>\nPasta, \u00a0with added fiber<\/td>\n2 ounces dry<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Corn Flakes<\/td>\n1 ounce<\/td>\n1<\/td>\nBran Flakes<\/td>\n1 ounce<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tortilla, flour<\/td>\n1 ounce<\/td>\n0<\/td>\nTortilla, whole wheat<\/td>\n1 ounce<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\nVEGETABLES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Yam, cubed without skin<\/td>\n\u00bd cup<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nYam, cubed with skin<\/td>\n\u00bd cup<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Spinach<\/td>\n\u00bd cup<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nCollard Greens<\/td>\n\u00bd cup<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hearts of Palm, canned<\/td>\n3 pieces<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nArtichoke Hearts, canned<\/td>\n3 pieces<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tomato Juice<\/td>\n1 cup<\/td>\n1<\/td>\nVegetable Juice<\/td>\n1 cup<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zucchini Squash<\/td>\n1 cup<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nAcorn Squash<\/td>\n1 cup<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lima Beans<\/td>\n\u00bd cup<\/td>\n4<\/td>\nEdamame, shelled<\/td>\n\u00bd cup<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\nFRUITS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Strawberry Milkshake<\/td>\n8 ounces<\/td>\n< 1<\/td>\nStrawberry Smoothie<\/td>\n8 ounces<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Peach<\/td>\nmedium<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nPear<\/td>\nmedium<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pineapple<\/td>\n1 cup<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nKiwi<\/td>\n1 cup<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fruit Leather<\/td>\n1 ounce<\/td>\n0<\/td>\nApricots, dried<\/td>\n1 ounce<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grapes<\/td>\n1 cup<\/td>\n1<\/td>\nRaspberries<\/td>\n1 cup<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jam, concord grape<\/td>\n1 tablespoon<\/td>\n0<\/td>\nJam, concord grape with added fiber<\/td>\n1 tablespoon<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\nBEANS, NUTS & SEEDS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Tofu, firm<\/td>\n\u00bd cup<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nSplit peas, cooked<\/td>\n\u00bd cup<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Peanuts<\/td>\n1 ounce<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nAlmonds<\/td>\n1 ounce<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Black-eyed peas<\/td>\n\u00bd\u00a0 cup<\/td>\n5<\/td>\nNavy beans<\/td>\n\u00bd cup<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sesame seeds<\/td>\n1 tablespoon<\/td>\n1<\/td>\nChia Seeds, dried<\/td>\n1 tablespoon<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sunflower Seeds<\/td>\n1 ounce<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nPumpkin Seeds<\/td>\n1 ounce<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Butter, salted<\/td>\n2 tablespoons<\/td>\n0<\/td>\nPeanut Butter, creamy<\/td>\n2 tablespoons<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

* Values are averages for similar items and rounded to nearest whole number<\/p>\n

TIPS FOR DIETITIANS AND OTHER HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n