If you have bowel movement issues, you may be conscious of how important it is to have dietary fiber in your diet. If you are finding it difficult to relieve your constipation, why not try adding some soluble dietary fiber to your diet to soften your stools?
Dietary fiber can be roughly split into two categories: soluble and insoluble. This article introduces the distinction of soluble dietary fiber in relieving constipation and lifestyle diseases, the foods which are good sources of fiber, as well as the recommended way to get it into your diet.
Functions of soluble dietary fiber and its expected results
Soluble dietary fiber is distinguished by its ability to change from being gluey to being smooth when it absorbs water. Due to this feature, it promises to not only to improve bowel movements, but also to help with dieting and lifestyle diseases.
Stool softening
It works to soften stools by absorbing water, which engulfs unnecessary waste products in the body for excretion. If you have hard stools or firm, lumpy feces, it would help to have an awareness of soluble dietary fiber and actively consume it.
Acts as a food source for good bacteria and maintains the intestinal environment
This is said to also feed the good gut bacteria so can be expected to increase the amount of good bacteria in the colon and help maintain the intestinal environment. Intake of soluble dietary fiber is important for improving the intestinal environment due to it being more likely to be affected by fermentation than insoluble dietary fiber.
Control overeating
As food is engulfed by soluble dietary fiber, it moves slowly through the intestines, reducing hunger and helping to curb overeating, as well as blocking the absorption of sugar and excess cholesterol, which can also have an impact on weight loss.
Preventing diabetes by suppressing sudden rises in blood sugar
By slowing down the speed of digestive absorption, it it is able to moderate any spikes in blood glucose levels, which is effective in preventing lifestyle diseases like diabetes.
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Limit elevated cholesterol levels
Viscous foods produce a gooey substance that engulfs and expels sugars and excess fat to reduce rises in cholesterol levels.
If you are worried about cholesterol, please also check here (for neutral fat and cholesterol, choose foods that support lipid metabolism).
Types of soluble dietary fiber
Here we introduce five typical types of soluble dietary fiber and foods that are good sources of these.
- Pectin found in apples, prunes, and vegetables, etc.
- Alginic acid found in seaweed such as kelp, wakame, and hijiki
- Glucomannan found in konnyaku, yams, and taro, etc.
- Gummy substances found in barley, oats, and guar beans, etc.
- Inulin found in Jerusalem artichoke, chicory, garlic, onions, etc.
- Digestion resistant dextrin, which is artificially made from corn
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Soluble dietary fiber which is hard to get from vegetables
When we hear the words “dietary fiber”, the first thing we think of is vegetables. We are all familiar with phrases such as, “Fiber equivalent to X portions of lettuce!”, right? But let’s take a look at the dietary fiber in vegetables..
Most dietary fiber in vegetables is actually insoluble. Therefore, even those who consume vegetables regularly may not be getting enough soluble dietary fiber. Some statistics show that the actual balance is 1:4.
Foods that contain soluble dietary fiber
Soluble dietary fiber is not often found in vegetables, and as mentioned in the section on types of soluble fiber, it is not a common ingredient in daily meals, however a lot of them are characterized by their so-called “gooey, slippery, and syrupy” textures.
- Grains: barley, oatmeal, rye, etc.
- Seaweed: Hijiki agar, laver, seaweed, wakame, kelp, mozuku, thick wakame leaves, etc.
- Vegetables: jute mallow, okra, etc.
- Tubers: konnyaku, potato, taro, yam, etc.
- Fruits: strawberries, mandarin oranges, avocados, etc.
When you think of “foods that are low in fiber and tend to fall apart when cooked,” you may be more familiar with these foods. All of these foods are easily available at supermarkets, so we should be consciously including them in our daily diets.
- We know it can also be difficult to take supplements every day.
There are also dietary fiber supplements sold on the market that contain pure fiber extracted from these foods as a powder. These can be easily added to coffee or other drinks, or be mixed in with cooked rice, so this may be a good option to try.
Soluble dietary fiber ranking
Lastly, here are some of the major foods high in soluble dietary fiber per 100g. Foods where soluble dietary fiber data is not available are not included, for example, seaweed.
Rank Food Category Soluble dietary fiber
(*1) (Reference)
Total dietary fiber
1 Japanese leek (raw) vegetables 18.6g 20.7g
2 BARLEYmax®︎ (*2) rice/millet 8.3g 23.3g
3 Pressed grain barley rice/millet 4.3g 7.9g
4 Oats/oatmeal rice/millet 3.2g 9.4g
5 Burdock root (raw) vegetables 2.3g 5.7g
6 Soybean paste beans 2.2g 6.5g
7 Lemon fruit 2g 4.9g
8 Avocado vegetables 1.7g 5.6g
9 Sesame seeds beans 1.6g 10.8g
10 Soybeans beans 1.5g 17.9g
10 Quinoa rice/millet 1.5g 6.2g
12 Okra (raw) vegetable 1.4g 5g
13 Amaranthus rice/millet 1.1g 7.4g
14 Nameko mushrooms (raw) mushrooms 1g 3.4g
15 Broccoli (raw) vegetables 0.9g 5.1g
15 Sweet potato (raw) vegetable 0.9g 2.8g
17 Almonds beans 0.8g 10.1g
18 Barley miso beans 0.7g 6.3g
18 Brown rice rice/millet 0.7g 3g
18 Pumpkin (raw) vegetables 0.7g 2.8g
18 Carrots (raw, with skin) vegetables 0.7g 2.8g
18 Spinach (raw) vegetables 0.7g 2.8g
Reference source: “Japanese Standard Tables of Food Composition, 2020 Edition (8th Revision)
1): per 100g
2): Analytical values by Japan Food Analysis Center
What rank is BARLEYmax®︎? Ranking of foods high in dietary fiber
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Summary
Soluble dietary fiber is a nutrient that is recommended to be actively consumed, but it tends to be lacking in our daily diet unless we consciously choose the proper foods. We hope you can support your health with a healthy gut by taking in cereals and making good use of supplements.
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Thank you for reading until the very end.