When shopping for foods high in fiber you need to scrutinize the ingredients carefully. Sure, high fiber is better than no, or low fiber. But a number of products, bread in particular are boosting their fiber content with non-food type ingredients. Imagine my surprise one day to find a popular high fiber bread contains cottonseed fiber. What?! If I wanted to eat cotton I can chew on my sheets! It didn't take me long to discover that many of the high fiber breads use cottonseed fiber to bulk them up. A quick check of the internet shows a number of articles touting the benefits of cotton by-products being used as animal feed, but not much mention of it having any nutritional value for humans.
One article states many breads contain the "functional fiber" cellulose, which is supplied by things like oat hull fiber, wheat and pea fiber, soy fiber, and the almighty cottonseed fiber. I also read that "light" breads used to contain cellulose from wood pulp! Further research showed that while these so-called functional fibers are safe, they may not provide all the benefits of whole food products like fruits, vegetables, and wheat bran. The key is to eat more of these whole foods, or foods whose ingredient list specifically uses the word "whole" before each type of grain or flour. It takes some extra time and effort, but if you really are trying to eat better, and to improve your health, you should do it right!
One brand of bread that I really enjoy that's higher in fiber and contains whole grains and flours without any added cellulose or cottonseed fiber, is made by Weight Watchers and has 2 grams of fiber per slice. Weight Watchers bread is a bit more expensive than some brands. But if you're not giving up carbs altogether, it's worth it. In addition, some of the best ways to increase your fiber are to replace white rice with brown and regular pasta with the new whole grain products. Brown rice does have a different taste and texture, but is worth learning to like.
I've tried various brands and types of pastas in a number of recipes, and I really haven't found them to have a different taste or texture. I must confess I also enjoy Mission Brand Carb Balance Tortillas, in spite of the fact they're made with an unspecified cellulose powder which gives them a hefty 11 grams of fiber. They do taste just like regular tortillas. (I haven't been able to find tortillas made with whole grain flours-yet). Adding flaxseed to foods like baked goods or your morning oatmeal is a great way to boost your fiber intake. Just make sure you note the number of fat grams-which is healthy fat, but still needs to be calculated if you're trying to limit your fat intake. I cheat a little by adding a tablespoon of Fibersure to my first cup of tea or cocoa in the morning. (fibersure contains inulin, an extract from chicory root) Combined with my morning oatmeal and flaxseed I start my day with off with 19 grams of fiber.
Since finding cottonseed fiber listed as an ingredient in most of the "healthy" breads in my local supermarket I'm careful to read the ingredient list rather than just assuming the words "high fiber" guarantee I'm getting what I want from my foods. While not a true food ingredient, I'm sure functional fibers are better than not getting any fiber at all. I just like to know exactly what I'm eating, and whether I'm getting the most benefit from my food, and for my dollar.
The bottom line is that you need to look beyond the labels, whether they state it's a high fiber, low carb or low fat product. Check out the ingredients to see what is being used to bulk it up or slim it down.
