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One term for insoluble fiber is Resistant Starch. Yes starch, and it is the component of starch that escapes digestion. Bran, wheat, whole grains and most vegetables fall into the category of insoluble fibers which act as natural laxatives. They are not digested and absorbed, so they add weight, and bulk absorbing water to the waste material in our large intestine. They aid reabsorption of minerals including calcium back into our cells, and they help the microflora of our G.I. tract stay healthy (this aids our immune system and absorption of nutrients!). They also increase transit time of solid foods through our intestines (a healthy thing) which means they usually help us to eliminate more often. This can be especially helpful if we have a " sluggish system" (We also need to drink more water when we eat more fiber, otherwise we may experience constipation). A few other benefits of insoluble fibers are: They slow down the digestion of other starches, delaying rapid blood glucose absorption into our blood while not adding to it's rise. They can also help prevent digestive ailments such as diverticulosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and constipation by adding weight and increasing transit time, thus lowering internal pressure through our large intestine. They also are hypothesized to help lower colon cancer risk by increasing the removal of solid waste material from our bodies, protecting us from bacterial build-up (one possible anti cancer mechanism). They also aid fatty acid oxidation (this means that these fibers aid our using our fat for energy!!) A high fiber diet in both insoluble and soluble fibers, can help people maintain and even lose weight since studies report that people who eat a lot of fiber take in an average of 150 calories less than those who do not (plus fat burning, what else can we ask for?). This may not sound like much, but over the course of a year it can add up to a 10LB difference. One easy way to add these insoluble fibers to our diet is to eat a high fiber cereal. A cereal is considered high in dietary fiber if it contains at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Most cereals now are also fortified with iron, folic acid, and a host of other nutrients. Some cereals combine other grains such as oats (our soluble fiber; good for our heart), to offer both types of fiber. The recommendation for Americans is to include 25-35 grams of dietary fiber in our diet per day, yet my experience has been, that 9 out of 10 people do not! Okay, so before I go on endlessly about the merits of insoluble fiber, let's talk cereal, Let's choose a cereal with at least 5 grams of total dietary fiber. Let's mix n match, if taste is a concern. We can mix two cereals such as a small amount of the low fiber/ tastier cereal with more of the less tasty/higher fiber cereal . No time? Let's keep a baggie of dried cereal in our desk and we can even add it to a yogurt (tastes nice and crunchy). Let's add a few tablespoons of cereal to a frozen yogurt, and some raisins for a great healthy dessert. Let's not forget that many deli's and markets sell individual serving boxes for on the run, so let's just add some milk for a healthy breakfast at work. Let's add some of our high fiber cereal with raisins, seeds and hot air popped popcorn for a healthy trail mix snack. Let's bag it up and bring to work! High fiber foods belong in our eating plan, so let's "Start Early" with a high fiber cereal as one option for our breakfast. Let's combine our cereal with some berries or other fruit and low fat milk. I also think we can add some to our snacks, or as a topping to a dessert! Want to read more about fiber, cancer prevention, and our health? Then click on here to read a brochure online from the American Institute for Cancer Research: http://www.aicr.org/publications/brochures/description.lasso?index=1828 June M Lay M.S. www.junefit.com The American Institute for Cancer research and World Cancer Fund state in their "Global Perspective Report ", "foods containing dietary fibre probably protect against colorectal cancer; and limited evidence suggests that such foods protect against esophageal cancer. Dietary fibre is mostly found in cereals, roots and tubers, and in vegetables, fruits and legumes". Additional Source: J Am Diet Assoc. 2008; 108:67-78 Junefit ranks top 10 at Google for "fitness tips" search out of millions of results! Junefit is included in Google's top ranked women's health resources http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Women's_Health/Resources/ June is Lifestyle Editor at www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/index.shtml Check out a great site AmericanTowns.com - A source for local community events, news, real estate, restaurants and more (and where you'll find my tips under community health, of course!). (C) Junefit, 2008 www.HealthNewsDigest.com Top of Page 
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