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Fiber Facts
Why Children Need Fiber, Not Fast Food
By Crystal Patriarche
The other day, I realized that I feed my daughter way too much fast food. Not that I didn't know it already, but no sense in worrying about it – as mothers, we have so many things to worry about as it is. So I pushed the nagging thought to the back of my mind, back there with the "you should make your daughter brush her teeth more often" thought.
But when I drove up to the bank the other day and rolled down the window, my 3-year-old princess belted out to the teller lady, "I'll have a No.1 with a Coke please ... and fries!" OK, so I really need to pay attention to those nagging worries. I need to focus on fruits and vegetables, getting fiber in her diet and forgetting about the fast food.
"Most kids are not having anywhere near the recommended amount of fruits, vegetables and fiber in their diets," says Dr. Penny Ross, a registered dietitian in Scottsdale, Ariz. Well, at least I'm not alone in neglecting nutritional duties as a mother.
Fiber comes in two forms – soluble and insoluble – both important and with different functions, according to Ross, who is also the mother of four.
Soluble fiber slows down the absorption of glucose (sugar) into the bloodstream. Because there are ramifications of food having little fiber and lots of sugar, including difficulty concentrating and becoming tired immediately, it is important to get soluble fiber into your child's diet.
After a meal that is high in fiber, sugar enters the bloodstream slowly and does not cause that peak in blood sugar level, which is a good thing. "A lot of foods that kids like have little fiber and lots of sugar which enters the blood very quickly and then the blood sugar drops rapidly, causing kids to be hungry again quicker and to have a hard time concentrating," says Dr. Ross.
