Why is Fiber Important?

All foods are digested in your stomach and small intestine.

Right?

The truth of the matter is that dietary fiber does not break down in your stomach and small intestine.

And that’s a good thing!

What is Dietary Fiber?

Instead of being digested in your stomach and small intestine, dietary fiber goes straight to your large intestine. When digested in the large intestine, dietary fiber produces short chain fatty acids, which have anti-carcinogenic properties.

Hero Bread is rich in resistant wheat starch—also known as resistant starch—which is a dietary fiber that acts as a prebiotic (food source) for the good bacteria in your gut. As more good —and less bad—bacteria develop in your large intestine, gut health is improved.

Signs of healthy gut include:

• Improved Immune System
• Improved Digestion
• Reduced Inflammation
• Mental Health Benefits

Symptoms of an unhealthy gut include:

• Heartburn
• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Constipation
• Diarrhea

Fiber comes in two varieties, and both are beneficial to your health:

Soluble fiber

• This is the kind of fiber that dissolves in water
• Soluble fiber can help lower blood-glucose levels, as well as help lower blood cholesterol
• Soluble fiber may also help lower total blood cholesterol levels by lowering low-density lipoprotein—or "bad"—cholesterol levels

Resistant starches—like the kind found in Hero Bread products——behave like soluble fiber due to their water solubility and indigestibility, without losing their mouth feel and palatability.

Insoluble fiber

• This kind of fiber does not dissolve in water
• Insoluble fiber can help food move through your digestive system, promoting regularity and helping prevent constipation

What Are the Benefits of a High-Fiber Diet?

When it comes to relieving constipation, dietary fiber has always been The GOAT. Did you also know, however, that dietary fiber:

Helps Maintain Bowel Health

• May lower your risk of developing hemorrhoids
• A high-fiber diet likely lowers the risk of colorectal cancer

Improves Heart Health

Studies have shown that high-fiber foods may have heart-health benefits, such as:

• Reducing blood pressure
• Reducing inflammation

Helps Control Blood-Sugar Levels

A healthy diet that includes insoluble fiber may also reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Aids in Achieving Healthy Weight

High-fiber foods tend to be more filling than low-fiber foods, so you're likely to eat less and stay satisfied longer.

How Much Dietary Fiber Should You Eat Per Day?

National consumption surveys indicate that only about 5% of the population meets recommendations of dietary-fiber intake. Inadequate intakes of dietary fiber have been called a public health concern.

Most Americans get less than half the suggested amounts of daily fiber.

Women should try to eat at least 21 to 25 grams of fiber per day. Men should aim for 30 to 38 grams per day.

Is Hero Bread High in Dietary Fiber?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, commercially prepared white bread contains 0.783 grams of fiber per slice.

Hero Bread’s Classic White Bread™ contains 11 grams of fiber per slice.

Our Limited Edition Hero Brioche Slider Roll™ contains 18 grams of fiber per roll, and our Limited Edition Hero Croissant™ contains a whopping 20 grams of fiber per croissant.

What Other Foods Are High in Dietary Fiber?

If you want to find other foods rich in prebiotic fiber, look no further than:

• Almonds
• Bananas
• Whole grain wheat
• Whole grain corn
• Whole grain rye and barley
• Soy
• Cabbage
• Jicama
• Peas
• Eggplant
• Artichoke
• Oat
• Raw leafy greens: dandelion, leak, endive, radicchio (chicory)
• Beans