Processed grains and foods often have most of their fiber removed. Use whole grains, brown rice and unprocessed foods to assure sufficient fiber intake. Whole wheat bread and brown rice have three times the fiber of white bread and white rice. Soluble fiber acts as a filter to help prevent some substances, including cholesterol and glucose, from being absorbed into the blood. It also acts as a stool softener, preventing constipation, which is related to colon cancer and diverticulosis.
Constipation often leads to straining to clear the bowels, a common precursor of strokes.
Eating foods high in fiber may help prevent these problems and reduce cholesterol as well. Refined and processed fruits and juices may also be low in fiber. Comparing an orange and an 8 ounce glass of reconstituted frozen orange juice, the juice has 0.848 grams of fiber while the orange has 9.790 grams, more than 11 times the fiber in the juice. A fresh orange also has a third fewer calories than a glass of orange juice. Most spaghetti and other pastas are made from flour from refined grains, which has two-thirds of the fiber removed.