Surveys show American consumers are actively looking for products that contain fiber. Over the past five years, the number of consumers increasing their use of fiber has risen steadily.

Fresh vegetables is a great source of natural fiber

A Health Focus Trend Report showed that in 2006, more than 42 percent of consumers reported they were actively increasing their fiber intake, while 9 percent reported increasing their use of carbohydrates that promote digestive health.  A Survey from the International Food Information Council’s Consumer Attitudes showed that in 2007, consumers ranked fiber as a top 10 functional food, actually rating it higher than green tea.

The traditional understanding of dietary fiber and its nutritional benefits has been mainly in the area of regularity. Dietary fiber may help keep our bowels moving regularly. In the United States the recommended daily intake of fiber is 25-38 grams per day, the vast majority of Americans consume far less.

This trend seems to be changing as evidenced in breakthrough research from as early as 1986 in the journal Gastroenterology highlighted the beneficial effects of colonic bacterial fermentation of complex carbohydrates such as fiber. Since then, multiple additional studies by leading researchers in renowned journals such as the British Journal of Nutrition and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have provided even more insights into this critical process.

Banana and Mango are fruits that provide great natural fiber

The traditional categories for fiber were bakery or cereal products. While these products still are abundant, the discovery of new sources of soluble fibers in particular has enabled food and beverage manufacturers to add fiber to nontraditional products, such as beverages and dairy products. There are now prebiotic fibers in beverages, yogurt and bars. Dietary supplements containing prebiotic fibers also are very common.

Food manufacturers have obviously responded to consumers’ demand for fiber and digestive-health products, and there are now more products with fiber or digestive-health claims in the marketplace. In fact, according to the global new products database, the number of new products in 2006 with a fiber descriptor on the label surpassed the number of new products with more traditional and established claims like “added calcium” or “reduced fat.”

 Even more astounding, the number of new products with digestive-health claims introduced into the marketplace was second only to products with a vitamin fortification claim. In 2007, the term prebiotics was used on at least 54 food and beverage products, a remarkable increase from approximately 23 a year earlier.

For more info: Refer to another article in this area on healthy gut bacteria.