By now, you know that increasing the amount of fiber in your diet is a simple yet effective way to improve your health. But what are some of the easiest ways to incorporate fiber into your meals? Let’s explore some options!
Great News, Coffee Has Fiber!
That’s right, your morning cup of joe is a source of fiber. A study shows that brewed coffee contains soluble fiber, the same type found in oatmeal and apples, as detailed in our page about the benefits of oats and oatmeal. This fiber aids digestion, helps the body absorb vital nutrients, and keeps cholesterol in check.
Curious about how scientists measured the fiber content in coffee?
Well, they already knew that coffee beans were rich in dietary fiber—and now Fulgencio Saura-Calixto and Elena Díaz-Rubio, food scientists at the National Research Council in Madrid, have confirmed for the first time that brewed coffee also contains it.
Here’s how they calculated the fiber content in your 12oz cup of coffee:
Using a method similar to that used to measure fiber in beer and wine, they treated each type of coffee with enzymes to break apart constituent molecules, then filtered out the water and analyzed the remaining solid compounds.
Their findings, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, showed that all three types of coffee contained between 0.47 and 0.75 grams of fiber per 100 milliliters. That means your Tall Starbucks coffee has about 1.5 to 2.5 grams of fiber in the cup.
While that amount is far from the daily recommended intake of 25 to 30 grams, as discussed in our post about 50 high-fiber foods for optimal health, it’s a step in the right direction.
The analysis concluded that freeze-dried coffee came out on top, likely, Saura-Calixto says, because its high-temperature preparation ensures that large amounts of soluble fiber are extracted from the beans.
If you’re keen to optimize your fiber intake, exploring fiber supplements may also be a wise consideration.
References:
- Dietary Fiber in Brewed Coffee M. Elena Díaz-Rubio and Fulgencio Saura-CalixtoJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2007 55 (5), 1999-2003DOI: 10.1021/jf062839p
- Coffee and its consumption: benefits and risks. Butt MS, Sultan MT. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2011 Apr;51(4):363-73. doi: 10.1080/10408390903586412. PMID: 21432699.