Soluble and Insoluble Fibre, Compared
Most of the fibre in atta and chana dal is insoluble. Soluble fibre is the smaller share. Apple sits closer to an even split, and a powder can add both.
If you cook with atta, dal, and fruit, and someone has told you to eat more soluble fibre, you want to know which of those foods already has it.
Soluble fibre dissolves in water and can thicken a liquid. Insoluble fibre keeps its structure in water. In atta and in chana dal, most of the fibre is insoluble. Apple is where the two amounts sit closer together.
What 100 grams of the raw food contains
Figures are for the raw food, per 100 g. Pulses are dry weight, the amount you measure before cooking.
| Food | Insoluble | Soluble |
|---|---|---|
| Atta | 9.7 g | 1.6 g |
| Maida | 2.1 g | 0.6 g |
| Whole bengal gram | 22.7 g | 2.5 g |
| Chana dal | 12.7 g | 2.5 g |
| Toor dal | 6.7 g | 2.4 g |
| Apple | 1.4 g | 1.2 g |
Atta has about six times as much insoluble fibre as soluble fibre. Chana dal and toor dal follow that pattern. Apple is the closer split.
What refining and husking remove
Maida is wheat milled further than atta. Per 100 g it has 2.1 g of insoluble fibre and 0.6 g of soluble fibre, against 9.7 g and 1.6 g in atta. The insoluble share falls further.
The husk is the other cut. Per 100 g, whole bengal gram has 22.7 g insoluble and 2.5 g soluble. Chana dal has 12.7 g insoluble and the same 2.5 g soluble. Milled rice sits with maida: 2.0 g insoluble and 0.8 g soluble per 100 g.
A lunch that already has both
Two rotis and a katori of dal already contain both kinds. Insoluble fibre is the larger share.
| Food | Amount | Insoluble | Soluble |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atta, two rotis | 60 g | 5.8 g | 1.0 g |
| Toor dal, dry | 30 g | 2.0 g | 0.7 g |
| Together | 7.8 g | 1.7 g |
That lunch is about 9.5 g of fibre, and about 7.8 g of it is insoluble.
When a powder, a tablet, or a sachet has a job
Keep meals as the base. A fibre product is a measured serving on top of that plate.
Three formats do different jobs:
- Active Fiber Complex, 200 g is a powder blend of soluble and insoluble fibre. Each serving provides 5 grams of that blend. Stir it into water, juice, a shake, or oats. It contains soy.
- Activated Fibre, 90 tablets is pea and oat fibre in a tablet. The label states no grams per tablet, so there is no gram to set next to the 5 gram powder serving. It contains soy, wheat, and oats.
- Beta Heart, Vanilla, 15 sachets is oat beta-glucan, a soluble fibre. One sachet provides 3 grams. Mix it into water, a shake, or fruit juice. It contains milk and oats, and it is listed on the Heart & Bone Health page.
The Digestive Health page sets the powder and the tablet next to the other digestive formats. Inulin, a probiotic, and Triphala are sorted in Is it fibre, a prebiotic, or a probiotic?.
Nutritional supplements and medicines are different things. Medicines are used to prevent, diagnose, treat, or manage medical conditions. These products add fibre to an overall diet. They are not treatments for disease. If you take medication or have a medical condition, check with your healthcare professional before changing your diet or adding a supplement.
See them up close
Three questions
Does an apple replace the rotis?
No. Per 100 g, apple has 1.4 g of insoluble fibre. The two rotis have about 5.8 g. Apple is the closer split. The rotis still carry the larger insoluble share.
Is the 3 grams on the sachet the soluble fibre in an apple?
No. The sachet is 3 grams of oat beta-glucan. The 1.2 g figure for apple is the soluble share of 100 g of that fruit.
Is whole wheat the same as atta?
Per 100 g, whole wheat has 9.6 g of insoluble fibre and 1.6 g of soluble fibre, against 9.7 g and 1.6 g for atta. For this split, they are close. Maida is the flour that drops.
Keep the larger insoluble share, and use fruit for the closer split
Cook with atta or whole gram when you want the larger insoluble share, and add fruit when you want the two kinds closer together. Compare the powder and the tablet on Digestive Health. If you want help choosing a format, share Interest.