Why is consuming cooked Swiss chard generally more effective for achieving a noticeable fiber dosage increase?

The cooking process causes the vegetable to shrink considerably, allowing a larger quantity of the bulk-forming fiber to be consumed in one sitting.

The primary reason cooking enhances the practical delivery of dietary fiber from Swiss chard relates to volume reduction. While the absolute amount of fiber per unit of weight might be relatively stable, cooking dramatically shrinks the physical size of the vegetable. For example, one cup cooked yields significantly more fiber than one cup raw because the cooking process reduces the overall volume taken up by the leafy greens. This allows an individual to ingest a greater absolute mass of fiber in a single serving compared to eating the same volume raw, thus leading to a more noticeable effect on gut motility.