My box of German cereal informs me that I’m getting 3,7 grams of Ballaststoffe in every serving. Now, I know that die Stoffe is stuff–or, to put it a nicer way, material. And I can guess pretty quickly that der Ballast is dead weight, freight–in other words, ballast. So Ballaststoffe must be the indigestible “dead weight” that comes in a food along with its calories and vitamins. Die Ballaststoffe is fiber, the stuff that keeps your digestion on an even keel.
Clare B. Dunkle
