Dietary fiber can act like a brush or broom that can move things along in your digestive tract. It can also bind or group selected unwanted materials and remove them from the digestive system.
Dietary fibers can be explained as indigestible complex carbohydrates that come in plant cell walls. Digestive enzymes in the body are unable to digest them. Fiber is important to our bodies despite providing no nutrients or calories. Science as since identified two types of fibers namely soluble and insoluble fibers. Insoluble fiber is not soluble in water. It contains components namely ligin, cellulose and hemicellulose. Soluble fiber is soluble in water and components found in this type of fiber include pectin, gum and mucilage.
Dietary fiber is an essential part of maintaining good health. Although it is mainly associated with relieving or preventing constipation, fiber also helps reduce the risks of heart disease and diabetes. Fiber, which can be found in many foods are also referred to as bulk or roughage foods. These particular foods are not digested or absorbed in the body unlike other foods such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The body is unable to break them down, so they basically pass undisturbed throughout the digestive tract. Although this may appear to sound as if fiber plays no role and is just a wasted food, this is not the case.
Dietary fiber is classified into two types: soluble, which dissolves in water; and, insoluble, which does not dissolve in water and goes through the digestive tract virtually unchanged. Plant foods contain both types of fiber although in different quantities. Fruits, vegetables, and soy products are rich in soluble fiber which lowers bad cholesterol and helps regulate blood sugar levels thereby preventing heart disease and diabetes. On the other hand, rice, wheat, and corn bran are rich in insoluble fiber which attracts water that softens stool, prevents constipation, and reduces your risk of getting colon cancer.
High-fiber foods is nature's answer to the body's problem with pathogens and toxins. Dietary fiber can cleanse the intestinal lining as well as the colon, scraping out both fat and toxins. Psyllium husk is one of the best sources of dietary fiber. Many alternative medicine practitioners and medical experts agree that psyllium husk contains the best ingredients to lessen the risk of high blood and cancer. Cholesterol levels can be controlled using Psyllium husk, and a lot of people have noted the positive effects of psyllium husk on a person's diet and digestion.
Kids require high dietary fiber as well. Kids who are above a couple of years of age must consume a daily dose of fiber. Children are mainly adaptive to high dietary fiber within raw fruits, vegetables, and fortified cereals.
• Digestion is slowed by consuming dietary fiber which allows glucose (sugar) to enter the bloodstream at a slower pace, keeping blood sugar levels regulated.
When you hear dietary advice it almost always includes a call to get the right amount of Dietary fiber each day. But what exactly is dietary fiber? What is it that makes fiber such an important part of a healthy diet? Fiber is really a generalized term that refers to all the edible parts of plants that at the same time are indigestible. So you can't digest it? Then what's the point in eating it?
When people look at the nutritional content of foods, they tend to concentrate more on calories, protein, fats and vitamins. Most of the time, people forget to consider the dietary fiber content of foods. In recent studies, it was shown that in America alone, less than half of the population gets enough fiber in their diet.
Two different types of dietary fiber exist, soluble and insoluble. Both types play important roles in keeping your digestive system running right. No particular food, not even popular bran, is a good source of all the beneficial types of fiber. Adults should eat about 25-30 grams of fiber per day. Still, the normal American, consuming the typical Western diet high in fats and carbohydrates, takes in only half of the amount needed. The National Academy of Sciences recently upped its fiber guidelines to 25g daily for women and 38g daily for men. For kids add 5g to your child's age for the correct amount.
Fiber is primarily found in various fresh foods including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Fiber promotes various biological processes that occur inside your body. Many people think that they are getting their daily intake of fiber from the bread that they eat. Unfortunately, bread is manufactured using white flour, which is taken out from the wheat. The wheat is devoid of its fibrous bran coating, and also the essential nutrients. In fact, many "Whole Wheat breads" are produced with white flour as it is cheaper and produces softer breads. So, bread is certainly not a source of dietary fiber.
You can get an estimate of your daily fiber intake by multiplying the number of servings with grams of dietary fiber on the food label. These count as one serving for each of these foods:
Hopefully this gives you a few other places than bread where you can look for your daily dietary fiber intake. Don't forget, the more fiber you eat, the more healthy your digestive system is and the more full you'll feel throughout the day!
