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Dietary fiber is necessary in the operation of our bodies. It helps keep food moving through our digestive system to fight constipation and promote regularity. Does dietary fiber help anywhere else in our bodies. Yes, dietary fibers also help in lowering the risk of diabetes, obesity, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, and heart diseases. There is now current discussion going on as to whether dietary fiber has any significant impart on cancer of the rectum. Diets high in fiber help in weight loss since the foods that contain them usually require more chewing time and also because high fiber foods tend to make the eater feel fuller for a longer time, although the fibers themselves do not have calories. How difficult is it to add fiber to our diet? Not very. There are plenty of ready resources of dietary fiber, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and more. Dietary fibers include the indigestible portion of plant foods that your body can't digest or absorb. Since dietary fibers, also known as roughage or bulk, are not digested or absorbed, they move through the digestive absorbing water. However, bacteria may metabolize some fiber in the lower intestine. Dietary fiber, which is insoluble, may be made of cellulose, hemicellulose, polyfructoses, galactooligosaccharides, mucilages, pectins, lignins, and some resistant starches. Although the levels of dietary fibers vary between food sources and even between brands, some of the better sources of dietary fiber include grains and whole-grain products, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, nuts, seedsoats, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley and psyllium. There are two types of dietary fiber, both of which are undigested and not absorbed into the bloodstream: soluble and insoluble. The insoluble fiber remains unchanged and works to promote bowel regularity. Soluble fiber forms a gel when it is mixed with a liquid. The soluble fiber works to help protect against low density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol count. With dietary cholesterol and bile acids being removed from circulation by the gel, and therefore not available for transport back to the liver, new bile acides must be manufactured from other cholesterol by the liver. Add fiber to your diet slowly so that the intestinal bacteria can be readied for increased levels of fiber. If fiber is added too quickly, it can cause bloating. Be sure to keep up your water intake when eating high fiber foods since water is needed to prevent possible constipation. Sources of info on fiber: MedLine Plus - Dietary Fiber U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health Fiber American Heart Association
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