health and wellness

What Are The Benefits Of Fiber?

The benefits of fiber not only promotes overall health but include lowering cholesterol, preventing colon and breast cancer, constipation and hemorrhoids, and helps tremendously toward weight loss. Furthermore, fiber can help lower blood sugars thereby aiding in better management of diabetes. Getting around 30 grams per day is optimal.

Types Of Fiber: Soluble Fiber And Insoluble Fiber

Soluble Fiber, which can be digested by the body, dissolves in liquid and forms in a gel in the digestive tract and works to keep the rate of food passing through the system from progressing too quickly. This also helps lower blood sugar and prevents a rush in insulin and also helps to lower cholesterol levels, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. At the same time, it allows the nutrients derived from food to be absorbed into the system before the bulk is excreted. The Harvard School of Public Health suggests we start roughing it!

Food Sources:

• Fresh fruit
• Oat/oat bran
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Barley
• Flax seed
• Psyllium husk
• Vegetables

Insoluble Fiber, which cannot be digested by the human body, does not dissolve in liquid so it is eliminated in the stool, supplying the stool with needed volume to help prevent constipation, colon and rectal cancer. As such, this type of fiber fulfills the important function in helping to keep the digestive tract free of anything that could cause a blockage. Insoluble fiber absorb liquid and expand in the tract, in order to speed the process of moving bulk through the system while cleaning the interior walls of the tract. In addition, insoluble fiber helps to move the fat out of the body. Because insoluble fiber cannot be digested by the body, it passes through the digestive tract taking along both the fiber and the fat.

Food Sources

• Whole wheat
• Whole grain
• Corn and Corn bran
• Vegetables such as green beans and green leafy vegetables
• Fruit skins and root vegetable skins such as potato skins etc.
• Seeds and nuts

Both sources of fiber are needed as part of a healthy daily diet as each type of fiber provide specific functions and specific health benefits. Both soluble and insoluble fiber are needed to maintain the proper functions of the digestive tract, and makes a huge impact on your overall health. So be sure to include these in your daily diet and allow fiber to aid in your weight loss program as one of its added benefits.

        -written by Angela Doss

references:

Fiber: Start Roughing It!
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/

Marlett JA, et al. Position of the American Dietetic Association: health implications of dietary fiber.
Jounral of the American Dietetic Association 2002; 102(7):993-1000