Fara 4 November 2008 Food Pyramid, General Health, Nutritions 288 views No Comment/Trackback Print This Post  Email This Post

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Dietary Fiber functions and food sources

1 medium size apple contains 3.3g dietary fiber

In a simplistic way of speaking, fiber is similar to thread-like component that consists of cellulose and gums found in all kinds of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and grains. There is no fiber at all in any animal produces. Another attribute of fiber is that it exists inherently in plants and is intact at all time.

Fiber is scientifically proven as an essential element of everyone’s diet and an important nutrient for the human body to be able to function well. There are several functions of fiber for the body. However, remember to drink plenty of water to get the full benefit of fiber.

Functions of Dietary fibers

• One of the main functions of fiber is to ensure a proper digestive functioning of the body. It is important in order to avoid constipation by increasing stool bulk and making it softer and easier to expel from the system.
• It can also helps to reduce cholesterol level, thus also helps in preventing and reducing the risk of heart diseases. How does it helps? Fiber reduces the absorption of cholesterol in your intestines by binding it with bile and have the body excretes it.
• By taking in more unrefined source of fiber, it will be more effective to improve gastrointestinal health.
• Promotes control of sugar level in the body, hence helps in preventing and monitoring diabetes.
• Great help if you are trying to lose weight. Fiber can slow down food movement through the intestines, causing the increase in time that foods stays in the body that can considerably reduce the feelings of hunger.

One thing about fiber is that it is indigestible, and most of the time is easily identify. It is mostly at the skin, seeds and husks of a plant. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber looks like a gel and can slow digestion time, plus the fact that it is plentiful in legumes, oats, barley, fruits and vegetables. Whereby insoluble fiber, found mostly in fruits and vegetable skins, wholegrain, brown rice, nuts and the bran coating around the grain kernels. This type of fiber pass through the bowel naturally unchanged and helps digestion, keeping the bowels healthy.

Fiber deficiency can cause many health hazards such as constipation, bowel and rectal cancer, cardiovascular disease along side increasing the risk of heart diseases and diabetes. Even if you have any of the fore-mentioned diseases as something hereditary, there is no harm in practicing high-fiber diet as a preventive action towards any possibilities of getting the diseases.

How can I find high fiber food?

It can be found in most fruits and vegetables, as well as grains and legumes. Oats, barley, beans, chickpeas, lentils, seaweed, soybean, wholegrain, cabbages, brown rice and pasta, buckwheat, just to name a few. Even the skin of an apple contains lots of fiber, so it is better to eat an apple with the skin on. It is the same for most fruits and vegetables, which the skin is edible.

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