| Plant materials that are indigestible to humans are a complex carbohydrate known as Dietary Fiber. Our bodies need roughage to properly digest food and eliminate waste because the bulky substance cleans the colon as it makes its way through our digestive tract. Dietary Fiber comes from vegetables, fruit, grain, and legumes. Dietary Fiber is a term used to describe a variety of plant substances that are resistant to digestion by alimentary enzymes in humans. Dietary Fiber includes a number of non-starch polysaccharide substances including cellulose, hemicelluloses,
B-glucans, pectin's, mucilage's and gums plus the non-polysaccharide lignin. These Dietary Fiber components have unique chemical structures and characteristic physical properties for e.g., bulk/volume, viscosity, water-holding capacity, adsorption/binding or ferment ability, that determine their subsequent physiologic behavior. The combination of chemical divisions and functional characteristics
will provide greater insight into the role of Dietary Fiber in nutrition and health.
Dietary Fiber is found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Dietary Fiber is probably best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation. But Dietary Fiber can also provide other health benefits as well, such as lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Unlike other food components such as fats, proteins or carbohydrates which your body breaks down and absorbs, Dietary Fiber isn't digested by your body. Therefore, it passes virtually unchanged through your stomach and small intestine and into your colon.
There are two principal types of Dietary Fiber insoluble & soluble. Insoluble Dietary Fiber is simply bulk that changes little as it passes through the body. Soluble
Dietary Fiber, on the other hand, forms a soft gel in solution with water. Most foods provide a mixture of both, but are listed as mostly
one or the other. Soluble Dietary Fiber has been able to bind bile salts which reduces blood cholesterol levels. It also slow down the absorption of glucose from the intestine, thereby requiring less insulin secretion. Your body weight is controlled by the number of calories you eat and the number of calories you use each day. Foods high in Dietary Fiber, especially fresh fruits and veggies, are low in calories. Eating a variety of Dietary Fiber, will provide a healthy diet.
It is the soluble Dietary Fiber in foods that offers the real heart disease benefit. This type of Dietary Fiber has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Soluble Dietary Fiber food sources include peas, nuts, seeds, apples, oats, barley, beans, lentils, and other types of vegetables & fruits. Experts believe that soluble Dietary Fiber “beta glucan” helps lower blood cholesterol by binding some of the cholesterol in the digestive tract. It confines the cholesterol and
is eliminated from the body naturally.
There are many types of soluble Dietary Fiber supplements available to consumers for nutritional purposes, for the treatment of various gastrointestinal disorders, and for such possible health benefits as lowering cholesterol levels or reducing the risk of colon cancer. Soluble Dietary Fiber supplements are particularly beneficial for Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain . Soluble Dietary Fiber supplements are a promising area of treatment for inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis and Clostridium difficile due to the reason that that they produce short-chain fatty acids, and subsequent anti-inflammatory actions upon the bowel.
There are many well-established benefits of consuming a diet rich in Dietary Fiber. One of these benefits is the associated lower risk for certain diseases such as obesity. The relevance of Dietary Fiber in obesity development is centered around Dietary Fiber’s role in food intake control. Inclusion of Dietary Fiber in the diet promotes satiation and prolongs satiety, aids in long-term compliance to low energy diets, and encourages "healthy" food choices and eating habits. Dietary Fiber strategies aimed at promoting health and encouraging weight maintenance or loss should consider the benefits of Dietary Fiber and its related properties
Dietary Fiber proper amount improves health in ways other than digestion. Studies and researches have shown that Dietary Fiber lower cholesterol in combination with a balanced diet. There is an inexplicable link between a diet high in Dietary Fiber and a lowered risk of heart disease.
Dietary Fiber seems to affect the speed with which sugar enters the bloodstream in the stomach. This means our blood sugar levels stay more consistent, our insulin doesn’t work as hard, and we benefit from a reduced risk of developing diabetes. Fresh food is the best source of Dietary Fiber because it contains other important vitamins. If fresh food is not available, dietary supplements of Dietary Fiber will suffice. A gradual increase in your Dietary Fiber intake will ensure you don't suffer any discomfort. In combination with a diet which is low in sugar, fat, and cholesterol, roughage improves many aspects of health.
The benefits of Dietary Fiber as a weight-reducing diets for diabetic individuals are crystal clear. These diets enable diabetic individuals to lose weight and maintain weight loss for long-term. These diets also decrease blood glucose values, diminish need for oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin, lower blood pressure, and drop
serum lipid values. Dietary Fiber supplements are documented to enhance weight loss with a hypo-caloric diet. High Dietary Fiber diets found to act mechanically, physiologically and chemically to decrease hunger.
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Dietary Fiber adds bulk to your diet.
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Dietary Fiber can be helpful in controlling weight as it makes you feel full faster.
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Dietary Fiber aids digestion, helps in preventing constipation, and is used for the treatment of diverticulosis, diabetes, and heart disease.
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High Dietary Fiber foods can help in the treatment of constipation, hemorrhoids and irritable bowel syndrome.
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Dietary Fiber also helps to lower your cholesterol, and reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.
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Dietary Fiber in the diet has been found to lower blood pressure, cut blood levels of artery-clogging lipids and to improve insulin sensitivity.
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Dietary Fiber could modify cardiovascular disease risk because it is not digested in the small intestine
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Negative effects of Dietary Fiber include a reduced absorption of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and calories from the gut. Some insoluble Dietary Fiber can bind to certain minerals: iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium.
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High Dietary Fiber foods are good for your health. But adding too much Dietary Fiber too quickly can cause intestinal gas, abdominal bloating and cramping. Increase Dietary Fiber in your diet gradually over a period of a few weeks. This allows the natural bacteria in your digestive system to adjust to the change.
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Dietary Fiber works best when it absorbs water. Without the added water, you may become constipated.
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