Dietary Fiber

Fiber is a substance in plants. Dietary fiber is the kind you eat. It is in fruits, vegetables and grains. It is the part of the plant that your body can't digest. Yet it is an important part of a healthy diet. It adds bulk to your diet and makes you feel full faster, helping you control your weight. Fiber helps digestion and helps prevent constipation.

You can get fiber from whole grains, beans, nuts, fruits and vegetables. You should add fiber to your diet slowly. Increasing dietary fiber too quickly can lead to gas, bloating and cramps.

Dietary Fiber on Wikipedia

'''Dietary fibers''' are long-chain carbohydrate (polysaccharides) that are indigestible by the human digestive tract.

Uses

There are two principal types of dietary fiber: '''soluble''' and '''insoluble'''. Insoluble fiber is simply bulk that changes little as it passes through the body. Soluble 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 fiber has been shown to be able to bind bile salts which may reduce blood cholesterol levels. It also may slow the absorption of glucose from the intestine, there by requiring less insulin secretion. Fiber may decrease spasms in the gastrointestinal tract by keeping the lumen colon distention. Although the main value of dietary fiber is that it provides bulk to the bolus moving through the digestive tract. There are two great advantages to this: by bulking up the bolus, eventually increasing the weight of the stool, it's easier for the digestive system to move it through, and the bulkier stool also tends to retain normal amounts of moisture to make it easier to eliminate with less straining and abrasion. The moisture content of human stool does not change when more fiber is consumed, except marginally from psyllium husk (Eastwood et. al & Prynne et. al). Because the bowel regulation is mostly due to bulking and not to increased water in the stool, it is very unlikely to cause diarrhea unless if taken in massive amounts (this is as long as one doesn't consider synthetic sugars in this category). Fiber is an important part of the treatment and prevention of diabetes, colorectal cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, high cholesterol, heart disease and obesity. High-fiber foods help move waste through your digestive tract faster and easier, so possibly harmful substances don’t have as much contact with the gastrointestinal ... [ Read More ]

External Resources

Nutri-Cleanse - Helps re-establish a healthy colon and provide dietary fiber.

Berkeley Nutrition Services - Interactive dietary screeners calculate intake of fat, fiber, fruit, and vegetables. Also, full-scale nutrition services for researchers.

Taiyo International Food - Manufacturer of green tea products, soluble dietary fiber, nutrition delivery systems, emulsifiers, and food stabilizers.

Nutrinova - Globally operating supplier of food ingredients and nutrition specialties for the food and beverage industry. Product fields: high-intensity sweetener (acesulfame K), sorbates, dietary fibers (carob fiber, oat fibers).

Helios Nutrition Ltd. - Producer of organic kefir with FOS (a natural dietary fiber).

Jojomo Enterprise Co., Ltd. - Taiwan manufacturer of Konnyaku root products, a high dietary fiber, non fat, and low calorie diet food; also fruit gums and candies. World wide sales.

Diets for Diverticulitis - Discusses high fiber and herbal diets for the treatment and prevention of this digestive disorder. Includes a list of dietary guidelines.

Dietary Fiber - Provides content concerning necessity of fiber, benefits of, and suggested dietary intake.

Food Sources of Dietary Fiber - Graph with grams of insoluble and soluble fiber in selected foods.

Dietary Fiber - Includes suggested intake, functions of, and recommendations on eating foods high in bulk.

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Dietary Fats
Dietary Proteins
Dietary Sodium
Dietary Supplements

Dietary Fiber

Dietary Fiber on Wikipedia

Uses

External Resources

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