The Importance of Fiber

This week has been devoted to the effects of nutrition and its pronounced impact on your health. So far I've covered the importance of getting enough daily water and limiting sugar as much as possible. Today, we are going to look at the importance of fiber in your diet. Lack of fiber has been implicated in the development of colon disease, heart disease, and numerous other conditions.

Fiber (also called roughage) is the indigestible portion of plant foods that move food through the digestive system, absorbing water and making defecation easier. Dietary fiber is as important to children as it is to adults. Foods high in fiber are high in vitamins, trace minerals, and essential fatty acids. Sources of dietary fiber are usually divided according to whether they are water-soluble or not. Both types of fiber are present in all plant foods, with varying degrees of each according to a plant’s characteristics. Insoluble fiber possesses passive water-attracting properties that help to increase bulk, soften stool, and shorten transit time through the intestinal tract. Soluble fiber undergoes metabolic processing via fermentation, yielding end-products with broad, significant health effects. Simply put, fiber helps your digestive system purge waste from your body.

If this is not performed in a timely and efficient manner, it can have serious health effects. If the intestinal contents move too slowly, toxic by-products of digestion and bacterial fermentation remain in the bowel too long and are reabsorbed back into the body. Over time, this can contribute to illness.

When one consumes a diet low in fiber, attachment of parasites such as Giardia lamblia is easier. When fiber is present in the diet, the intestinal contents move through more quickly and prevent the attachment of such parasites. Giardia lamblia is one of the most common parasites found in the United States. It contributes to immune suppression, poor digestion, food allergies, and numerous other problems. The ability to decrease the likelihood of infection by this parasite by simply increasing the intake of fiber is significant.

Good sources of fiber include fruit, vegetables, legumes (peas, soybeans, and other beans), and grains (oats, wheat, rice, barley, etc.). Recognizing the growing scientific evidence for physiological benefits of increased fiber intake, regulatory agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have given approvals to food products making health claims for fiber. In clinical trials to date, these fiber sources were shown to significantly reduce blood cholesterol levels — thus are important to general cardiovascular health — and to lower risk of onset for some types of cancer.

There are many types of soluble fiber supplements available to consumers for nutritional purposes, treatment of various gastrointestinal disorders, and for such possible health benefits as lowering cholesterol levels, reducing risk of colon cancer, and losing weight. Soluble fiber supplements may be beneficial for alleviating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, such as diarrhea and/or constipation and abdominal discomfort.

Consistent intake of fermentable fiber through foods like berries and other fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, and nuts is now known to reduce risk of some of the world’s most prevalent diseases — obesity, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and numerous gastrointestinal disorders. In this last category are constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, and colon cancer--all disorders of the intestinal tract where fermentable fiber can provide healthful benefits.

On average, North Americans consume less than 50% of the dietary fiber levels required for good health. In the preferred food choices of today's youth, this value may be as low as 20%, a factor considered by experts as contributing to the obesity crisis seen in many developed countries. Current recommendations from the United States National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, suggest that adults should consume 20-35 grams of dietary fiber per day, but the average American's daily intake of dietary fiber is only 12-18 grams.

So the choice is yours. You are what you eat. If you do not get the necessary fiber from the foods you eat, you should make up the difference with fiber supplements. If you would need some assistance with what is the best for you, please feel free to contact me.

Lord, by such things men live; and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health and let me live. Isaiah 38:16 (NIV)

If you have comments or questions, please feel free to contact me at the address below.
Email: DeltaInspire@panama-vo.com