What is Fiber/Fibre?

As we reach a stage in life, where we get to take care of kids as a mother, we get lots of questions and only in that time we tend to learn more about food and show eagerness to know more about healthy nutrition. We do worry a lot about our kids and in our minds so many questions will arise. Does my child eat enough? Are they healthy? Lots and tons of questions like that every day.

I am in that stage now and all my friends and neighbors who is having the greatest task of all, mothering kids ask and share their questions and worries with me. The most of the problems they encounter with kids , is constipation. Many parents complaint about how much struggle the kids go through with constipation. Not only kids, many of the adults I know deal with the same problems.

Only when the constipation problem comes everyone tend to think about the solution. And only at that time they learn about the term Fiber. It is mainly because in our adult lives, we cannot seem to find enough ways to make fiber our part of nutrition.

Mostly everyone is having the idea , that the fiber is only a micro nutrient or it can be taken only when needed or occasionally. This is what I realized after watching all our senior people’s diet.
So I want to emphasize the facts about fiber here and bring the fascination over fiber, which should be in the top of everyone’s nutritional requirements list.

What is Fiber?

Dietary Fiber consists of nondigestible carbohydrates that are available only from plants.
These are resistant to human enzymes. So they pass into the human intestine relatively intact. So they cannot provide energy to the body. They provide very little calorific value.

What are the kinds of Fiber?

Fibers are of two kinds. Soluble and Insoluble.
Soluble – These kinds of fibers are soluble in water. They are found in structural material of cell wall of plant food. It adds bulk to stool and softens the stool. It is found in skins of various fruits, bran etc.
Insoluble – they are soluble in water and so bring the gummy or gel like nature to the food eaten. It is found in pulp of fruits, legumes greens etc.

Thus the major sources of dietary fiber are whole grains (unrefined grains like whole wheat, brown rice, oat bran), legumes, vegetables, fruits and nuts.

Why is dietary fiber so important?

Even if fiber brings no energy and less calorific value it is more important in any diet because it does a great deal of other good things and brings lots of physiological effects in the body. Lack of these fibers in the diet, can result in inadequate fecal bulk and may detract from optimal health.

Gastric emptying and satiety:

Consumption of soluble fibers expands the food taken and thus delays the gastric emptying process. This also delays the process of digestion and absorption of nutrients
once in the small intestines. So the extended stay of nutrients brings satiety and fullness.
So the dietary fibers are considered as an important component in weight loss diets. Thus soluble fibers and water together help in weigh control and maintenance.

Laxation:

Dietary fibers add bulk to stool and bring effective laxation in humans. This helps to prevent constipation, appendicitis and other intestinal problems by keeping the fecal bulk, moist and easy to eliminate.
Because of the greater bulk and speed of foods through the digestive tract, it is believed that harmful substances cancer causing agents ( carcinogens) are also swept out before they can cause problems .Less carcinogenic exposure to the colon may mean fewer colon polyps and less cancer, Thus fibers helps to prevent colon cancer and other types of cancers too.

Normalizing the blood cholesterol levels:

Soluble fiber lowers total and LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) therefore reducing the risk of heart disease. Consumption of fiber containg foods and supplements thus help to prevent Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and Atherosclerosis.

Reducing blood sugar levels :

High-fiber diet may reduce insulin requirements and increase insulin resistance, improving blood sugar levels overall. Thus dietary fiber helps in treatment of diabetes and to prevent diabetes. The secondary benefits of a high-fiber diet for diabetes include its lower calorie (energy), fat and simple carbohydrate content, which may explain its beneficial effects in weight management.

So add fiber everyday, keep the doctors away.

What are nutrients?

Let see here about Major nutrients and Minor nutrients of nutrition and diet .

Major Nutrients :

Major nutrients are the one required in more amounts by body. Micronutrients are also of equal importance but are required in small amounts.
The three major nutrients available in food are

1. Carbohydrates
2. Proteins

3. Fat

Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates break down into sugars (glucose) by liver and this sugar is used for energy for cells ,tissues and organs. Or it can also be stored in liver and muscles for future use.

carbohydrates are called simple and complex depending on how fast it is broken down to sugar. 

Complex carbohydrates (good Carbs) are starch and dietary fibers (whole grain breads and brown rice). They provide minerals fiber and vitamins. But processed rice and polished grains lack these essential nutrients. 

Simple carbohydrates are from fruits, table sugar and milk products .The products with refined sugar and added sugar (added while processing and refining ) are not natural and provide less nutrition.

Proteins:

Our body’s cells and tissues and organs have proteins in them. These proteins are constantly being broken down into and replaced. To replace these, our body needs proteins from diet. The dietary proteins are broken down into amino acids and then these amino acids are manufactured into the proteins desired for the organs and cells.

All proteins are made up of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids which from human body. Our body cannot make all these 20 amino acids. So they need to be provided to the body through diet. Among the 20 amino acids 9 amino acids are called essential amino acids. Though all amino acids are important these 9 amino acids are called essential in the sense that the are not available from non vegetarian food. Fortunately these are available in soy protein.
The dietary proteins is obtained from egg, fish, meats, nuts, seeds, legumes, beans and milk products. Vegetarians need more planning to meet the dietary intake of proteins. Foodstuffs that lack of essential amino acids are poor sources of protein equivalents, as the body tends to converting proteins into fats and carbohydrates. Therefore, a balance of essential amino acids is necessary for a high degree of net protein utilisation by body.

Fats:

Fats have two sides.Good side and bad side.

Good side of fats is that they play improtant role in skin and hair.Fat is needed to carry and to absorb some vitamins into our body.Fat stores serves as engery reserves of our body. Fat breaks down into glycerol which again is broken down into glucose and gives energy.

But the bad side of fats is that toomuch intake of fats results in increase in blood cholesterol, heart attack, weight gain and obesity.
Thus the fats are listed as good and bad fats.

The good fats are unsaturated fatty acids.( poly and mono) Vegetable oils – such as corn, soybean and sunflower oils – as well as fish oils, are rich in polyunsaturated fat. Olive, peanut and canola oils are rich in monounsaturated fat. These are liquid at room temperature. The bad fats are saturated fats, such as butter, ghee, shortening, lard and animal fat(beef,pork,whole milk,cheese,sour cream ,yogurt) ,coconut oil and palm oil which are solid at room temperature.

Micronutrients:

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals needed by body in minute amounts. Only these substances play leading roles in the production of enzymes, hormones and other substances.They help to maintain strength, immunity, and mental sharpness and to bear healthy children. They have major role in life saving role in major developing countries. One third of total population worldwide is affected by micronutrient deficiencies. The most common deficiencies are due to lack of iron (anemia), vitamin A (exophthalmia) and iodine (goiter and cretinism).

Vitamins :
Vitamins are needed to keep our body healthy. Most vitamins are made by plants. We get vitamins by eating plants and animal products.

Minerals:
Minerals are used for building bones and teeth. They give energy to work, learn and play. Minerals are found in eggs, milk products, seafood, leaves and seeds of planets and in organ meat such as liver, kidneys and hearts of animals.

Due to manufacturing process and refining and polishing process in grains, the minerals and vitamins in foods are mostly lost. And after cooking or baking again the micronutrients gets depleted. That is the reason these days the micronutrient deficiency is increasing. In olden days our grandparents were able to live in a cleaner healthier and greener environment. They had easy access to fresh vegetables and fruits and medicinal herbs. But in this mordern world we use mostly canned ,tinned, packed, foods which are all dead foods. So having fortified (equipped with vitamins) foods and nutrient supplements are important to get the balance in the body.