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.