There is so much buzz about high-fiber diets recently. Can fiber really help keep you healthy? Many studies have been done on the relationship between high-fiber diets and diseases such as colon cancer, diabetes and heart diseases.
The answer is yes. Fiber can really help with keeping your body free from diseases. In fact, it has been proven that fiber can help prevent constipation, diverticulosis and hemorrhoids and can also help decrese blood cholesterol levels.
Dietary fiber comes from plants. This cannot be digested by the enzymes in the intestines but some parts can be metabolized by bacteria in the lower gut. Different types of plants have varrying amounts and kinds of fiber such as pectin, cellulose, mucilage, lignin and hemicellulose.
Pectin and gum are water-soluble fibers that are found inside plant cells. These type of fibers can slow down the passage of food through the intestines but these do not increase fecal bulk. Fruits and vegetables as well as beans and oat bran contain soluble fiber.
Fibers that increase fecal bulk and speed up the passage of food in the digestive tract are called water insoluble fibers. These type of fibers are found in the cell walls of plants. These include cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin and are found in wheat bran and whole grains but there are also fruits and vegetables that have insoluble fibers.
Insoluble fibers bind water and make stools softer and bulkier. These type of fiber are most helpful in the prevention of constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis, a condition wherein pouches of the intestinal wall become inflamed and are painful.
The different types of fiber have different effects on the body. For example, the fiber found in rolled oats is more effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels that the type of fiber that is found in wheat. Pectin has also been found to be effective in lowering cholesterol levels in the blood.
Aside from keeping you away from diseases, high-fiber diets can also help those who are trying to lose weight. Fiber-rich foods can help make you feel full longer without the calories. Foods that are rich in fiber can also help prevent you from overeating. This is because such foods require a good amount of chewing and your stomach will be able to send signals that you have already eaten enough.
So load up on fiber-rich foods to keep yourself healthy. xsz2455x
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