Eating foods with fiber is healthy for us. We know that because our doctors and health writers have been telling us that for the last 25 years. Just about everyone knows fiber for its ability to prevent and relieve constipation. Some of us even have a vague notion that fiber may help prevent other diseases but those facts are fuzzy. We just take it for granted that fiber is good. I'm here to tell you that it is really good for you.
Dietary fiber, the kind you eat, is vital to your overall heath. Your fiber intake from foods such as nuts, fruits and vegetables and whole grain flour helps control your cholesterol and it lowers your body's need for insulin. Consuming fiber also helps you control your weight, even lose weight, and has been shown to lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and some cancers. Research also shows that it lowers the risk of cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, diverticulitis and hemorrhoids.
The term fiber itself refers to carbohydrates that cannot be digested. It is something that is present in all plants that are eaten for food, including fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes.
However, not all fiber is the same. One way of categorizing fiber is by how easily it dissolves in water. Soluble fiber partially dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. Soluble fiber forms a gel when mixed with liquid and makes it loner for food to pass through your stomach so that sugar is released and absorbed more slowly. Oat and oat bran, dried beans and peas, nuts, barley, apples, carrots are foods that contain soluble fiber. Fruits and vegetables also slow down gastric emptying and help you control your weight which helps prevent type 2 diabetes.
Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, passes through the intestine almost whole and helps prevent constipation. Dark leafy green vegetables, fruit and root vegetable skins, whole wheat and corn bran products are sources of insoluble fiber which helps protect against colon cancer.
These differences are important when you examine fiber's effect on your risk of developing certain diseases. For example, insoluble fiber is better for preventing diverticulitis, an inflammation of the intestine. Soluble fiber or cereal fiber from grains is better for preventing heart disease. Both are great for controlling weight.
The next time you go to the market, select those foods which give you a major dose of healthy fiber.
To your success at balancing your health.
Ruthan Brodsky
http://www.secretstohealthandaging.com
Comments