The Fiber In Our Food

In the last few decades, the incidence of some diseases has increased significantly. One of the factors that contributed to this was the way we ate. At the end of the last century, there was a difference in the structure of morbidity in the United States, in Western Europe and in African countries.

Food processing has proved less useful than previously thought. Instead of facilitating the process of digestion, refining only burdens the body. Therefore, the role of fiber as a necessary feature in proper nutrition began to be emphasized. Today, there is no diet, whether curative or for weight loss, that does not mention the need to increase fiber intake.

Fiber is a complex carbohydrate, a structural part of plants - their only source. They are not just inert components of food, they have a significant impact on the physiology of the gastrointestinal tract and metabolism. These qualities are believed to contribute to the prevention of many diseases. They are generally divided into soluble and insoluble. The first group includes pectins, gums and others found inside plant cells. They are of great importance for lowering cholesterol and successfully controlling blood sugar. They are high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, soy products, oats, flaxseed. Insoluble are cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin - a building block of the cell wall. They help to normalize the dynamics of the intestinal tract.

What are the benefits of eating enough fiber with food?

Fiber has the greatest impact on the gastrointestinal tract. Even in the oral cavity, they prolong the process of chewing and slow down feeding. This helps to improve the absorption of food, clean teeth and reduce the amount of food consumed. In the stomach, they provide sufficient volume, early satiety, and also slow down its emptying, which improves digestion.

One of the most important roles is in the gut. It has been proven that low-fiber foods and rich in animal fats are associated with changes in the flora of the colon, with changes in the acidity of the contents and increasing the concentration of secondary bile acids and other carcinogenic chemicals, slowing the passage rate, thus contact of the mucosa with these harmful factors is prolonged. The risk of polyps and malignancies is also thought to increase. Not only that, but the volume of feces is reduced, they acquire a firmer consistency and lead to chronic constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis.

Fiber-rich foods help to normalize the flora, acidify the contents, reduce the formation of secondary bile acids and dilute harmful chemicals. Another contribution is the softening of the fecal contents, giving it sufficient volume and speeding up the passage in the colon. This reduces the pressure, protects against divertuculosis, facilitates defecation, preventing traumatic damage to the distal tract and the formation of hemorrhoids.

The effect on atherosclerotic risk factors is particularly useful. The high fiber content suppresses the absorption of fats in the intestinal tract, as well as reduces the reabsorption of bile acids, helping to regulate serum cholesterol.

Pectin has an exceptional contribution in this aspect, as well as other soluble complex carbohydrates. In addition to the lipid profile, they are important for quality control of blood sugar. Foods high in fiber do not lead to a sharp increase in serum glucose, and thus the need for insulin, as do products with simple carbohydrates. This is achieved by delaying the passage in the stomach and small intestine, as well as suppressing absorption in these departments. Thus, fiber proves to be especially useful in the treatment of diabetes, regardless of the type.

Some argue that whole grains are also useful in weight loss attempts. In fact, they help to slow down nutrition and satiety faster, and therefore reduce the amount of intake. However, each diet should be low in calories and accompanied by sufficient energy expenditure if we want to achieve any effect.

How can we get the fiber we need?

We have already mentioned in which products their content is higher. These are vegetables, especially tubers, and fruits, including dried, cereals, legumes, nuts. The highest percentage is in oat and wheat bran. The less refined a product is, the more useful it is for us. Prefer wholemeal bread, brown sugar, brown rice, dried and fresh fruit, without peeling. For the day it is desirable to take about 30-40 g of fiber per day. For comparison, we can say that in one slice of wholemeal bread there are about 2 years, in one apple - about 1.8 g, in 50 g of nuts - about 6 g, in 100 g of raw broccoli - 7 years, and for raw cabbage or cauliflower - 2.5 g, in 100 g of cornflakes - 2 g, and 100 g of bran - as much as 35 g.

It is especially important to increase the consumption of fiber gradually, to adjust the intestinal tract. Otherwise, there is increased flatulence and bloating with an increase in excess gas. Another important point is to drink enough water. If it does not correspond to the intake of cellulose food, the effect can be reversed - to lead to constipation. There is evidence that this type of diet reduces the consumption of certain minerals such as zinc, calcium and others. With a balanced diet, this should not be expected.