Fiber has become the forgotten health food. Everyone has heard of fiber and how good it is for you, but a lot of people don’t realize that there are two types of fiber, insoluble and soluble fiber. Fiber is very important for a healthy digestive system and most Americans don’t get enough fiber in their food.
| Do I need more fiber in my diet? If you’re eating the standard American diet of meat, fast foods, and processed foods, then yes, you need more fiber. Meat has no fiber in it and fast and processed foods have very little fiber. Only plant foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains have good amounts of fiber. The lack of fiber is one of the main causes of certain health issues. |
Why Fiber Is Important
Fiber is very important for a healthy digestive system and for good health. Most Americans don’t get enough fiber in their food or have a healthy digestive system, and these people usually end up with constipation and the related health issues like hemorrhoids and worse.
Once it gets to the point it becomes a real health problem, they might resort to all kinds of different medicines such as laxatives, fiber pills, and powders, when all they have to do is eat more of the right foods. And the right foods are less expensive than all the fiber pills and powders.
It is recommended that we get between 25 and 35 grams of fiber per day, and most of us fall far short of that recommended dietary intake from foods. Most Americans today get at best 15 grams of fiber per day.
There are two types of fiber in our food, insoluble and soluble fiber. It is important to get both types of these dietary fibers in your daily diet.
Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that is found in most fruits. This type of fiber dissolves in liquid and is absorbed readily into the body. Soluble fiber turns into a sort of gel in the digestive tract and this keeps the rate of food from passing through the body too fast.
That is important in that it gives the body time to properly absorb the nutrients. This is one reason a healthy digestive tract is so important, this is how and where the body gets its nutrients.
Insoluble Fiber
This is the type of fiber that is found in most vegetables. It does not dissolve in liquid and helps keep the digestive tract free of any blockages.
This fiber does absorb liquid and expands in the digestive tract as it gently and effectively keeps things moving through the system while “scraping’ the interior walls of the digestive tract clean. This is important for keeping the digestive system clean and prevents diverticulosis.
Health Benefits of Fiber
A diet full of dietary fiber is perfect to create good gut bacteria and keep the gut healthy, which makes a healthy digestive system which makes for a healthy body.
A high fiber diet can also prevent diverticulosis, constipation and colon cancer and is considered a heart-healthy food. Fiber also helps lower the risk of diabetes by regulated blood sugar levels.
Soluble fiber binds with cholesterol allowing it to be eliminated, lowering the cholesterol level by as much as 10% to 15%.
The colon is where the final process of digestion occurs. If the waste passes too quickly through the intestines, diarrhea occurs.
And if the waste is passed too slowly, too much water is absorbed in the colon and constipation occurs which can lead to more serious problems. The right amount of fiber in the diet is important to your health.
Current research says that we should eat between 20 and 35 grams of fiber per day. Studies show that the average American eats 12 to 17 grams per day, and only 3 or 4 grams of this is the soluble fiber. The recommended amount of soluble fiber per day is 5 to 10 grams per day.
When you consider the average American diet, it’s easy to see why it is too low in fiber. Most of today's foods have little or no fiber. Soda pop has no fiber, meat has no fiber, refined white flour like buns, donuts, pasta and many more have very little fiber when compared to the whole wheat foods.
Foods high in soluble fiber
- Nuts and seeds
- Oatmeal
- Apples
- Pears
- Berries like blueberries and strawberries
- Legumes, beans, peas, and lentils
- Psyllium husk whole flakes
Foods high in insoluble fiber
- Wheat bran
- Whole wheat bread
- Whole grain cereal
- Oatmeal
- Seeds
- Vegetables like carrots, summer squash, celery, and tomatoes.
Many foods contain both of these fiber types, such as carrots, apples, oatmeal, and potatoes. The flesh part contains soluble fiber and the skins contain the insoluble fiber.
Start Eating More Fiber
The sooner you start adding more healthy fiber to your diet, the sooner your digestion and your overall health will improve.
Start by adding more fiber-filled foods to your diet like vegetables, fruits, legumes, beans, and whole grains. You don't have to eat an entirely plant-based diet, but adding more plant foods will certainly help.
Don’t get discouraged if you feel too full or bloated after eating a lot of fiber all of a sudden. Eat slowly and thoroughly chew your food because digestion actually starts in the mouth when you start chewing.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Sam Montana © 03 December 2008-2022
