Nutrition & Diet

Fiber is a misunderstood food in our society. Thought of as a panacea for symptoms such as high blood pressure, PMS, constipation, arteriosclerosis, etc., no material on earth, including fiber, is a panacea unto itself. Fiber must be utilized properly and constructively for each individual situation.

The purpose of this brief article is to inform you of the benefits of fiber and how to utilize it effectively. First, let us understand what fiber is. There are two types: soluble, which means the body is able to mush it up, and insoluble, which means the body leaves it virtually intact. Both types of fiber are found naturally in most all foods. To my knowledge, there is no single food that contains 100% insoluble fiber: there is always a balance of both. This will be key information later in this article.
Secondly, how can fiber be used by the body? Why is fiber important if most of it can not be broken up by the human body and used as a nutrient?

(1) Fiber adds bulk in the alimentary canal, which allows food to transit through the body, rather than get stuck in the digestive tract. Fiber gives the muscles of the digestive pipes something to squeeze as they pull food particles and later, waste, through the system.

(2) The bulk of fiber keeps food up against the walls of the small intestine and colon to increase the body's ability to absorb digested nutrients.

(3) Fiber allows the colon or large intestines, to absorb excess liquid and residual minerals from materials the body eliminates as waste. Fiber both retains water and aids in keeping the soon to be eliminated waste material against the walls of the colon for this vital reabsorption of water and minerals.

(4) Fiber is considered nature's broom in that as it carries food, digested nutrients and waste products out of the body as it picks up debris in its path.

That's basically what fiber does for our system. So how is it possible that fiber is known as a cure-all for so many purposed symptoms? The answer is: it is not a cure-all, but used properly, it can help.

When the virtues of fiber hit the media several years ago, people began buying tons of bran, and soon, many different sources of fiber were available commercially. The old adage that if a little is good, more is better, soon swept the marketplace. And the attitude of taking in a lot of bran was encouraged by various marketing campaigns.

At this point you might be asking yourself, "If a little fiber does all these wonderful things, wouldn't a lot be even better?"
What the marketing programs do not tell you is that too much fiber can irritate our digestive systems, and that irritation can not only cause discomfort, but mal-absorption of nutrients, the opposite of the desired effect. Too much fiber can also hinder the absorption of nutrients by trapping them within the fiber as it moves through the body.