The Fiber plays a very important role in our diet. It is also called as roughage. It is actually a plant part that our body cannot digest. The vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans and food grains contain Fiber. It keeps the digestive system healthy by passing through the body and removes any undigested content and hence clearing the track. The more natural and unprocessed is the food, the more Fiber it contains. Both soluble and insoluble Fibers are present in many foods. The animal meat, sugar and dairy do not contain Fiber.
Types of Fiber
There are many types of Fiber. Each works differently in our body making our body healthy and strong. It contains many kinds of nutrients. There are basically two types of Fiber – soluble Fiber and insoluble Fiber.
Soluble Fiber
This Fiber dissolves in water and controls diabetes and reduces cholesterol. Soluble Fiber are rich in beans,nuts,oatmeal, Barley and fruits such as pears,apples and berries. Cellulose, hemicelluloses, mucilage, beta-glucans, pectin, gums, polydextrose, and Psyllium husk are soluble type of Fibers.
Insoluble Fiber
These type of fiber won’t dissolve in water. It is a bulky Fiber and helps in the prevention of constipation. wheat,cereals,whole grains, wheat, cereals and vegetables such as tomatoes,carrots and celery contain insoluble Fiber. It helps in prevention of many types of cancers. Ligin is the most commonly found insoluble Fiber.
Fiber Benefits
Helps in weight loss
Eating Fiber makes you feel fuller and stays in stomach for a long period of time. The longer you feel full it makes you eat less. High Fiber foods are low in calories and also help reduction of calories in diet. It also benefits by regulating the blood sugar levels which help to maintain the body’s fat burning capacity. When, you eat a lot of Fiber it moves quickly in digestive tract which allows only low fat absorption. This stimulates your weight loss and helps in maintaining a healthy body.
Improves heart health
Soluble Fiber plays an important role in keeping the heart healthy. It improves the cholesterol levels by absorbing the bad cholesterol from the body and improves the level of good cholesterol. It u benefits you by lowering your blood pressure and inflammation and helps in improving your heart health. If, you are consuming more Fiber then is rest assured as you are at a lower risk of heart attacks.
Improves bowel movement
Consumption of Fiber regularises the bowel movement and make stools easier to pass. It helps in relieving diarrhoea and reduces the risk of inflammation of intestine, gallstones and kidney stones. It also provides some relief from irritable bowel syndrome and also reduces the risk of ulcers. It helps in reducing the gastric acid and lowering the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disorders. It also reduces the risk of bowel cancer and colorectal cancer.
Reduces piles or haemorrhoids
Regular consumption of Fiber reduces the risk of constipation and straining while going to toilet which in turn lowers the risk of developing piles or haemorrhoids.
Controls and prevents diabetes
The Fiber helps to control the blood sugar levels by delaying the gastric emptying, regulating the entry of glucose into the blood and lessening the rise in blood sugar level after meals. In case of diabetic people the Fiber helps to lower the absorption of sugar and helps to control the blood sugar levels. It also reduces the insulin requirements in type 2 diabetes. Regular consumption of Fiber reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. The cholesterol lowering effect of Fiber also helps those with diabetes by reducing the heart disease and benefits people suffering from diabetes.
Healthy skin
Eating Fiber specially Psyllium husk, flushes unwanted substances out of the body and improves the skin appearance.
Reduces cancer
It is also seen to reduce the cancer of stomach, mouth and pharynx.