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Dietary fiber is an essential part for good nutrition and healthy diet. “Fiber” is a substance which is found in plants and “dietary fiber” is the ingredient which is an indispensible part of a healthy diet. It is not only obtained from fruits and vegetables but also from grains and legumes such as oats, soybeans, barley and psyllium seed husk. The other name of “dietery fiber” is roughage or bulk. As the name suggests fiber adds bulk to your diet and prevents from overeating thus filling your stomach. As a result of which it keeps the individual healthy by helping them to check their weight-this phenomenon is known as Stomach distension. But it doesn’t stop at one use-its best known function is to relieve constipation, control diabetes, diverticular disease and constant check in various types of heart-disease.

Dietary fiber – definition

Dietary fiber includes the part of the plant that your body or any other mammalian digestive enzymes is unable to digest. Yet it is one of the most important features of a healthy diet. Unlike the other components of balanced diet such as fat, carbohydrate, vitamins are broken down and digested but dietery fibers passes through the digestive tract and then excrete out of the body with very minor change in the digestive system. This clearly elucidates that fiber provides few or no calories; in addition to that it emphasizes many health benefits.

Dietary fiber food

There are two broad categories of dietary fiber: Soluble Fiber and Insoluble Fiber.

• Soluble Fiber: As the name indicates this fiber is soluble in water and forms a gelatinous, glutinous and adhesive substance- this mass is then slowly fermented by the bacteria in the digestive tract. The main intestinal bacterial floras are Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli that are essential for good health and proper digestion. As a result of which it helps to slow down the rate of digestion and nutrient absorption and helps to maintain regularity, lower blood sugar level and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol content (Bad cholesterol). It even promotes colon health and the health of the body as well.
  • Prebiotic Soluble Fiber – These are the specialized types of soluble fibers which have the most positive health benefits, as established by many medical research centers. The three most important are inulin, oligofrustose and galacto-oligosaccharide.
  • Types of soluble fibers include pectin, which occurs in fruits such as (apples, strawberries, citrus fruits); beta-glucans, are found in oats, barley and rye; gums, found in beans, cereals (barley, oats, rice), seeds and seaweed; and arabinose, found in legumes/pulses.
• Insoluble Fiber: This type of fiber is insoluble in water, it does not undergo fermentation and has the bulking action. It tends to remain in the solid form and bunch up in the entire digestive tract for the well-sized stool. It is also believed by some health-professionals that it behaves like a cleanser. This fiber acts like a brush or sponge and cleans away all the stray particles present in the digestive-tract and clumps along with it so that it can be easily be removed by the normal bowel movements. It controls and balances the pH (acidity) condition in the intestines. It also promotes the “speed of transit” through digestive systems, and increases regularity of stool bulk and prevents constipation. It also helps to excrete toxic waste through colon in less period of time and prevent colon cancer by maintaining an optimum pH condition in intestines to curb the growth of microbes from producing cancerous substances.
  • Types of Insoluble Fibers includes lignin and cellulose, the chief constituent of plant cell walls, which are present in whole grains (especially wheat bran, wheat-oat, corn bran), and hemicellulose that is partly soluble found in nuts, seeds, fruits and dark green leafy vegetables.

How much fiber is essential for healthy diet?

An average balanced diet generally contains 75%:25% insoluble fiber: soluble fiber. Being unaware about specific amount of fiber present in the healthy diet there are many foods such as oat, oat brans, psyllium husk and flax seed which are rich in both insoluble and soluble fiber. The minimum requirement of fiber is 25g per day.

Dietary fiber precaution :

• It should also be kept in mind that incorporation of fiber in the diet should be done cautiously because too much might lead to the formation of methane gas, which can cause bloating, cramps in stomach and flatulence.
• Patients having Ulcerative colitis : It is a disease of the large intestine or colon and a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The main symptom is constant diarrhoea mixed with blood. Crohn’s disease is also another form of IBD. These diseases are restricted to specific diets to the patients. In IBD the patient requires a Restricted Fiber Diet that emphasizes restriction of foods that contain a high amount of fiber, such as some vegetables and grains.

Health benefits of dietary fiber or high fiber diet?

Consistent intake of fiber in our daily diet reduces the risk of the world’s most prevalent diseases like:

• Dietary fiber prevents Colon Cancer: The passage of the food passes through the colon in comparatively short span of time with the intake of dietary fiber. As a result of which the colon is prevented from being exposed to certain carcinogenic toxins found in some food and may protect against colon cancer. But recent study by Harvard University concluded that eating high fiber diet only does not mean to protect people from colon cancer. But surely high fiber diet prevents the risk of other types of cancer like breast cancer, ovarian cancer and uterine cancer.
• Soluble fiber in diet controls Type II Diabetes : Soluble fiber in the diet reduces the rate of absorption of sugar for the patient suffering from diabetes. As a result of which addition of fiber in diet helps in the regularisation of the glucose level in the blood and reduces the risk of developing type II diabetes.
• Soluble fiber in diet also controls heart diseases : Experiments are carried out to support the notion that soluble fiber containing foods such as beans, oats, flax seed and oat bran influence the level of cholesterol and triglycerides. These foods help in lowering the total blood cholesterol level and other particles in the blood that affect the development of heart disease, blood pressure and inflammation.
• Dietary fiber prevents diverticular disease : High fiber content in the diet may help to maintain bowel integrity and prevents the risk of developing haemorrhoids, and small pouches called diverticula, that grow in the wall of the colon. These diverticula become inflamed or infected, a this condition is known as diverticulitis. It causes pain, diarrhea, constipation, and other problems.
• Insoluble fiber in diet prevents formation of gall stones and kidney stones : Kidney stones and gallstones are composed of calcium and other minerals that form crystals and are more likely to develop in the kidney. With the uptake of insoluble fiber in diet it may help to reduce calcium in the urine by combining it with calcium in the intestines, so the calcium is speedily excreted with the stool instead the kidneys providing less time for calcium to be absorbed and formation of stones.
• Dietary fiber prevents constipation : One important function of colon is to complete the digestive process by removing excess water from food wastes. When sufficient amount of water is not absorbed then it results in watery stools and diarrhea. In contrast to that when too much water is absorbed it results in hard stools and constipation. A low-fiber diet also plays a key role in constipation so food that contains high amount of fiber is preferred to avoid constipation.

Inference: As we know for a being healthy a balanced diet is absolutely necessary. So, keeping in mind the pros and cons of dietary fiber and the exact amount in your diet is a crucial step towards a healthier lifestyle.

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