FIBER

Chapter 9

                                                    FIBER

              We use many vegetables daily in while preparing dishes. But we don’t think much of the peel of the vegetable. We throw it away. It is like throwing away gold at night and then hunting for it in the morning. That gold is the fiber. If you understand the importance, you will never throw it away. Let us see why fiber is so important.

     According to research, a middle aged person needs 14gms of fiber in 1000 calories of food. Fiber is important to throw out unwanted frat from the intestines. Soluble fiber is needed to keep the glucose range balanced in the body. Increase in fiber in diet reduces intake of calories.

     Some people sit in the toilet for hours reading a news paper. Some have to smoke a cigarette to make the stools go out of the body. These people suffer from constipation. But they are so used to the practice that it has become a common thing for them. All these problems arise due to the deficiency of fiber in their diet.

     The change in life style and modernization has lead to the consumption of fast food, bakery items like bread, bun which contain very less or absolutely no fiber. The food without fiber sticks to the intestine. It rots inside our body; unable to be thrown out. This rotting food produces bad smelling gas. If the gas is unable to come out, it moves all over the body leading to stomach pain and even head ache. Food with fiber is able to move freely in the intestines and is easily thrown out of the body before it rots.

     A good diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables has enough fiber which our body needs. A person who consumes a lot of raw food will never encounter constipation problem. The person will be free from gas trouble and have a good motion daily in the morning. The body will be clean not only from outside but also from inside. Daily clearance of stools gives freshness to body and mind. Face shines with freshness and no artificial make up is needed.

Fiber is a material that is in the form of elongated pieces like thread. Dietary fiber is also called roughage. This is the part of food item that is not digestible but it helps to push the food through the digestive system absorbing water and making defecation easy.

Dietary fiber can be soluble or in-soluble in water but both are indigestible. Soluble fiber changes as it passes through the intestine since it is fermented by bacteria. It absorbs water and becomes a gelatinous substance that passes out of the body. Insoluble fiber goes out of the body largely unchanged. Both types are present in plants.

When soluble fiber is fermented, health promoting compounds are produced which are useful to the body. The work of the insoluble fiber is to increase bulk, soften stool and make sure that it stays in the intestine for a short time.

       Consider a plum. The skin of the plum is insoluble fiber and the stuff inside is soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is also found in all plant food like peas, soybean, oats, barley, and some fruits like banana, berries, inside apple, vegetables like carrot, broccoli, potato, sweet potato and onion.  Soluble fiber helps reduce heart problems by reducing cholesterol.

Insoluble fiber is found in wheat, corn, nuts, seeds, potato skin, tomato skin and cauliflower. Insoluble fiber reduces risk of constipation, colitis, colon cancer and haemorrhoids.

Many fiber supplements are available in the market as cure for gastrointestinal problem, diarrhoea, constipation, colon cancer, lowering cholesterol and reduce weight.