Fabricating your health through Fiber

Introduction to Fiber
Of course if you're a total foodie and believe in eating healthy, everyone from doctors to dieticians are talking about adding fiber to your diet. Really simply put, the indigestible parts of fruits, vegetables, cereals and pulses is known as dietary fiber. This in reality is the cell wall of the plant.

It is made of a special type of carbohydrate, which remains unchanged after passing through the digestive system. The fiber breaks down only in the colon. Once this is done, the acid produced due to this breakdown nourishes the lining of the colon. And because this is good for the colon, or large intestine, it's obvious that the food consumed is digested rather well.

In many scriptures, it's written avidly clearly that food, despite your color or religion needs to be chewed very well. In fact some cultures even promote that if you respect every morsel that you eat, then it is best to make yourself comfortable and allow each particle to get into your system with ease. Perhaps they all knew the benefits of Fiber

Fiber has the ability to retain water. This quality makes it an excellent laxative. In fact, adequate intake of fiber can relieve constipation within hours. Fiber rich diets are also a very effective way of weight management. One of the brilliant examples of fiber is Papaya. And also lotus root, if you've ever experimented with the vegetable. Rather expensive in its cost, the lotus root comes roughly about $20 per kilos. Its fiber acts as the most natural laxative, that one could find. It's a bit cumbersome to eat, but an absolute natural Vitamin B Complex.

Benefits of Fiber
Interestingly, fiber produces a feeling of fullness of the stomach without adding on too many calories. This keeps a check on craving. Besides all this, it has been found that adequate consumption of dietary fiber reduces the risk of colon cancer, diabetes and coronary heart diseases. It also helps to lower blood cholesterol.

Despite all these benefits, it is important to consider a word of caution. High fiber content in the diet may cause abdominal discomfort and flatulence in some people. Other than this fiber rich diets can reduce the absorption of zinc, which can lead to retarded sexual growth in children. Adults may suffer from anemia and ostomalacia, although this is currently being researched.

The best way to incorporate fiber in your diet is by substituting refined cereals by whole grain. Fresh fruit instead of juices and extracts and whole pulses instead of split ones. Try to consume fiber in its natural form. About 25-30 grams of fiber should be consumed everyday. Oats, rye, barley, carrots, bran and citrus fruits are excellent sources of fiber.