FIBER

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FIBER
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There Are 7 Major Categories of Nutrients
Fiber
Introducing Fiber
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
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What is fiber?
Dietary fiber, also known as roughage or bulk,
is plant cell material that resists digestion and
absorption in the human small intestine, with
complete or partial fermentation (decomposition
by bacteria) in the large intestine.
Dietary fiber It is not really an
accurate term, as many of its
components are not fibrous. Gums, waxes, and
mucilages, for example, are classified as dietary
fiber because mammalian enzymes or secretions do
not digest them. Cellulose, however, is truly
fibrous.
(Other components include hemicellulose, lignans,
resistant starches, beta-glucans, pectins,
inulins, and oligosaccharides
(ol'i-go-sak'?-rides' .)
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Two categories of fiber...Soluble
SOLUBLE fiber dissolves in water (from the
stomach and intestines) and is degraded by
bacteria in the intestine. It absorbs water and
mixes the food into a gel-like material. This
slows the emptying of the stomach and the
movement of the food mass through the intestines,
which in turn slows the rate of glucose digestion
and absorption. Soluble fiber increases stool
volume and water content.
The seeds and husks of this psyllium plant are
used as a laxative and fiber additive.
This type of fiber is found in fruits, oats,
barley, psyllium (sil'e-?m) legumes.
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Blood cholesterol levels below 200 mg/dl.
(milligrams per deciliter) have been associated
with reduced blood pressure and a decreased risk
of coronary heart disease. The liver converts
cholesterol into bile acids, and then the body
excretes those acids. Water-soluble fiber binds
with the bile acids, increasing excretion of the
cholesterol.
LDL cholesterol, a waxy fat found in many foods
and produced in the liver, attaches itself to the
walls of arteries, causing blockage.
Some types of fiber appear to have a greater
effect than others. The fiber found in rolled
oats is more effective in lowering blood
cholesterol levels than the fiber found in wheat.
Pectin found in apples, oranges, and plums has a
similar effect in that it, too, can lower the
amount of cholesterol in the blood.
Fiber binds bile acids.
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Fiber fermentation in the colon...
The large intestine comprises a segment called
the colon within which additional nutrient
absorption occurs through the process of
fermentation. Fermentation, especially of
legumes, occurs by the action of colonic bacteria
on the food mass, producing gases (flatulence)
and short-chain fatty acids. It is these
short-chain fatty acids butyric (byu-tîr'ik),
acetic (a-SEE-tihk), propionic
(pro'pe-on'ik), and valeric (v?-lîr'ik)acids
that have significant health properties.
Short-chain fatty acids stabilize blood sugar
levels after a meal and act on pancreatic insulin
release (helps control diabetes) (di-a-be-teees)
and lipid levels (suppresses cholesterol
synthesis by the liver), improve the colonic
environment (raises the acidity level in the
colon), and regulate immune responses.
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Two categories of fiber... Insoluble
INSOLUBLE fiber doesn't dissolve in water and
passes through your digestive system largely
unchanged.  Insoluble fiber accelerates
intestinal transit, and increases fecal weight.
This, like soluble fiber, means softer, larger
feces.  It also results in an increased frequency
of defecation.   As the fiber moves through your
intestine, it scours intestinal walls removes
waste matter.
Insoluble fiber is found in greatest amounts in
cereals wheat bran stalks, peels, and seeds of
fruits vegetables.
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Diverticulum  (di'vûr-tik'y?-l?m) are pouches of
the intestinal wall that can become inflamed and
painful, especially when digesting fried foods or
foods with small seeds. In the past, a low-fiber
diet was prescribed for this condition. It is now
known that a high-fiber diet gives better results
once the inflammation has subsided.
Insoluble fiber, because it makes stools softer
and bulkier, is helpful in the treatment and
prevention of constipation, hemorrhoids and
diverticulosis.
Rectal/anal hemorrhoids
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Other benefits of fiber...
There is some evidence that dietary fiber may
help reduce the risk of some cancers, especially
colon cancer. This idea is based on information
that insoluble fiber increases the rate at which
wastes are removed from the body. This means the
body may have less exposure to toxic substances
produced during digestion. Fiber also helps keep
the colon clean, and that prevents irritation of
any pre-cancer cells that may be present.
High-fiber diets may be useful for people who
wish to lose weight. Fiber itself has no
calories, yet provides a "full" feeling because
of its water-absorbing ability. It provides
satiety.
The colon, or large intestine, is a muscular tube
that begins at the end of the small intestine and
ends at the rectum. The colon absorbs water from
liquid stool that is delivered to it from the
small intestine.
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The Bristol Stool Scale
The Bristol Stool Chart is a medical aid designed
to classify the feces forms into seven groups. It
was developed by Heaton and Lewis at the
University of Bristol, England, and was first
published in 1997. Because the form of the stool
depends on the time it spends in the colon, there
is a correlation between the colonic transit time
and the stool type.
Types 1 and 2 constipation 3 and 4 "ideal
stools" especially the latter, as they are the
easiest to pass 5-7 tending towards diarrhea
dietary or supplemental fiber can help regulate
the form of fecal waste.
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Sources of fiber...
Dietary fiber is found only in plant products,
including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains.
Both insoluble and soluble sources of fiber are
in the parts of a plant that we eat skin, pulp,
seeds, stems, leaves, and roots. Foods considered
the best sources of fiber will have at least 5
grams of fiber per serving. Good sources have at
least 2.5 grams per serving.
Best sources of fiber are in whole-grain products
(includes the bran of the grain kernel), raw or
cooked fruits and vegetables, and legumes (dried
beans and peas). Refined or processed foods
(white bread, pasta, fruit juices, and
non-whole-grain cereals) are lower in fiber
content. Because of their higher water content,
fruits and vegetables provide less dietary fiber
per gram of ingested material than grains and
cereals. Fiber content will be lowered if you
remove the skin from fruits and vegetables.
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Common high fiber foods...
½ cup contains 3 grams of fiber Bananas, 3
grams 1 medium Beans, 6-10 grams - baked
beans, black beans, great northern beans,
kidney beans, garbanzos, pinto beans, white beans
Berries, 4-5 grams - blackberries, raspberries
Bran Cereals, 5-10 grams - All-Bran, Bran Buds,
100 Bran, Raisin Bran Bread, 4-7
grams - 2 slices whole wheat, pumpernickel,
seven-grain Broccoli, 4-5 grams Carrots, 3-4
grams Fruit, 4 grams - medium apple, medium pear
Greens, 4-6 grams - beet greens, collards, kale,
spinach, turnip greens Lima Beans - 4-6 grams
Peas, 7-9 grams - black-eyed peas, green peas
Potatoes, 4-5 grams - medium baked Idaho or
sweet potato Sweet Corn, 5 grams
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Recommended daily allowance...
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for Fiber
Males 14-18 years 38 g/day 19-50 years 38
g/day Females 14-18 years 26 g/day
19-50 years 25 g/day
The average American consumes only 14 grams of
dietary fiber a day. The current recommendations
are for 14 grams of fiber per 1000 calories
consumed. So, if you consume a 2500 calorie diet,
you should eat approximately 35 grams of fiber
per day. Fiber intake does vary depending on age
and gender.
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Caution It is possible that too much fiber may
reduce the amount of calcium, iron, zinc, copper
and magnesium that is absorbed from foods.
Fiber supplements...
There are many types of fiber supplements
available to consumers for nutritional purposes,
treatment of various gastrointestinal disorders,
and for such possible health benefits as lowering
cholesterol levels, reducing risk of colon
cancer, and losing weight. They may be beneficial
for alleviating symptoms of irritable bowel
syndrome, infammatory bowel disease, diarrhea,
constipation, and abdominal discomfort. They are
sometimes used as a bowel regulator, laxative, or
stool softener.
If you are not used to consuming high fiber diets
regularly, these changes should be made gradually
to avoid problems with gas and diarrhea. When you
increase fiber in your diet you must increase
water consumption!
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FIBER
THE END