FIBER

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2. There Are 7 Major Categories of Nutrients: Fiber Introducing Fiber Carbohydrates Proteins Fats Minerals Vitamins Water

3. 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 (ŏl'ĭ-gō-săk'ə-rīdes' .)

4. 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 (sĭl'ē-əm) & legumes.

5. 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.

6. 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 (byū-tîr'ĭk), acetic (a-SEE-tihk), propionic (prō'pē-ŏn'ĭk), and valeric (və-lîr'ĭk)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-bē´-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.

7. 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.

8. Diverticulum (dī'vûr-tĭk'yə-ləm)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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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, RaisinBran 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

13. 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.

14. 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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