You may love those sumptuous fried foods and be bored with veggies but your body may not love your habit. We are often advised by doctors and health specialists that protein and fiber intake are a must in the daily diet charts. However, unless we know the importance of fiber in our diet and its medical benefit we usually don’t take it seriously. Also, you may be surprised to know many of the benefits of protein and fiber are medicated by our gut microbiota – those millions of bacteria that live in our digestive system.
Different types of fibre in our food
The fiber found in our food is a non-digestible carbohydrate found in foods. We can categorize dietary fiber into two broad categories depending on water solubility –
- Soluble fiber
- Insoluble fiber
Also, we can categorize them as fermentable and non-fermentable fiber.
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How does fiber benefit us – importance of fiber in our diet
Nutrition for body
A large number of bacteria live in our gut, especially in the large intestine. About 500 different species of bacteria live in the intestine, that total about 100 trillion cells. These gut bacteria are also known as gut flora. There is a mutually beneficial relationship between these gut bacteria and our digestive system. Our body provides food, shelter, and safety to these bacteria. In return, they perform some good activities that our bodies can not do on their own.
You may be wondering what is the relation between bacteria and fiber in this context? Well, bacteria need energy and food to survive. There comes the importance of fiber in our diet. Human cells don’t have enzymes to digest fiber. So, it reaches to large intestine almost unchanged. Their intestinal bacteria digest many of these fibers with enzymes. This is like feeding the good bacteria and working as a prebiotic. By promoting the growth of good gut bacteria we get many benefits for our health.
The friendly bacteria produce nutrients for the body, which includes short-chain fatty acids like acetate, propionate, and butyrate, of which butyrate appears to be the most important. These short-chain fatty acids can feed the cells in the colon, leading to reduced gut inflammation and improvements in digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Lose weight
Fiber often helps to reduce weight by reducing appetite. So often health coaches suggest increasing dietary fiber for weight loss. Fiber can soak up water in the intestine, slowing the absorption of nutrients and increasing feelings of fullness. However not all fiber has the same effect, some fibers don’t have any effect on weight change.
Reduce Blood sugar spike
High viscous soluble fibers when present in our carb food causes smaller spikes in blood sugar level. So, if you have blood sugar issues, you should consider reducing your carb intake, especially low-fiber, refined carbs, such as white flour and added sugar.
Fiber reduces cholesterol
Viscous, soluble fiber has the property to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Though studies show that may not be significant. A review of 67 controlled studies found that consuming 2–10 grams of soluble fiber per day reduced total cholesterol by only 1.7 mg/dl and LDL cholesterol by 2.2 mg/dl, on average. However, how much your cholesterol may reduce depends on the type and viscosity amount of the fiber. It is also found that people who eat more fiber is less prone to heart disease.
Eliminate constipation
It is a known fact that the more you intake fiber, the less you will have the problem of constipation. Fiber is claimed to help absorb water, increase the bulk of your stool, and speed up the movement of your stool through the intestine. In general, fiber that increases the water content of your stool has a laxative effect. Soluble fibers that form a gel in the digestive tract and are not fermented by gut bacteria are often effective. Also, other types of fiber, such as sorbitol, have a laxative effect by drawing water into the colon.
Final Word
Different fibers have different health benefits. Not only it is good for your gut bacteria but also beneficial for colon health. At the same time, reducing weight, sugar level, and cholesterol level, it keeps your vital health optimum. So, consider the importance of fiber in our diet and try to take the balanced amount of various fibers in your daily food intake.