Fiber is a Fascinating Key to a Longer Life

While the healing value of fiber has been known for many centuries now, it came more into the scientific spotlight in the 1970s when scientists discovered that the unrefined (fiber) diets of the then still rural African continent resulted in large, soft stools, as compared to the much smaller and harder stool samples he collected in Europe (Britain). His conclusion was that the latter he associated with many of the degenerative diseases of Western civilization.

How does Fiber Work?

Dietary fiber is effective because it escapes your body's digestion until it reaches the large intestine. There it is going to be fermented by a microflora in the colon to produce short- chain fatty acids (SCFA) and gases. A specific SCFA, - butyrate - is known to be a very important fuel for your colonic cells and may even protect you against colon cancer. Another SCFA, known as propionate, lowers the dangerous serum cholesterol and will eventually help to decrease the risk of the dangerous cardiovascular disease. Although flatulence is often the subject of jokes and is usually considered socially unacceptable, it's actually a sign of a healthy colon and a plentiful supply of dietary fiber.

Fiber, Diseases and You

Recent scientific research has shown that dietary fiber may help to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing serum lipids, lowering your blood pressure, improving your metabolism, and by helping to maintain proper weight. Soluble fibers, including oat bran and fiber from (as an example) beans and certain fruits and veggies, have shown to be effective in lowering high cholesterol.

Estimates show that the risk of getting colon cancer in the United States could be reduced by about 30% if every American would increase their fiber intake by only about 13 extra grams per day. Unfortunately, due to our average low fiber intake, stool weights in the United States are normal less than 100 grams versus the recommended 150 grams per day that other countries have.

Today nutrition experts agree that Americans should consume 20 to 30 grams of dietary fiber per day, but the average consumption of only 11 grams per day falls short of that goal. Here is an example: a typical serving of grains, fruits, or vegetables contains from 1 to 3 grams of dietary fiber. So to get the recommended levels of dietary fiber one would need to consume daily at least 10 or more servings of low-fiber-containing foods. This is one reason why it proves to be a difficult goal for most others to reach even 20-30 grams of fiber.

But as shown in many blog postings and articles on Myfiberdiet.com - it is very easy to bump up your daily intake of fiber by eating the right kind of food and still enjoying foods you like and would miss in other diets.