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High Fiber Diets
High Fiber Diets
High-fiber diets have long been recommended by nutritionists. However, exactly what a high-fiber diet does for the body is less widely known.
To properly understand the benefits of a high-fiber diet, one first has to understand the benefit of fiber. Dietary fiber is the part of a plant that is indigestible by the human body. It comes in two types—soluble and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber attracts water, and aids in digestion. Soluble fiber, on the other hand, becomes fermented in the body, producing short-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids provide a number of health benefits, including stimulating T-cell production, stabilizing glucose levels in the blood, reducing cholesterol and increasing the amount of bacteria in the colon. Soluble fiber also improves the body’s absorption of minerals. A high-fiber diet is also believed to reduce the risk of cancer, although this is currently unproven.
One of the best benefits of a high-fiber diet is that it can demonstrate both short-term and long-term benefits. Increasing the fiber in one’s diet can eliminate digestive disorders, and can prevent the onset of more serious diseases.
A diet without enough fiber in it can lead to constipation and possibly hemorrhoids. In addition, low fiber in a diet can lead to increased risk for high cholesterol, diabetes, and Crohn’s disease. Too much fiber, on the other hand, can have the same effect as taking too much laxative.
A high-fiber diet requires the consumption of foods that provide soluble fiber such as barley, oats, broccoli, potatoes, onions and legumes. Insoluble fiber comes from whole grain foods, nuts, green beans, tomatoes and cauliflower. According to the Micronutrient Center of the Linus Pauling institute, the top five foods for fiber are legumes, wheat bran, prunes, Asian pears and quinoa.
High-fiber diets are easier to follow than other diets, as it does not call for specific restrictions on other foods or reductions in servings. Rather, it recommends balancing the type of foods one eats, roughly in the same manner of the food pyramid, created and distributed by the Department of Agriculture. Eating more grains and vegetables is all that is required, as well as increased ingestion of water.
The high-fiber diet has been embraced by one of the premier medical institutions in the world—the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic Plan concentrates on eating mainly fruits and vegetables, with a more limited selection from the rest of the food groups. This diet is extremely similar to high-fiber diets, and provides many of the same benefits.
