How a High Fiber Diet Can Save Your Life - By: MycompleteLife, Posted on: 2006-12-15

For many years now we have been hearing about how a high fiber diet has many health benefits. Some people do follow high fiber diets and some do not. So what is it about fiber that is so beneficial to your health and what does it do within your body to promote good health.

Well firstly fiber is a necessity for an effective digestive system and for the elimination of waste products. Fiber, also known as roughage, cannot be digested and provides a coarseness which cleans out your internal track.

It can be said the one reason for the obesity problem in the world is that people are just not consuming enough fiber. So how much fiber is enough? Research has shown that the average person should be consuming about 30 grams of fiber every day. Most people have no idea how much fiber they consume daily and at best consume about half the recommended levels. Although many diets vary due to life style, cultures and habits it is easy to say that if one is not consuming at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day and if they are not eating whole wheat and grains from breads and cereals they are most likely not getting their recommended 30 grams of fiber.

So whats the big deal? We have all heard this for years that we need to consume more fiber and even though we may not be, we are all still living, right? What one should be asking themselves is if I consumed more fiber would it have a beneficial effect on my life?If you are to look at your diet, you should be thinking, will this way of eating continue to keep you healthy,or if you started consuming more fiber could you be assisting your body in maintaining an better level of health.

So what is fiber anyway? Well fiber is the roughage or parts of the food that cannot be fully digested. There are two type of fiber, soluble and insoluble fiber. Each type of fiber plays a certain roll in your digestive track and aids your body in different ways.

Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that dissolves in water.
It forms a jelly like substance
when dissolved in water which creates bulk within your digestive track. When this bulk or jelly
is in the small intestine it has the qualities that will absorb the cholesterol from your digestive
track and eliminate it from your body through your waste. Since this cholesterol is pulled out of the digestive track the body then pulls cholesterol from the blood system regulating the digestive system and lowering your cholesterol level in your blood stream. Soluble fiber can reduce your serum cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) by as much as 15%. Some ways to get soluble fiber is by eating foods
like apples, pears, citrus, oat bran, psyllum and beans.

On the other hand insoluble fiber cannot be dissolved in water and is actually more of the bulk that moves through and cleanses your digestive tract. Insoluble fiber purpose is to treat constipation and also assist in slowing down the absorption of sugar into your bloody stream. This can help people who suffer with diabetes by regulating the sugar levels and preventing spikes of sugar overload. Insoluble fiber can be found in such foods as wheat bran, cabbage and root vegetables.

Weight management is another sometimes overlooked benefit of a high fiber diet. Because of the bulk of fibrous food they will make you feel fuller faster which typically leads to eating less and in turn you consume less calories. There is also the benefit of weight loss due to the fewer calories and the efficiency of waste elimination. Some additional health benefits of a high fiber diet include the reduced risk of cancer, alleviates hemorrhoids, reduces or cures constipation, and the reduction of glucose levels.

There are so many health benefits with an increased fiber diet which will help you feel better, look better and reduce or eliminate the risk of many diseases. By doing a few new things like consuming more fruits, both dried and fresh, eating more green leafy vegetables and reading labels to see how much soluble and insoluble fiber is in the foods you consume, one can
start to assist their body in functioning at an higher level of health.

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The author is in pursuit of the complete life. A life that works on all levels, abundant in health, personal growth, relationships and a spiritual connecting to all that is. You can visit his site at www.mycompletelife.com to find other great resources on health, personal development, spiritual growth and anything that will help you improve your life.

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