Soluble Fiber

Dietary fibers are basically made out of those components in plants that can not be properly digested by our body or not digested at all. When these nutrients will go through our digestive tract they will bring in different benefits that we must always take into account. We have two types of dietary fibers: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Both of them are included in plant foods. Unfortunately most people around the world do not eat enough fibers. In fact, most individuals just consume 50% of what is required. We must always pay attention that we eat as much as needed in order to take advantage of all the possible benefits associated with dietary fibers.

Soluble fiber is especially important for us because it will aid in preventing some forms of cancer. The one that can be the most problematic is colon cancer, a disease that is rarely diagnosed in time and that can produce a lot of problems and even death. Soluble fiber will go through fermentation in our large intestine. As an immediate result we are faced with a formation of fatty acids with short chains. They are important because they aid in lowering bad cholesterol blood levels and glucose levels. We should also mention that they help in creating immune cells and generally promote healthy conditions of our colon. Due to soluble fiber we gain a prevention of intestinal polyps formation. We will also gain a reduction of inflammation because healthy pH is maintained in our intestine.

All plant foods out there include soluble fiber. The problem stands in quantity. If you are looking for really good food sources you should take in legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans. We recommend that you seriously consider root vegetables. The best examples can be given in carrots and potatoes. On the other hand you should never neglect apples, bananas, berries and broccoli. Soluble fiber is included in good quantities in all of these foods mentioned. If you want to take the nutrient from grains consider rye, oats and barley.

Always keep in mind that people might not take in enough fibers in their regular diet. Unfortunately this happens without us even knowing about it. It is highly important that we read the labels of the products we are buying and do the math. Although we know that we need to take in around 25 to 30 grams of fibers daily, we do not know how much of it should be soluble fiber. A well balanced diet is always the key to properly handle this situation.