Everyone should now know that fiber is an important part of a balanced diet. However, what fiber actually is, why it is so important for our body, how and where we find it, and above all in what quantity we should consume it, is usually not known.
So it is high time to take a closer look at the topic and examine this nutritional classic with fresh knowledge.
\nTo get straight to the point: fiber is by no means a burden, but is now recognized as one of the “best friends” of our gut and our microbiome. A fact that, in this form, was not widely accepted among doctors and nutritionists for a long time. To understand this, it is therefore also very important to know what fiber actually is.
When we talk about fiber, we generally mean fiber-rich and swelling components in plant-based foods that are largely indigestible for our body. In general, these are further divided into insoluble and soluble fiber, which above all have one thing in common: the enzymes present ensure that our gastrointestinal tract cannot break them down, or can only break them down incompletely. The result: the fibers are not decomposed there and are excreted again undigested.
Understandably, you may now wonder why these indigestible components should be good for the body at all… Incidentally, this is exactly the reason why fiber was long considered useless in professional circles… 🙂 Today, the question can be answered relatively simply, but in a rather complex way. To put it briefly: fiber can not only get your digestion going, but can also make an important contribution to health prevention.
\nWater-insoluble fiber – which consists of the outer layers of cereal grains – can bind water particularly well because of its coarser structure and thus swell in the intestine. The result is that stool volume is increased, the intestinal contents can be transported onward more quickly for excretion, and more active digestion can thus be stimulated. Soluble fiber, such as that found in fruit, vegetables,
\nnuts, berries or bran, also attracts water. Unlike insoluble substances, these are broken down by bacteria in the large intestine and thus serve as valuable food for the microbiome.
In addition to these effects, both fiber groups have one thing in common: they cause blood sugar levels to rise more slowly after meals, which in turn means less insulin is released. In addition, the valuable plant fibers can also bind bile acids, which are involved in fat digestion in the intestine. A large review study by the University of Harvard also showed how effective a fiber-rich diet can be in preventing colon cancer. It found that among more than 700,000 study participants, the more fiber they ate each day, the fewer people died.