Fiber

> Fiber became a household word back in 1970s when Dr. Denis Burkitt, a man nicknamed the Fiber Man, and his colleagues made "the fiber hypothesis" that states that fiber can prevent certain diseases. Through their work in Africa, they discovered that diseases that were common in the Western cultures were not common there. These included __ [|heart attacks] __ and __ [|high blood pressure] __ (cardiovascular diseases), __ [|obesity] __ and __ [|diabetes] __(metabolic disorders), intestinal problems (__ [|constipation] __, diverticulosis,__ [|diverticulitis] __, __ [|gallstones] __, __ [|appendicitis] __,__ [|hemorrhoids] __, polyps, and __ [|colon cancer] __), __ [|varicose veins] __ and blood clots (__ [|deep vein thrombosis] __). The primary dietary difference was the high intake of fiber and low intake of refined carbohydrates in the African population. Burkitt also noted the emergence of these diseases in the United States and England after 1890 following the introduction of a new milling technique that removed fiber from whole grain flour to produce white flour.
 * // Dietary fiber // consists of nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin that are intrinsic and intact in plants. This includes plant nonstarch polysaccharides (for example, cellulose, pectin, gums, hemicellulose, and fibers contained in oat and wheat bran), oligosaccharides, lignin, and some resistant starch.
 * // Functional fiber // consists of isolated, nondigestible carbohydrates that have beneficial physiological effects in humans. This includes nondigestible plant (for example, resistant starch, pectin, and gums), chitin, chitosan, or commercially produced (for example, resistant starch, polydextrose, inulin, and indigestible dextrins) carbohydrates.
 * // Total fiber // is the sum of // dietary fiber // and // functional fiber //. It's not important to differentiate between which forms of each of these fibers you are getting in your diet. Your total fiber is what matters.
 * ** Soluble fiber ** dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance. Sources of soluble fiber are oats, legumes (beans, peas, and soybeans), apples, bananas, berries, barely, some vegetables, and psylluim.
 * ** Insoluble fiber ** increases the movement of material through your digestive tract and increases your stool bulk. Sources of insoluble fiber are whole wheat foods, bran, nuts, seeds, and the skin of some fruits and vegetables.
 * ** Insoluble fiber ** increases the movement of material through your digestive tract and increases your stool bulk. Sources of insoluble fiber are whole wheat foods, bran, nuts, seeds, and the skin of some fruits and vegetables.
 * === A little fiber history ===