GENERAL HEALTH ARTICLES
Health Benefits of a High Fiber Diet
by BeautiFitt
A high fiber diet is the best choice for digestive health as this diet 
keeps the digestive tract operating efficiently and keeps the intestines healthy. Many issues can arise when waste is not being properly eliminated from the body, but often these can be prevented by consuming a diet high in fiber. One example, colon cancer, a serious disease afflicting thousands, is often a result of inadequate fiber in the diet. Health professionals recommend eating 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day. Such a diet will go a long way in decreasing constipation, promoting weight loss and preventing many common and dangerous diseases.
What is Dietary Fiber?
There are two types of dietary fiber: soluble and non-soluble. Soluble fiber, found in foods such as apples, oatmeal and legumes, dissolves in water forming a gelatinous substance and binding to toxins and cholesterol for elimination. Insoluble fiber comes from cellulose in the skins of vegetables and fruits and husks of grains. Insoluble fiber absorbs water and forms bulk for quicker and easier elimination.
How Dietary Fiber Improves Digestion
Fiber helps the digestive process by producing a softer, bulkier stool and encouraging intestinal contractions needed to expel waste from the colon. Fiber also helps to expand the walls of the colon to allow the waste to travel more easily. This helps to prevent such problems such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) which can cause both constipation and diarrhea.
Easy Ways to Add Fiber to Your Diet
It isn't necessary to make radical changes to create a healthier diet. Simple substitutions can be made to include more fiber in the diet. Replace white bread with a whole grain variety. Try raw carrots or apples or dried fruit for snacks instead of fatty and salty chips. Just include more vegetables, fruits and whole grains. You'll not only get more fiber in your diet, you'll get less fat and additives and more essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
If someone is altogether resistant to a change in diet, there are fiber supplements available. While not as desirable as the whole food option, they can improve one's fiber intake. They are available in pill form or as a powder that can be added to water or juice.
Dietary Fiber Can Prevent or Even Correct Digestive Problems
While a high fiber diet is good for everyone, some people have digestive disorders that can be relieved or even corrected by changing their diet. High fiber diets can help to regulate bowel function and can relieve the symptoms of such conditions as IBS. This diet may lower your risk of developing certain disorders, such as hemorrhoids, diverticular disease and type 2 diabetes.
A high fiber diet may also decrease the likelihood of colon cancer in some people. A regular diet of high fiber foods will increase bulk in the stool and help to keep carcinogens found in certain foods moving quickly through the body. Colon cancer usually starts as a small, benign colon polyp that grows and becomes cancerous. Decreasing the exposure time may help to stop colon cancer from developing.
High fiber diets are beneficial to anyone, regardless of whether or not they are experiencing digestive issues. It is an easy way to maintain health and regulate weight.