High fiber foods have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and keep your digestive system healthy. Dietary fiber is found in plants and that helps to maintain their structure. Plant food would be considered fruits, vegetables, seeds, beans, grains, and so forth. When we eat foods that have fiber in them, it can not be digested into the body. So the fiber passes through the small intestine into the colon.

There are two types of fiber and they are insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, so it moves the waste through the colon faster by increasing the bulk of the stools. This type is found in foods like grains, nuts, and vegetables. Soluble fiber does dissolve in water and that slows down the digestion process. This type is found in many fruits and vegetables. Fiber is very important to everyone’s diet and it does a lot of great things to help you live a healthy life. Fiber helps you to feel fuller, reduces cravings for junk food, clean out your colon, and much more. In addition, it provides nutrients to friendly bacteria in your digestive tract.

The average person only eats about 11 grams of fiber a day. That is not enough, according to research; you need between 20- 30 grams of fiber each day depending on your age. When you engage in low fiber eating habits, it can cause numerous diseases and conditions such as colon cancer, constipation, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, heart disease, and more. If you are not getting enough fiber in your diet and you should know if are or not, then start making the changes to include more fiber loaded foods in your diet.

Source by Alexandra Mallory