Introduction

Dietary fiber, formerly unrecognized for its health benefits, has received much attention in the past decade. It is widely accepted as playing a significant role in reducing total blood cholesterol, thereby decreasing the risk of coronary heart disease. It has also been credited in helping to alleviate numerous bowel disorders, including colon cancer. Are these two hypotheses true?


Basics of Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber can be divided into two basic groups, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, and insoluble fiber, as the term describes, does not.  Both soluble and insoluble fiber provide bulk in the large intestine and encourage bowel regularity. However, there are important differences between the two.


Soluble Fiber: 

The job of soluble fiber is to absorb water in the intestinal tract and slow down the amount of time needed to empty the intestine. Eating these fibers makes you feel full and may help in weight loss. These are also the fibers which are credited with helping to lower bad cholesterol levels in the blood. Examples of foods that contain soluble fibers include: 

• Dried beans and peas. 
  
• Lentils. 
  
• Oats. 
  
• Barley. 
  
• Psyllium laxatives
  
• Sesame seed
  
• Fruit, especially bananas, apple pulp, citrus, grapes, apricots, cherries
  
• Vegetables, especially potatoes, cabbage, carrots
  

Insoluble fibers draw water into the intestinal tract, but rather than slowing down digestion, they actually speed it up and increase the amount and frequency of bowel movements. Examples of foods that contain insoluble fibers:

• Wheat bran
  
• Apple and pear skins
  
• Peas and carrots
  
• Bran cereals
  
• Whole-grain breads
  
• Vegetables. 
  
• Pears
  
• Toasted whole-grain breads
  
• Browned potatoes