Definition - What does Dietary Fiber mean?
Dietary fiber is a natural substance found in organic plants that passes through the digestive tract without undergoing metabolic synthesis, as opposed to other biochemical elements including carbohydrates, fats, and protein, which are convertible energy sources. Two subgroups of dietary fiber exist including soluble fiber, allowing dissolution in water, and insoluble fiber, which helps form solid stools to facilitate the evacuation of the bowels.
SureHire explains Dietary Fiber
Medical evidence indicates that the health benefits of dietary fiber can help regulate and control weight and minimize epidemiological risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products are rich in fiber, contributing to many homeostatic functions and processes necessary for the longevity of life including lowering cholesterol, maintaining blood sugar levels, and preventing colorectal cancer. A gradual transition of substituting more health-conscious choices for refined or processed foods is recommended to offset issues like flatulence that can arise when too dramatically increasing your fiber intake.
Increased ingestion of fiber tends to make a diet more filling, serving as a counterbalance to a previous diet of refined and processed items that contain proportionately more calories for an equal amount of high-fiber foods. Consequently, dietary fiber consumption is conducive in reducing general appetite to avoid inadvertent snacking that can otherwise raise blood sugar levels, carrying etiological implications where individuals become candidates for diabetes and heart disease. Moreover, dietary fiber is an effective means in negating the release of insulin that digests food, in turn, stabilizing blood sugar levels.
In the workplace, proper diet and nutrition positively impacts the relative health of a workforce. However, study reports indicate a fundamental lack of education from employees in distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy food options. Employers can take the initiative by establishing diet and nutrition programs that highlight dietary fiber as a preferred avenue in reducing caloric intake from total carbohydrates in one’s diet plan.
