What is dietary fiber

Dietary fiber is a type of carbohydrate that cannot be digested by the human body. However, this type of dietary fiber has many functions. Generally speaking, it includes two major categories: water-insoluble fiber and some water-soluble fiber. Of course, cellulose, or hemicellulose and lignin are also different types of dietary fiber. Let’s learn about them together.

The role of dietary fiber

In our daily diet, cellulose, as well as some hemicellulose and lignin are very common water-insoluble fibers. This kind of dietary fiber has many functions and is widely present in people's plant cell walls. However, pectin and gum are a type of water-soluble fiber and exist in non-fibrous substances in nature.

Dietary fiber is a food nutrient that is generally difficult to digest. It mainly comes from the cell walls of plants and includes cellulose, hemicellulose, resin, pectin and lignin. Dietary fiber plays a vital role in promoting good digestion and excretion of solid waste. Supplementing with an appropriate amount of fiber can make the food in the intestines larger and softer, promote intestinal peristalsis, thereby speeding up bowel movements, preventing constipation and reducing the risk of colon cancer.

In addition, cellulose can regulate blood sugar and help prevent diabetes. It can also reduce the absorption of fat during the digestion process, thereby lowering the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, and preventing and treating hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Brown rice and germinated polished rice, as well as whole grains such as corn, millet, barley, wheat bran (rice bran) and wheat flour (ingredients for black bread); in addition, root vegetables and seaweed are rich in dietary fiber, such as burdock, carrots, green beans, red beans, peas, potatoes and kelp.

Dietary fiber has many functions. It can help people's gastrointestinal digestion, increase people's immunity, and reduce the body's cholesterol content and high blood pressure. And lowers insulin and triglycerides in the body. Therefore, if we supplement dietary fiber reasonably in our daily life, it will have many benefits for people's health.