Functions and Benefits of Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber is actually a kind of polysaccharide that is not easy to be digested and utilized by human body. They mainly come from the cell wall of plants, including cellulose, hemicellulose, gum, pectin and lignin. Its functions in the human body can be summarized as follows: ① reduce the absorption of sugar in the small intestine and slow down the rise of blood sugar; ② reduce the absorption of bile acid and fat in the intestinal tract to achieve the effect of reducing blood lipid; ③ it can be metabolized by bacteria in the intestinal tract to produce some short-chain fatty acids and weaken the synthesis of cholesterol; ④ promote intestinal peristalsis, clean up the intestinal wall, soften stool and prevent constipation; ⑤ produce satiety, help control weight and lose weight; ⑥ reduce the absorption of heavy metals, toxic and harmful substances, prevent colon cancer and other digestive system cancer; ⑦ remove toxins from the body, prevent the formation of facial spots, acne and other skin problems. The promotion of intestinal bacteria reproduction, improve human immunity.
Dietary fiber works from physical structure
Since dietary fiber cannot be absorbed by the human body, why do you have so many effects? This is related to the physical structure of dietary fiber. The microstructure of dietary fiber is similar to sponge or honeycomb, even more regular and dense than sponge and honeycomb, so it has super adsorption capacity. It can adhere to and bind sugar, fat, bile acid, cholesterol, other toxins, water, food residues and other substances in our intestines. Because it is not absorbed by the human body, it takes these wastes out of the body-many of the effects of dietary fiber are achieved because of its strong adsorption force. Of course, the coarse macro structure of dietary fiber is like a small brush, which can stimulate the peristalsis of the intestinal tract and clean up the intestinal wall. For this reason, dietary fiber can be called the "scavenger" of the intestinal tract ".
Based on the functions and benefits of dietary fiber, the Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that the daily intake of dietary fiber reaches 25-30g, which we can obtain through diet. Many people think that the visible "fiber" in celery and green vegetables is dietary fiber, which is actually a misunderstanding. There are two types of dietary fiber: soluble and insoluble. What we can see is insoluble dietary fiber, and what we need is more invisible soluble dietary fiber. They can be dissolved in water, so it is not felt. Water-soluble dietary fiber mainly comes from brown rice, barley, oats, red beans, mung beans, soybeans, peas, citrus, etc.; insoluble dietary fiber can be mainly obtained from rice bran, corn bran, celery, root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc.), mushrooms (mushrooms, fungus, tremella, etc.), these two kinds of dietary fiber are what we need.
However, at the same time, we should also remind some friends who are eager to lose weight and have poor digestive function in the gastrointestinal tract. Dietary fiber does hinder the absorption of calcium, iron and other minerals, proteins and vitamins. Excessive consumption will also lead to excessive gastrointestinal peristalsis, increased gas production and abdominal discomfort, so don't eat too much!