Fiber is important for proper digestion, but not all fiber is the same. Plant fiber can be divided into two groups.  Pectin is a water-soluble fiber found in most soft fruits.  Water-soluble fibers are very gentle on the digestive tract.  Most fruit has a high pectin content and is very easy for the body to utilize.  Watermelon it is very fibrous fruit, yet it will almost dissolve in your mouth.

Eating more fruit is a good way for people with sensitive digestion to increase the fiber content in their diet.  I often hear people complain that eating more fruit makes them have to go to the toilet frequently.

Vegetables are a bit more difficult to digest.  Raw cabbage, lettuce, broccoli and carrots are examples of vegetables, which unless thoroughly chewed, often reappear in bowel movements partially digested.  At the microscopic level, the cell wall of most vegetables are hard and require much more time and effort to digest.  The hard cell walls of vegetables are composed of a fiber called cellulose.

Cellulose will not dissolve in water. The human body does not secrete an enzyme to break down cellulose. This can make digesting hard, uncooked vegetables very difficult for many, especially as we get older and do not adequately chew our food.  Cellulose fiber can pass through the gastrointestinal track unchanged.

Cellulose fiber provides the ‘bulking agent’ for the digestive tract that helps facilitate moving food through the intestines to be evacuated as solid waste; hence, the hard vegetable fiber cellulose is often called “nature’s broom.”

These harder fibers also increase the body’s ability to absorb water and produce regular well-formed bowel movements, which may prevent colon cancer and decrease the symptoms associated with other bowel disorders, such as diverticulosis.

Diverticulosis is a common irritative condition in which small, bulging pouches of waste form along the digestive tract. Once these pouches become infected or inflamed into diverticulitis, it can require surgery to resolve.

Dietary fiber can create a feeling of fullness, which can also help in controlling your appetite. This translates into an important missing element in weight control.  Dietary fiber also assists in detoxifying the colon since it binds with some toxic substances before elimination.

Many people find that they digest their vegetables better if they are lightly steamed or blended into a soup consistency.  We recommend that people with weak digestion or poor elimination try these techniques to get things jumpstarted, but this should not be considered a replacement for sitting down to a well-rounded, thoroughly chewed meal.

An average an individual should get 20-35 grams of fiber daily.

Here are some common foods and their fiber content.

Fruits

1 medium orange (3 grams of fiber)

1 medium banana (3 grams)

1 medium apple with skin (3 grams)

1 cup of raspberries (8 grams)

1 medium raw pear with skin (4 grams)

1 cup of raisins (6 grams)

Vegetables

1 cup lettuce (1 gram)

1 medium tomato (2 grams)

1 medium baked potato with skin (3 grams)

1 cup broccoli (4 grams)

1 medium carrot (2 grams)

1 celery stalk (1 gram)

Grains

1 slice white bread (less than one gram)

1 slice whole wheat bread (2 grams)

1 cup brown rice (4 grams)

1 cup white rice (2 grams)

1 cup spaghetti (2 grams)

1 whole-wheat English muffin (4 grams)

1 cup of oat bran cereal (12 grams)

1 cup granola (8 grams)

1 cup corn flakes (1 gram)

Legumes

1 cup of baked beans (12 grams)

1 cup of cooked navy beans (18 grams)

1 cup  of cooked lima beans (12 grams)

1 cup of cooked green peas (8 grams)

1 cup of cooked lentils (8 grams)

Nuts and seeds

1 cup of almonds (10 grams)

1 cup peanuts (16 grams)

1 cup walnuts (18 grams)

1 cup sunflower seeds (8 grams)

While fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds have fiber, animal products contain no fiber.  Animal products tend to pass through the digestive system much more slowly than plant-based foods.  Beef, pork, poultry and fish require a lot of chewing and digestive action to be broken down.  They should be consumed in moderation.

The human body lacks the proper enzymes in the saliva, to kick start animal digestion.  That means the complete chewing of meat is of even greater importance to aid in our ability to extract its nutrients. Dairy products are also free of fiber, and they take a time to move through the digestive tract.  Dairy products have been associated with bowel inflammation and subsequently constipation.

As food leaves the mouth, it travels south, down the throat, through the esophagus on the way to the stomach. The primary function of the esophagus is to carry the mixture of liquids, partially digested foods and saliva from the mouth to the stomach. The esophagus moves food downward to the stomach by involuntary contractions of its muscular lining. This muscular contraction is so strong and regular that you can eat while standing on your head and the esphogus will still push food down to your stomach.  This of course is not advised.

Tagged as: colon