Contents:

• What is natural fiber?
• Which fiber is most effective?
• Natural fibers and their properties

Surely everyone has had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the food pyramid. This is a representation of how a diet should be structured. It is based on minimally processed cereals and whole grain products. Fruits, vegetables, nuts , and legumes should also make up a large portion of the diet. All of these products have a high fiber content in common.

Which products contain natural fiber? Why is it so important in our daily diet, and what effects does it have on the body? We explain.

What are natural fibers?

Natural fiber , currently widely touted as an essential dietary supplement, is the so-called dietary fiber. What is it? It is a carbohydrate that naturally forms polymer chains. Its distinguishing feature is that it is not digested by the human body and therefore not absorbed in the small intestine.

Fiber is supplied to the body together with plant products such as:

• minimally processed cereal products (multigrain rye bread, wholegrain bread and cereal flakes,
• Groats and rice (especially uncleaned),
• Nuts and seeds ,
• Vegetables (such as potatoes, legumes, cabbage, carrots , beets).
• Fruit, especiallydried fruit .

Natural fiber can also be provided in the form of natural supplements and by increasing the proportion of fiber-rich products in the diet.

Which fiber is most effective?

So, if you're wondering which fiber is most effective, the short answer is plant-based fiber. Healthy adults are recommended to consume 30–40 g of fiber daily . However, the proper contribution of individual fiber fractions is also important. Maintaining the correct proportion of IDF and SDF fiber is an important element that supports the proper functioning of the digestive system. At least 30% of the recommended amount of fiber should be soluble fiber .

The following fractions of fiber are distinguished:

• soluble (SDF) – helps to create a suitable environment in the small intestine, slows down the absorption of glucose and cholesterol and thus contributes to lowering postprandial sugar levels and cholesterol (LDL) in the blood,
• insoluble (IDF) – which protects against stomach problems and also has a positive effect on improving the efficiency of intestinal peristalsis.

Natural fiber helps with constipation, digestive problems and can also protect against the formation of deposits in the intestines.

Natural fibers and their properties

It is important to know that natural fiber has both local effects (in the digestive system) and systemic effects, which are expressed in supporting various metabolic processes.

An excellent property of fiber is its ability to bind water . This is why we can talk about the so-called fiber viscosity. Thanks to the content of water-soluble substances, fiber stays in the intestines for a long time, which:

• slows down the digestive process,
• increases the volume of food portions without increasing their calorie value,
• makes you feel full faster,
• delays the absorption of cholesterol and fatty acids (but does not completely limit them).

Fiber also undergoes fermentation processes, making it an excellent medium for the development and strengthening of the beneficial bacterial flora necessary for proper metabolism. Numerous studies also confirm that fiber can bind bile salts, react with metal ions, increase stool bulk, and produce fatty acids. Natural fiber is therefore an ingredient that supports the proper functioning of the circulatory and vascular systems.