# Fiber-Rich Diets



## Patman75 (Mar 9, 2008)

FYI...more info the artical.http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20081204101507435"If you're working on improving your diet and enhancing your health, eating more fiber is a great place to start.Also known as roughage or bulk, fiber forms the structural framework of plants, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and nuts. Because humans lack the enzymes necessary to fully digest it, fiber travels through the gastrointestinal tract relatively unchanged, and that's precisely what makes it so beneficial.Fiber is best known for its ability to promote gastrointestinal regularity, but it offers a number of additional health perks. A substantial body of scientific evidence credits high-fiber diets with reducing the risk of developing a number of debilitating diseases."


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Here is my take.For the most part I do think a high fiber diet is a good idea for most people. I think the jury is out on if it is the fiber all by itself that is the "magic bullet" or that a diet high in fiber from real food rather than supplements is also typically high in a lot of likely to be good for you things and low in a lot of likely to be bad for you things.IBSers and IBDers may not tolerate an all high-fiber all the time diet even if generally it is a good recommendation for most people. High fiber foods are often the same foods that are high in gas-production potential and that may make IBS symptoms worse. During a bad flare up of inflammation IBDers may need to go on a low residue (fiber) diet because the lining of the colon is so ulcerated it is irritated by the roughage and needs to be allowed to heal up before fiber can be resumed.I think we need to be very careful when looking at diet information because the tendency is to look for the "magic bullet" rather than the diet as a whole. We can end up focusing on the wrong thing. Generally the one constant is that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables no matter which individual component is being researched is likely to be a safe bet for a diet that will do more good than harm for standard issue healthy people. Typically the studies that artificially elevate the "magic bullet" of the moment with supplements rather than a diet of whole foods that happens to contain whatever they are touting this week are much less promising than what you see from people getting whatever it is from real food.


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