More on dietary fiber

From the WHFoods.org site, a huge page on dietary fiber — why it’s important, what it can do for you, and where to find it.

Dietary fiber is undoubtedly one of the most talked about nutrients for health promotion and disease prevention. In fact, dietary fiber is the focus of two FDA-approved health claims that appear on foods labels touting the benefits of high fiber foods for the prevention of heart disease and certain types of cancer.

The page goes into the important distinction between “dietary” and “added” fiber, as well as all the sundry categories of the former.

Can there be too much of a good thing? Perhaps, especially if you up your fiber too quickly:

Intake of dietary fiber in excess of 50 grams per day may cause an intestinal obstruction in susceptible individuals. In most individuals, however, this amount of fiber will improve (rather than compromise) bowel health.

Excessive intake of fiber can also cause a fluid imbalance, leading to dehydration. Individuals who decide to suddenly double or triple their fiber intake are often advised to double or triple their water intake for this reason.

And if you needed some good reasons other than better bowel functionality:

A diet high in fiber may play a role in the prevention and/or treatment of the following health conditions:

• Breast cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Colon cancer
• Constipation
• Diabetes
• Diverticulitis
• Gallstones
• High cholesterol
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Obesity
• Syndrome X

(Tangentially, in case you were wondering what Syndrome X is, check out this Wikipedia article.)

A ton of good info.