When it comes to fiber, all you need to know is that fiber is good and likely, you aren’t getting enough of it. Your body requires soluble and insoluble fiber to help you maintain regularity and keep you healthy. Each type performs differently.

Today’s typical food lacks fiber. The process of refining and processing food strips it of fiber. It makes food easier to digest. Unfortunately, such food does little to improve bowel health. It does not help the cleansing of toxins and chemicals from the body.

Soluble fiber simply means it expands with water. It gives you a feeling of fullness after a high fiber meal. It lessens hunger between meals. Since the food takes longer to digest, you eat less. Slower elimination means a better release of the nutrients the body needs. Since high fiber foods take longer for digestion, blood sugar rises slower, and the pancreas is more capable of producing the insulin to move glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells, where glucose is used for energy. It’s a low fiber, and high glycemic meal consumed too often that eventually leads to diabetes, the scourge of today’s modern lifestyle.

The best sources of soluble fiber are oats, dry beans, fruits, and peas. Oatmeal, the slow cooking kind your grandma used to make, is healthier than the sweetened, low fiber breakfast cereals consumed by many families today.

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. This kind of fiber acts more like a cleaning agent. As food moves through the intestines, the fiber scrubs away the putrefying debris and fermenting gunk that coats the walls of the intestines. This makes it easier for the body to absorb the food’s nutrients as the food passes through the gut. It’s necessary to clear out the gunk that accumulates in the intestines. Poor food choices lead to flatulence, constipation, and a host of gastrointestinal disorders and irritants. Insoluble fiber helps speed up the passage of food through the intestines for good bowel regularity. It is also an excellent detoxifier, as it binds with toxins and carries them out in the form of the body’s waste.

Fruits and vegetables are significant sources of insoluble fiber. Yet, few people eat the required amounts of either. They should be consumed every day. Because insoluble fiber has the ability to help clean out the colon. It’s not surprising that many people experience weight loss when they increase the amount they take in. Many people lose weight effortlessly simply by switching from their typical fast food diet to eating several servings of fruits, nuts and vegetables. Eating plenty of fiber-rich foods helps remove those toxins and bring the body back to a healthy balance.

Manufacturers claim their cereals and foods contain fiber, but too often, the fiber is at such low amounts that it does little to provide any value to the body. Many breakfast cereals claim to contain fiber, but their calorie content, the added sugar and fats, negate any potential benefit.

To ensure you are getting the best in fiber, you should eat organically grown fruits and vegetables. Besides containing fiber, they provide far more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that you don’t find in the produce on today’s supermarket shelves. Those store-bought veggies are often laced with chemicals and preservatives that can interfere with the job fiber is meant to do. The best foods with the highest fiber come from vegetables that have been steamed or stir-fried, rather than boiled. Boiling can destroy essential nutrients. If you boil vegetables, drink the water they were boiled in. You can also make a tasty vegetable broth. Overall, the less vegetables are overcooked, the better it’s nutrients content—raw is better. Broccoli, for example, is particularly rich in fiber and vitamins and is best eaten raw because it retains more nutrients in that state.

While you don’t need to be a dietitian to know all the ins and outs of fiber, the best method is to switch your current diet plan to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. You will reap more healthful benefits and keep your colon clean. It all helps to keep you away from the diseases associated with a fiber-less diet.