Do you ever heard your body need fiber? Mostly, we consume food without considering the nutrition consist inside. Whereas, the food that we consumed daily can define our health.
Indonesia is continue facing the nutrition problem, especially fiber consumption. In 2018, Ministry of Health by Riskesdas, shows approximately 95% of Indonesians do not include it in their diet. This number is high, while the benefits are very important for the body. However, actually the body do not absorb it.
what is fiber?
Fiber is complex carbohydrate form in set of polysaccharides that can be consumed but cannot be digested by the body. This is because there is no available enzyme in body that can break the bond of its structure. Naturally, it only can get from the plant, since it is a cell wall structure of most plants.
According to its solubility, it can be divided into:
- soluble fiber, which type that can absorb water and found in fruits and vegetables,
- insoluble fiber, which type difficult to absorb water and found in cereals and whole grain products.
how body react to it?
Fiber enter the stomach and intestine while absorb water surround it to make structure like a gel. The gel inhibit food emptying from the stomach and give effect full longer. Moreover, the blood glucose will gradually decrease after eating because this gel effect.
After reach the colon, it will be fermented by the gut microflora. The products of fermentation, such as short chain fatty acids, amino acids, antioxidant compound, water, gas, and vitamin K. These products can help improve immune body, maintain colon environment, and maintain digestion system.
After knowing what fiber is, it is important to consume it in our diet to maintain the health. Alternative protein is one of good instance of source of it at once with protein.
