Various Fiber Types - Nutrition Tips - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. Basically, when you are looking at fiber, you are looking at two groups. And the easiest way to understand fiber is to think about that sponge you have in the kitchen sink. Most people have the kind of sponge that is a sponge on one side and a scrubby on the other. Those are the two kinds of fiber that we really get in our diet right now. So, if you are looking at where they come from, the scrubby side tends to be things that you would think of as like psyllium husk powder, you know if somebody is taking a fiber supplement, a lot of times those fiber supplements are the husks - they are the outside pieces of grains, of legumes, of nuts. So it is really the stuff that is kind of tough to break down. And the body really does not break it down. So what it uses it is as more like that scrubby that goes through your entire gastrointestinal tract and scrubs you clean. The other side is the sponge side. That sponge side you find more on the inside parts of the grains and inside of, for instance, citrus fruits. The little pouches inside of the little citrus fruit that holds the juice, those are going to be those fibers that are more like a soluble fiber. That acts as a sponge that soaks up water from your system. In that soaking up process, it also has a tendency to soak up excess things. So whether the body is trying to get rid of toxins or you have had a high fat meal, that fiber is going to soak up anything extra that is in that liquid state and just take it out. So, you really need both of those kinds of fibers. Most people do not get enough of either. So, if you find yourself, interestingly enough, stopped up or a little too loose, either side of the teeter totter, it may be because you are not getting enough fiber. One of the key things to keep in mind though, is as you increase your fiber, you need to increase that water, particularly if you are using that sponge sort of fiber because you want to be sure that you do not cause yourself to get stuffed up.
