Nutrition

Article Summary The New View of Fiber The article that I would be summarizing in this paper is headed ‘ The new view of fiber’. It is written by Mark Anthony who is a Technical Editor with a Ph. D. Degree and the article was posted on the 7th of August, 2008. It was retrieved from the Food Processing website.
The article basically talks about the importance of fiber in one’s diet. Fiber was thought to be something that brushed our digestive tract and helped us in the digestion process. However, this view has changed recently. Fiber is now thought to be a part of the diet that helps us in taking out maximum energy from the food we eat in addition to helping us in the digestion process. We must keep in mind that different types of fibers have different characteristics and these characteristics benefit us in different ways.
Now the question remains, how exactly do fiber rich foods benefit us? The answer is simple. Fibers escape from the small intestine without getting digested. These then help in various bodily processes such as growth of healthy bacteria and nutrients absorption.
The reason it is difficult to understand the benefits of fibers is because there are many types of fibers that have different characteristics. Barley, beans and oats decrease the level of cholesterol. Soluble fiber rich foods when mixed with water swell in volume and when passing through the small intestines, they trap bile acids from the gall bladder. These acids are made from cholesterol and when we eat fat, these are pushed into the small intestines. The fiber plus water material absorbs the acid out of the small intestines and eventually out of the body and hence reduces cholesterol. Fibers also help in slowing the entrance of sugar into the blood in the same cholesterol was trapped from the small intestines. Fibers also help in sustaining the normal healthy bacteria that maintain the intestines, prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, improves immune system and increases absorption of calcium.
The article was very informative. It covered each point related to fiber and its benefits in detail and at the same time it was short enough to maintain the reader’s interest in the article. Concise and informative is the prefect combination that is needed in a good piece of writing. The language that was used through out the article was also very simple and easy to understand. No such jargons were used which makes the article comprehendible for anyone who is interested. Examples and facts were given which make the argument of the writer more concrete and strong. However, it could have been made better by discussing the characteristics of each type of fiber in detail which would help in better understanding of the topic under discussion. Overall I would say that the article is a very good source of information and the writer has done a great job in presenting it.
References
Anthony, M. (2008) The New View of Fiber. Retrieved 23 Sept, 2008, from Food Processing. Web site: http://www. foodprocessing. com/articles/2008/290. html