Fabulous Fiber 16 Oz Powder

Fiber keeps the entire gastrointestinal system functioning smoothly. In fact, if your diet is deficient in fiber, and this unfortunately applies to most of us, nothing you could do would restore the "smile of health" to your face faster than to correct this deficiency.

Most people tend to think of fiber as a "laxative", primarily to use when symptoms of constipation occur. This is unfortunate since few of us need laxatives at all. Constipation, in an otherwise normal person, is an almost certain indication of inadequate fiber intake and, consequently, an improperly functioning gastrointestinal system. Fiber will certainly correct constipation, but it is not a "laxative". It is an internal regulator. You should not take a laxative that is going to roar through your system overnight like an internal rotor-rooter. You want something that is going to maintain a normal transit time for food to pass through your body and make elimination regular and easy. Any artificial increase in the transit time through your body defeats the function of your natural "internal laboratory" where all nutritional processes take place. Laxatives are the wrong way to deal with a problem that can be handled simply by allowing your body to function the way it was made to function.

While fiber will solve most common problems of constipation, it is equally effective in controlling ordinary (non bacterial) diarrhea because it maintains the proper pace and bulk required for digestive function.

It is unwise to try to get your entire fiber from bran alone. Many people, who do indeed need additional fiber, rely on bran - largely through ignorance of the variety of fibers with which nature has blessed us. Wheat bran tends to accelerate the passage of food through the intestines and this can interfere with the proper absorption of nutrients which take place there. Even worse, it contains a lot of phytic acid, which can bind with, and rob you of, calcium, magnesium and other essential trace minerals and metals before they can be absorbed into your body. It is a harsh type of fiber.

Just as you should try to balance your foods, so should you balance your fiber. Broadly, fibers from grain are classified as "crude" fibers. Bran is the best known but by no means the most desirable of this group. Then there are the dietary fibers which include gums, pectins, hemicelluloses and polysaccharides. These are found primarily in fruits and vegetables and are quite different from crude fiber. They appear to have amazing properties. For example, apple pectin absorbs many different destructive materials from the intestinal tract. Pectin, in combination with guar, helps regulate the rate of absorption of nutrients, including sugar, spreading it over a longer period of time. The result is a slower rise in blood sugar levels and a less rapid subsequent drop.

Psyllium, pectin and guar represent the best balance of fiber from grain, fruit and vegetable sources. This unique combination does not interfere with the absorption of nutrients once they are broken down in the stomach. Lewis Laboratories extracts these natural fibers so it is no longer necessary to consume a great bulk of food in order to get an adequate supply of the fibers you require.