Back in the days of old, fiber was practically a staple in the American diet. Our parents, grandparents or great grandparents may or may not have known why it was important to include fiber in their daily diets, but none the less they knew it was beneficial to eat some every day.

In contrast, nowadays most Americans don't get near the amount of fiber recommended for maintaining good health (which is why products like Metamucil and benifiber sell so well today). Maybe it's because foods with high fiber don't taste as good as that burger and fries. Maybe it's because the benefits of fiber are underestimated and not thought of as necessary. But whatever the reasons for the lack of fiber consumption, you need to make it part of your diet each and every day. Here's why: Fiber is found only in plant sources and is a constituent of food that can not be digested by the human body. Fiber is known to reduce the risk for conditions such as colon cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, gallstones and heart disease. There are two types of fiber and those are soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fiber dissolves during digestion and forms a gel-like substance that inhibits the absorption of certain substances in the digestive tract. Cholesterol is one of those substances and by reducing the rate at which cholesterol is absorbed, soluble fiber helps aid in the prevention of heart disease. Soluble fiber also controls the absorption rate of glucose which reduces drastic blood sugar level variations, thus helping to control diabetes. Soluble fiber can be found in fruits and vegetables such as beans, prunes, peas, bananas and avocados.

Insoluble fiber does not break down in the digestive tract. It acts as your body's "broom", making sure everything keeps moving through the digestive tract in a timely fashion. It does this by absorbing water which prevents constipation, thus aiding in regular waste removal. Research has shown that insoluble fiber also lowers the risk for breast cancer because it combines with estrogen through digestion thus reducing overall estrogen levels in the body. Insoluble fiber can be found in oats, wheat, and bran as well as some fruits (such as apples) and some vegetables (such as broccoli).

Adding fiber to your diet can also help with weight control. Studies have shown that most people who are overweight eat fiber-poor diets. Fiber is filling while being low in fat and calories meaning it will make you feel full without the side effect of adding extra pounds to your frame. If you add fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains to your diet, getting enough fiber will easy to do and you will live a healthier life because of it.