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Did you know: Nine out of ten Americans suffer from clogged colons. Constipation leads to a variety of serious to very serious negative conditions ranging from varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and high blood pressure to cancers of the colon, stomach, pancreas, breast and prostate. If things are rather slow in your "interior," you are setting yourself up for a rather unpleasant health scenario in the future. Many negative health problems associated with fiber begin in childhood and go undetected until they show up in adulthood.

Fabulous Fiber: Fiber is an indigestible part of plant foods. It simply moves through the body without being broken down. Its purposes are many, but in general, it keeps things moving at the rate they are supposed to. Fiber is actually made up of six different types, which are divided into two groups: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber includes cellulose, hemi-cellulose, and lignin. Insoluble fiber serves to move bulk through your digestive track. It also controls and balances the acidity in your intestines.

Food that are good sources of insoluble fiber:

• whole wheat products
• wheat oat
• corn bran
• flax seed
• vegetables such as green beans, cauliflower and potato skins
• fruit skins and root vegetables

Soluble fibers are pectin, gums and musilages. Soluble fiber binds with cholesterol and inhibits the absorption of cholesterol. It also prolongs stomach-emptying time so that sugar is released and absorbed more slowly into the blood stream.

Soluble fiber can lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff); therefore reducing the risk of heart disease by regulating blood sugar.

Some food sources of soluble fiber:

• oat/oat bran
• dried beans and peas
• nuts
• barley
• flax seed
• fruits such as oranges and apples
• vegetables such as carrots
• psyllium husk

A real team: Insoluble and soluble fiber work together in order to act as your internal safety guards of your digestive tract. You need about three times the amount of insoluble fiber as you do soluble fiber for optimal health effects. The solubles take up where the insolubles leave off and vice versa.

How much? The majority of Americans are barely getting one-fifth of the dietary fiber they need. The optimal daily recommendation is 30 to 50 grams. Thousands of years ago, when our ancestors were extremely active, their bodies needed a lot more calories, especially in the form of carbohydrates for energy. Since snack cakes were not around, fiber rich grains were a primary component of our ancient cousins' diets. Primitive tribes in Africa eat diets close to what our ancient relatives ate. The tribal members have lower cholesterol levels and almost no incident of hemorrhoids or constipation! In this modern age, we are not as active as our ancestors, so our calorie needs are lower. But, our digestive tract still wants that large amount of fiber to be healthy!

Fiber stars: Many breakfast cereals are great sources of fiber. Kelloggs' Fiber One and 100% Natural Oat Bran and 100% Bran both by Nabisco provide at least 10 grams of fiber in one serving. Apples, blackberries, pears and strawberries are rich in soluble fiber.