Top 20 Reasons to Know What Fiber Is and Why It Is Important

If a commercial came on television heralding a product that protected us from colon cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, transported waste from our bodies, absorbed carcinogens, maintained proper hormone levels, promoted weight control, and made for a more satisfying meal, there is no doubt we would be stampeding over each other on the way to the store to ensure we got a bottle of this miracle potion before they ran out.

            Sure enough, just as we feared, when we got to the store we couldn’t find the product anywhere. We didn’t find the product because we bypassed the outer aisle where the produce is.

            Contained in every plant, but not in any animal, is a product called fiber. Contrary to popular belief, fiber is manufactured by Nature and not by Procter and Gamble and sold under a name like Poop-and-go. True, fiber isn’t a food that conjures up thoughts of a romantic dinner for two, but given that fiber promotes the reduced likelihood of atherosclerosis — responsible for 85 percent of impotence cases due to restricted blood flow to the penis—maybe we should.