Everyone needs fiber.  Scientific research has shown that eating fiber every day benefits your health and well-being.^[1] Symptoms of a diet low in this vital nutrient include constipation, tiredness, loss of concentration and poor appetite.^[2] In short, a lack of fiber slows you down. So what is fiber and how do we get enough of it to keep pace with today’s hectic lifestyles? Dietary fiber is found in the edible parts of plants. When you eat it, the fiber isn’t digested and converted into sugar, but reaches your large intestine. Some types of fiber are used as energy by the bacteria in the large intestine, while other types of fiber pass through relatively unchanged.

Different types of dietary fiber can give you different benefits. The three main categories of dietary fiber are:

-  soluble fiber
-  insoluble fiber
-  resistant starch

It’s important to have all three types of dietary fiber in your diet.  And you need to know what to eat to get the fiber you need. A well-balanced diet containing plenty of fruit, vegetables and grains delivers a variety of fibers, all of which contribute in different ways to good health and well-being.

A healthy diet for American adults should provide a daily intake of fiber ranging from 19 to 38 grams per day, according to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.^[3] However, we actually eat considerably less - only 14-17 grams/day.^[4]  On average, less than 4 out of 100 people are getting enough fiber in their daily diet.^[5] 

When you consider the benefits, increasing dietary fiber is an easy choice.  People eating high fiber diets not only tend to be slimmer, but they are less likely to develop diabetes or suffer from heart disease than those with lower fiber intakes.^[6] Encouraging children to eat a variety of fiber-rich foods from an early age means they’re more likely to continue this trend in later life. But in our fast paced society we often rely on processed foods and ready meals. It’s sometimes hard to eat a balanced diet with all the goodness you need – especially with a variety of fibers . That’s why Hi-maize^® is so important. As a natural source of fiber from corn, it can help you get all the fiber you need from the everyday foods you love to eat.