WHEN WE CONSIDER the nutritional benefits of food, we typically consider the vitamins, minerals and nutrients contained. We think about components in the food that nourish the body. Such is not the case for fiber. The key to understanding fiber’s effect is to realize that it is not as a nutrient, but as an anti-nutrient—where its benefit lies. Fiber has the ability to reduce absorption and digestion. Fiber subtracts rather than adds. In the case of sugars and insulin, this is good. Soluble fiber reduces carbohydrate absorption, which in turn reduces blood glucose and insulin levels.
