Fiber is a healthy component found in many plant-based foods, like grains and certain fruits and vegetables. You need some fiber every day because it provides your body with several health benefits, particularly your digestive system. Fiber is mainly for maintenance of good digestion, but it also helps with some specific conditions, like diarrhea and other intestinal problems.
Definition
Fiber is a bulky substance in legumes, whole grains, vegetables and fruits that does not get broken down by your body after you eat it. Non-soluble fiber retains its original form, according to MayoClinic.com, while soluble fiber blends with water to make a gel-like substance. Both fiber types promote good digestion and prevent constipation because they help food move through your intestines and add bulkiness to stool so your body can pass the waste products more easily, but soluble fiber has some extra health benefits.
Diarrhea Treatment
Diarrhea is a condition in which your stool is loose and watery, and it may leak even when you do not want to have a bowel movement. Prolonged diarrhea can be dangerous because you can get dehydrated from the fluid loss, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. This condition usually clears itself up within two days, but soluble fiber can stop mild to moderate diarrhea sooner. This fiber types absorbs water in the intestines, solidifying stool and making it move more slowly through the digestive tract. This decreases bowel movement urgency and creates firmer feces.
Foods to Use
You need soluble fiber to stop diarrhea, since the insoluble type has no effect on water. MayoClinic.com cites beans, oats, peas, barley, oranges, grapefruit, carrots, apples and psyllium as good soluble fiber sources. Many over-the-counter fiber supplements have psyllium as their active ingredient. These supplements are often used as laxatives, but the fiber's ability to soak up water makes it effective for diarrhea too. You can use a supplement to fight watery stool if you are unable to eat enough soluble fiber in foods.
Other Effects
Soluble fiber should be a regular part of your diet, not just a diarrhea treatment, because of its many healthful benefits. Its stool softening abilities help ease hemorrhoid discomfort, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, and its bulk promotes feelings of fullness so you take in less calories without feeling so hungry when you are dieting. Soluble fiber lowers blood glucose and cholesterol naturally and lowers your heart disease risk. This fiber helps ward off chronic diarrhea associated with irritable bowel syndrome and also eases inflammatory bowel disease and diverticulosis.
