The Many Forms of Fiber: From Gut Health to Clothing
Whether we are talking about dietary fiber, wood, plants, paper, or clothes, fiber is a crucial component that connects and strengthens our world. In this article, we will explore the various meanings and uses of fiber, and how it affects our daily lives.
What is fiber to you? Maybe it’s a dietary supplement you know you need more of, or it’s a thread you use to make a hand-sewn scarf. Perhaps you think of fiber as the internet service technology you pay for to ensure high surfing speeds.
Whatever the meaning you first think of, fiber can call to mind a whole slew of different definitions. These definitions may seem separate and disconnected, but take a deeper look and you’ll see they are deeply intertwined. On a grander scale, these nuances of fiber are symbols of our connected world and of how humanity is strong in its differences.
Dietary Fiber
Black beans are an excellent source of dietary fiber, with 15g of fiber in one cup of cooked beans.
Let’s start with the fiber that’s good for your gut, dietary fiber. This essential form of fiber aids in promoting smooth digestion by helping food pass through your digestive system with ease. Unlike other food components, dietary fiber is made up of plant compounds that are indigestible by our digestive system alone.
There is, however, a living biome of gut fauna in your stomach and intestines. It is a microbiome of bacteria that needs fiber to survive. Dietary fiber helps this microbiome of bacteria digest other foods, and it feeds the bacteria in the process. Without dietary fiber, digestion would be extremely difficult.
How do you get dietary fiber naturally? Fiber is found in plants. Eating vegetables, fruits, and cereal grains is the best way to consume fiber naturally. Studies have shown that vegetarians, who typically consume more fiber-rich foods, tend to have better gut health compared to those who include meat in their diet.
Wood
Pseudotsuga menziesii “Douglas Fir” growing big and tall.
Fiber is the superhero of our guts, and it is also the building block of our world. Fiber is found in plants, and certain plants create wood. Without fiber, wood could not exist as we know it today.
Plants and trees create wood during their aging process, and they use fiber to make the wood strong, sturdy, and pliable.
The fiber that helps your digestion process is the same fiber that allows trees to stand so big and tall. Talk about interconnectedness!
Fiber is also a term used to describe a thread or a strand of material. Using this definition we can say a tree trunk is strong because it is made up of thousands of wood “fibers.” Not only is wood made of fiber, but it is also made up of many “fibers.”
Paper
Let’s take fiber a step further. Paper is almost entirely made from wood. Without wood, we would have no paper. Paper is a crucial component of our world and economy, and it is used in a wide range of products, from books and newspapers to business cards and parking tickets. Whether we like using paper or not, we can agree that paper is an essential tool for many people.
Fiber gives us paper materials for brainstorming, creating, and implementing. It is at the base of our world and economy, although it is tied into society in an even more present way.
Clothes
Fiber is the term for a strand of material, as mentioned above with tree fibers. Another example of this term in action is cotton fiber and polyester fiber. Individual fibers of cotton and other materials make up textiles and fabrics. Fabric is used for clothing, accessories, banners, blankets, cloth napkins, bedsheets, and many other commonly used items.
Clothes are an integral part of most people's lives, for both functional purposes like keeping us warm during cold weather, and for fashion and style. Our clothing style can set us apart from others or bring us together with like-minded individuals.
Conclusion
Fiber is a fascinating concept that has much to teach us about the interconnectedness of our world. We may not see the actual molecules of fiber, but we know our bodies are better with fiber than without it. We do not regularly inspect the individual fibers that make up our clothes, but we know that clothes would not exist without individual fibers.
Fiber teaches us that we are stronger together. One fiber is singular and alone, but a network of fibers is as strong as the sum of its parts. Fiber and fabrics are like humans, as we are weaker when divided and stronger together.
At Mean Green Garden, we understand the power of collaboration and its impact on growth and success. Just as individual fibers come together to form a strong fabric, each of us has unique talents that, when combined with others, create a beautifully woven tapestry of collaboration and collective strength.
