The tale of two fibers which includes foods like vegetables, fruits, leafy greens. This shows that you can still eat some of the best while maintaining a healthy balanced diet.

1. Properties influence how fiber behaves in the body and account for its
multiple – and often conflicting – functions. All fiber has one thing in
common: By definition, it is indigestible by human enzymes. But
beyond this, fiber can wear many different physiological hats.
Some types of fiber speed up digestive transit time
– a polite way of saying that it helps move poop
through your pipes faster. Other types of fiber can
actually slow down digestive transit time, enabling
the absorption of excess water in the colon, so
that stool is less watery and more formed when it
comes out. Some types of fiber are more likely to
produce gas than others.
Soluble fiber still contributes to fecal bulk and is able to hold onto water, therefore
contributing to stools that are soft, well-formed and easy to pass – the Platonic ideal of a
poop. Generally, soluble fiber is found in the flesh of fruits, root vegetables and in cooked
grains. Examples include beta glucan in oats and barley and pectin in apples and citrus fruits.
Insoluble fiber is what you might call "roughage." When combined with water, its physical
properties generally change very little; this is because it doesn't absorb water well. Therefore,
insoluble fiber contributes bulk to the feces, helping to put pressure on the colon walls to
stimulate a bowel movement. In this manner, insoluble fiber speeds up digestive transit time
and is especially helpful when constipation is at issue. Insoluble fiber is found in the form of
cellulose and hemicellulose from leafy veggies, fruit and vegetable skins or the bran layer of
most whole grains; it's found in lignans from sesame or flax seeds and some mature
vegetables.