All About Fibre
We all know that having the correct amount of dietary fibre in our diets is extremely important. There are countless articles in the media, and reports from the Department of Health urging us to increase our fibre intake. From the moment we are born, we constantly flush our digestive tract with food. At three meals per day a 20 years old will have eaten 15,000 meals. It is important that the flow of foods be regular and that debris not plug up our intestinal walls and interfere with the nutrient transfer into our body.
But what is diatary fibre, what does it do and how do I get the right amount in my diet? This resource aims to answer these questions.
What Exactly is Dietary Fibre?
Dietary ibre is the roughage found in cereals, fruit and vegetables. It is basically the plant cell walls that give shape and rigidity to trees, shrubs, grasses and herbs. When plants are eaten, we gain a number of health benefits from the nutrients they provide, along with the positive effects of fibre within the digestive tract.
The fibre composition of plants varies based on plant species but, generally, all plants contain all kinds of fiber. The 2 main categories are:
Insoluble Fibre
Wheat bran and whole grains, as well as the skins of many fruits and vegetables, and seeds, are rich sources of insoluble fibre. The outer fibre layer is often removed in food processing by milling, peeling, boiling or extracting and so people are often not eating enough insoluble fibre.
Insoluble fibre makes stools heavier and speeds their passage through the gut. Like a sponge, it absorbs many times its weight in water, swelling up and helping to eliminate feces and relieve constipation.
Soluble Fibre
Soluble fibre is found in oats, legumes (peas, kidney beans, lentils), some seeds, brown rice, barley, oats, fruits (such as apples), some green vegetables (such as broccoli) and potatoes.
Soluble fibre breaks down as it passes though the digestive tract, resulting in a gel that traps some substances related to high cholesterol. Evidence exists that soluble fibre may reduce heart disease risks by reducing the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream.
Recent studies have found that people consuming high-fibre diets have lower total cholesterol levels and may be less likely to form harmful blood clots than those who consume less soluble fibre. A recent USA report found that, in sufficient amounts, fibre apparently reduced heart disease risks among men who ate more than 25 grams per day, compared to those consuming less than 15 grams daily.
Why we need dietary fibre
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