Fibre Foods

What are fibre foods?

Fibre foods  are those who are naturally rich in fibre. Fibre (a.k.a. dietary fibre and also spelled as fiber) is a carbohydrate. Being indigestible, there is close to none caloric value from its digestion. Fibre foods do not give energy to our bodies, although they do have a big amount of other jobs that we discuss in this website.
Fibre has two different types:

• soluble fibre – these are quickly dissolved in water, adding gummy-like aspect to foods, as it’s seen in pectin from fruit which is used in gellies
• insoluble fibre – these are, as the name says, components that do not dissolve in water, which can be found in fruits, grains and vegetables, being indigestible

Why are fibre foods so important?

Fibre foods are important as they are massive contributors to human’s general health in several ways. It maximizes our body’s handling of glucose and insulin, slowing the absorption (digestion) of carbs.
The lack of fibre in someone’s diet increases the likelihood of developing diabetes, if partenered with an above average consumption of carbohydrates like simple sugars.
Eating fibre foods helps preventing colon cancer, as the insoluble fibres can bind cancer-causing materials, fastening their way out of the colon.
Fibre foods may also help you with weight control, since it helps you feel filled without ingesting many unneeded calories. Therefore, foods with high amounts of fats and calories might be replaced with more fibrous alternatives. As an example, you could try replacing a honey-glazed donut for a way healthier blueberry bran muffin.
Soluble fibre foods can fight blood cholesterol, delaying its absorption in the digestive tract. Some will produce a fat-like material which can, after its absorption, lower the “bad” low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL).

Eating fibre foods prevents high ingestion of fat, calories and cholesterol by replacing these foods in our diets (keep in mind the donut example). Fibre creates a fullness feeling, as it is able to absorb water and swell. A meal composed of healthy fibre foods with deliver you that feeling as it slows the food movement through the upper digestive tract.
Fibre foods also prevent others diseases such as constipation and hemmorrhoids, among other intestinal problems such as appendicitis, by keeping intestinal contents moist, making them easy to eliminate. Fibre foods push against the digestive tract’s walls, stimulating its muscles, keeping them helthy and toned. It prevents diverticulosis, a disease in which these walls get weak and bulge, making them susceptible to infections and inflammations.

 

How much fibre foods should we ingest daily?

According to several sources, it’s recommended to ingest about 20 to 30g of dietary fibre foods per day.

 

Can I ingest adequate amounts of fibre foods without supplementation?

Unrefined grains are rich in fibre. These include whole-wheat pastas, whole-wheat breads, brown rice, rye, oats and oat bran. Fruits, vegetables, seeds and legumes are also full of fibre. So, eating a nice amount of these fibre foods is essential for ingestng adequate fibre as well as other important nutrients.

 

As a bottom line to this main article, a diet with fibre foods contributes to your general health, helping to regulate the digestive system and its functions, aiding in the prevention of many diseases and helping controlling body weight.