Why fibre is good for you

Fibre is one of the most important source of nutrients in our bodies. We get fibre from plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. We need about 25gm of fibre per day and eating  a variety of foods will give you all the fibre the body needs.

There are two types of fibre which play an important role in our digestive system.

Fibre that makes it easy to pass stool is derived from vegetables, wheat bran, whole grains. This fibre is what gives structure to the plants. It passes through the digestive system unchanged, does not dissolve in water but instead it absorbs water. This fibre is called insoluble fibre.

The other type is called soluble fibre, which helps lower blood sugar levels and is very effective in diabetes management. Soluble fibre forms a gel in water. This type of fibre comes from oatmeal, kidney beans, barley, and chickpeas. The soluble fibre is responsible for transporting bile acids out of the body. Bile acids are needed to make cholesterol.

Fibre is vital for weight loss. When you eat food that is high in fibre, you feel much full for longer.

Eating foods high in fibre supports a healthy gastrointestinal tract. A gut that has no good bacteria is weak and can cause toxins and the bad bacteria to permiate into the body.

To get the best out of fruits and vegetables, choose whole fruits and vegetables over juice. Eat most fruits and vegetables with their skin (of course those whose skin can be edible) like jacketed potatoes, carrot, apples, pears, mangoes, tomatoes.

Just to have an idea of how much we need to eat to get to 25 grams per day here is a sample of fibre content in certain foods.

1 cup of white rice = 1 gram of fibre

1 cup of brown rice = 4 grams of fibre

Half cup of all bran cereal = 10 grams of fibre

1 cup of processed cereals = 3 grams (eg. instant oatmeal)

1 cup of spinach =5 grams of fibre

Half cup of peas =4 grams of fibre

Half cup of lentils = 8 grams of fibre

Half cup kidney beans =5grams of fibre

1 pear or apple =4 grams of fibre

Sunday Nation