Dietary fibre is the part of plants taken as food, which passes mostly undigested into the colon. There a two major types of fibre-soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fibre is harder to digest. It can be found in the lower part of the large bowel and can be fermented by bacteria causing it to produce fatty acids. Soluble fibre can help lower LDL cholestero (the bad cholesterol)l, while maintaining the HDL (&undefined;good&undefined;) cholesterol. Unlike unsoluble fibre, soluble fibre is mostly used in the first part of the large bowel. So why do we need fibre? Fibre is essential to promote bowel health, prevent constipation, diverticular disease, and even colon cancel. Eating a diet high in fibre has also been linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
Most of us do not get enough fibre. You should eat about 30 grams per day whereas most people only eat around half of that. To get more fibre into your diet, start slowly. You cannot expect your body to react well to increasing your intake drastically at once. If you do, you will end up with an upset stomach and possibly diarrhea and stomach cramping. Instead, start by adding one new piece of fibre rich food into your diet each day. Vegetables, whole grain bread, beans, lentils, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta are all great options. If you find that you already eat these foods, simply add to your meal. For example, if you make whole wheat spaghetti for supper regularly, try adding more vegetables into the sauce. Carrots, zucchini, broccoli, tomatos, and even squash can be added to the mix to give you some extra fibre. For breakfast, your best fibre-filled bet is on porridge, oatmeal, or low sugar, whole grain cereals. You can also cut up an apple or add a half of a cup of blueberries into your cereal to give you an extra 3 grams of fibre. Avoid any processed foods, sugar, starch, and fruit juices as they do not add any nutrional value nor fibre to your diet.
The benefits of fibre have been known for years, although it still seems as if most people do not get enough of it. This could contribute to the fact that colon cancer is one of the years biggest killers, and the incidences of it are still on the rise. Common to popular belief, colon cancer not only affects men but women as well. There is no good reason to not eat fibre-this will significantly decrease your chances of getting colon cancer and will also keep you healthy in many other ways.
Benefits of Fibre Rich Diets
November 11, 2008
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