High Fibre Diet

It comes from plants and cannot be digested, nor does it provide any calories or energy. So what, you may well ask, is the point of fibre? Actually it's fascinating. How long have you got?

Fibre is about a lot more than chewing on bran flakes to keep you regular. As well as its myriad health benefits, fibre can also help you stay slim.

Generally people with high fibre diets weigh less than those who don't each much fibre. This could be due to the fact that fibre-rich foods are filling. And if you're full you don't feel the need to overeat or snack on treats. A recent paper on weight loss in the US confirmed that low fat diets with plenty of complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables are naturally high in fibre and low in calories and as such lead to weight loss. One study even reported that following this kind of eating model, the carbohydrates could be consumed freely and weight would still be lost.

The benefits of fibre, or to give it its new, proper name, non-starch polysaccharides, have been known for thousands of years. Hippocrates (known as the father of medicine) advised his wealthy patients to follow the example of their servants and eat brown bread rather than white for example, "for its salutary effect on the bowel". Now we now more about fibre itself.

There are two kinds of fibre, soluble and insoluble. They are not nutrients in themselves as they are not digested for the most part, but both have important jobs to do. Soluble fibre lowers blood cholesterol levels and also slows the absorption of glucose into the blood stream ensuring there isn't a sudden rise in blood sugar levels. Although most plant foods combine soluble and insoluble fibre, the former is found particularly in oats and oat bran, barley, brown rice, beans and pulses, and fruit and vegetables. Insoluble fibre keeps things moving along in your digestive system. Look away now if bottom and bowel business makes you feel a little uncomfortable and fidgety. It acts a bit like a sponge and soaks up water to expand the bulk of your waste products (the faeces). Basically with dietary fibre your stools are softer and move along easily, which helps to avoid constipation and piles and also protects against rectal and colon cancers. The best sources of insoluble fibre are wheat, whole grain breads and cereals, corn, green beans and peas and the skins of fruits such as apples.

CAN YOU HAVE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?

It's recommended that we eat around 18 g of fibre a day, which most of us barely manage. We don't manage it because we eat more refined carbohydrates (white, processed foods and sugars) and don't eat enough fruit and vegetables. But the benefits are clear to see. When you increase your fibre consumption, make sure you drink plenty of water. You might also find that you retain some fluid at first, making you look and feel a little heavier. And there may be a bit of wind! This is temporary though as you get used to the new foods in your diet. Increasing your activity levels helps as it stimulates the muscles in the torso, helping speedier elimination - you don't want all that waste hanging around. There's some evidence that very high intakes of wheat bran can interfere with the absorption of iron and calcium, but it would need to be consistently high to really cause problems (though it can be a big issue for children and pregnant women). As new research suggests that high fibre consumption from a variety of sources affords a 40 per cent lesser risk of bowel cancer and that women who eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and wholegrain cereals have a lower incidence of breast cancer, it makes sense to increase your dietary fibre and start chewing for health. And of course to keep hunger pangs at bay!


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