Q: What is fibre and why is it so important for good health?
A: Known as ‘nature’s broom’, fibre is made up of the indigestible, fibrous parts of fruit, vegetables, cereals, beans and pulses. It’s an essential part of our diet, helping food to pass through the gut more quickly. The term fibre or roughage, as it used to be called, can be divided into two groups – insoluble and soluble – and both types help to keep the body healthy in a different way.
- Insoluble fibre is found mainly in wholegrain cereals, but also in fruit, vegetables and pulses. It helps to prevent constipation by absorbing water as it passes through the body and speeding the passage of waste material.
- Soluble fibre is found in oats and oat bran, beans and pulses and some fruit and vegetables. It is believed to help lower blood cholesterol and is also know to slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream.
Q: How do I eat more fibre?
A: Studies show that only one in nine people consume the recommended 18g of fibre per day. To increase your intake, eat wholegrain cereal or wholemeal toast with a sliced banana at breakfast - they are also filling foods that will boost your energy levels. Choose wholemeal pasta, and brown bread or rice instead of white varieties. Add beans or lentils to casseroles, or why not try adding canned beans or lentils to salads? Baked potatoes and baked beans are excellent sources of fibre.
Q: What are the best sources of fibre?
A: You are spoilt for choice! Wholemeal bread and pasta, brown rice, oats and wholegrain cereals are all good sources of fibre. Fruit such as apples, pears, strawberries and oranges, and vegetables such as onions, peas, broccoli and green beans, plus pulses such as lentils, chickpeas and haricot beans are all great sources of fibre too.
Q: Isn’t fibre fattening?
A: No, because fibre passes through the digestive system largely undigested. However, if high-fibre foods are eaten with foods that are high in fat, such as wholemeal bread with lots of butter, then they are fattening if you eat too much. It’s best if the carbohydrates we eat come from fibre-rich foods that are consumed as part of a balanced diet. Studies show that people who eat a high-fibre diet are less likely to put on weight because high-fibre foods are filling.
Q: Don’t high-fibre foods give you wind?
A: If you are not used to eating a high-fibre diet, try to introduce high-fibre foods gradually as eating too much too quickly can cause bloating and wind. But if you can increase your fibre intake gradually and give your body time to adapt, this won’t be a problem. In order to work properly, insoluble fibre needs water- so make sure you take in enough fluid. Aim to drink eight to ten glasses of fluid a day.
(First appeared in the Morrisons Eat Smart magazine)