Why Fibre Is Crucial In the Diet

Fibre has lots of beneficial effects on the body, which includes helping to regulate the amount of fat and sugar in the blood. There are two types of fibre, as follows: not water soluble; and water soluble.

The insoluble type of fibre is found in whole grain wheat, rye, brown rice, cherries, grapes, pineapples, rhubarb, melons, prunes, berries, turnips, beets, tomatoes, all green vegetables, beans, legumes and nuts.  

The insoluble type of fibre provides the following health benefits: helps slow down the movement of foods from the stomach to the intestines; improves digestion and alleviates hunger pangs; helps reduce cholesterol by eliminating any excess; helps prevent gallstones; and helps prevent constipation.

The soluble type of fibre is found in oat bran, oatmeal, barley, apples and citrus fruits. The soluble type of fibre provides  the following health benefits: it makes you full more quickly, so you eat less; it slows down the absorption of fats and sugars into the small intestine, thereby regularizing metabolism and reducing the amount of insulin secreted by your body.

The possible effects of a fibre deficiency can result in health problems, as follows: obesity; type 2 diabetes; appendicitis; cancer of the colon and rectum; constipation; haemorrhoids; heart problems; and bladder problems.  

The recommended intake of fibre is 30- 40 grams per day. One possible consequence of an excess of fibre is decalcification. If you eat a lot of foods high in fibre, increase your intake of dairy products to avoid such a reaction.

The following table shows the fibre content in grams per 100 grams of different foods:

Dried Apricots: 24	Whole cereals: 11	Lentils: 4	Pears: 3
Almonds:14	Cabbage: 4.6	Sweetcorn:5.7	Leaks: 3.3
Artichokes: 4.2	Cooked spinach: 5	Hazelnuts: 9	Apples: 2.5
Bananas: 2	Dried figs: 18.3	Olives: 6.3	Potatoes: 1
Broccoli: 4.3	Rasberries: 7.4	Oranges: 2.9	Prunes: 16
Peanuts: 7.5	Gooseberries: 6.8	Wholemeal bread: 6.5	Raisins/sultanas : 6.5
Carrots: 3.4	Red beans: 3.5	Peaches: 2.3	Brown rice: 4.5
Celery: 6	Dried beans: 4.5	Peas: 5.3	Rye: 44

                                                             

If you cannot achieve your daily requirement of fibre from food sources, then there is a need to supplement with fibre capsules in order to achieve a balanced diet. Psyllium husks, which are readily available for purchase from health food shops, are an adequate choice in this regard. If you are getting some fibre from food sources but not enough, then you will have to do a calculation on the amount of supplementation that is required in order to make up the deficit.

I hope the British spelling of fibre used in this post hasn’t in any way interfered with  my American visitors' understanding of the points made.