Carbohydrates are a macronutrient. It is the primary source of energy for your body. Carbohydrates are of three types–starches (complex carbohydrates), sugars, and fibre. Your body requires all three types of carbohydrates in varying proportions. You should pay attention to the proportion of each type of carbohydrate you consume, as it significantly impacts your health.
Fibre is one of the most essential types of carbohydrates your body requires. You should have a decent intake of it. When consumed by your body, almost all carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, sugar molecules. However, fibre is not broken down into glucose; instead, it passes through your body undigested. A good fibre intake promotes a healthy gut and reduces the risk of chronic health conditions.
The article lists various types, benefits, ideal intake, high-fiber foods, and alternatives to fibre.
Types of fibre:
Fibre is a non-digestible carbohydrate that comes in two variations–soluble fibre and insoluble fibre. Both types of fibres are beneficial to your health.
• Soluble fibre
As the name suggests, soluble fibre is a type of fibre that dissolves in water. On dissolving in water, the fibre forms a gel-like substance in the stomach. This gel-like substance is later broken down by bacteria in the large intestine.
Soluble fibre helps lower your LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol, which is considered bad cholesterol, and poses a serious threat to your heart health. It does so by affecting how your body absorbs dietary fat and cholesterol.
It also slows the adsorption of other types of carbohydrates by your body through digestion. This helps reduce your blood sugar levels. Some soluble fibres also provide you with calories.
• Insoluble fibre
Insoluble fibre does not dissolve in water. It passes through your gastrointestinal tract, mostly intact. This helps add bulk to your stool, facilitating its easy passage, which indicates that it helps prevent constipation and promotes a healthy gut. Insoluble fibres do not provide you with calories.
Most high-fiber foods have both soluble and insoluble fibres. Hence, you do not need to have different foods to ensure an intake of both types of fibres. You can simply focus on having the required fibre intake.
Benefits of having a good fibre intake:
• Promotes a healthy gut
Of all benefits of having a good fibre intake, promoting a healthy gut is the most widely known and appreciated benefit.
When you hear the term bacteria, you immediately assume it is bad for you. However, that’s not the case. While some bacteria are harmful, some bacteria are needed by your body. You can find bacteria living on your skin, nose, mouth, and intestine.
The bacterium in your intestine plays an important part in promoting a healthy gut. The bacterium helps take care of various crucial aspects of your health, like controlling blood sugar levels, ensuring proper brain function, boosting your immunity, and managing your body weight.
Like every other organism, bacteria need energy to survive and function efficiently. It obtains energy from eating food. Here’s where fibre comes in. They function as prebiotics, feeding the good bacteria in your intestine. This, in turn, promotes a healthy gut and better overall health.
• Prevents and treats constipation
Constipation is a common gastrointestinal tract disorder which is associated with infrequent stools and difficulty in passing stool. Occasional instances of constipation are common with every individual. However, if you are suffering from chronic constipation, you should obtain the necessary treatment.
Constipation can lead to bloating, cramping, nausea, and a lower quality of life. Suffering from constipation for a prolonged period makes you vulnerable to various other complications like haemorrhoids, anal fissures, impaction, and rectal prolapse.
A good fibre intake is an effective way to prevent and treat constipation. It does so in the following ways:
- As mentioned, the soluble fibre dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance in your stomach. This adds bulk and softens the stool, allowing it to pass easily.
- The insoluble fibre mildly irritates your intestinal lining, stimulating water and mucus secretion. This, in turn, facilitates easy stool movement.
- As fibre functions as prebiotics for good bacteria. The bacteria ferments fibre into short-chain fatty acids and increases water content in your intestine. Given this, your intestine produces softer stool and assuring an easier passage for it.
• Aids weight loss
Having a good fibre intake can often help you lose weight. It does so by reducing your frequency of eating and food consumption. This is because high-fiber vegetables, fruits, and other foods are filling. Your stomach is filled in a reasonable proportion, and you do not feel hungry quickly. This aids in weight loss.
• Helps in reducing blood sugar spikes
Indian diet is known to be high in carbohydrates. It is often noticed that your blood sugar level spikes after consuming a heavy carbohydrate meal. You can clearly understand the difference by checking your blood sugar test reports before and after lunch. Fibre foods have a lower glycaemic index than other types of carbohydrates. A lower glycaemic index often helps prevent blood sugar levels from going off the roof.
A good fibre intake also helps lower your cholesterol and high blood pressure. However, the difference noticed is bare minimum.
• Lower risks of chronic diseases
A good fibre intake contributes to keeping your blood sugar levels in control and aids in weight loss. Taking care of both these aspects is necessary, as high blood sugar levels and obesity are risk factors for heart diseases.
As fibre also helps reduce your blood cholesterol level, it may reduce the risk of a heart attack and brain stroke. It can help reduce the risk of having Type 2 diabetes and Colorectal cancer.
Ideal fibre intake:
As per the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, you must have the following fibre intake in a 2,000-calorie diet:
• For females – 25 grams of fibre per day
• For pregnant females – 28 grams of fibre per day
• For females aged 50 and above – 21 grams of fibre per day
• For males – 38 grams of fibre per day
• For males aged 50 years and above – 30 grams of fibre per day
List of high-fibre foods to add to your diet:
The best way to increase your fibre intake is by eating food rich in fibre content. Following is a list of high-fiber foods you can add to your diet:
High-fibre fruits:
• Avocado
In the recent years, avocados have become very popular. You can find fine slices of avocado added to all, whether salads, smoothie bowls, or toasts. It’s a superfood that’s delicious and loaded with nutrition. Avocado has a high-fibre content. You can add it to your diet easily and reap several health benefits.
• Apples
An apple a day indeed keeps several health complications away. It is rich in fibre and antioxidants. It contributes to improving your gut and brain health. It may also promote weight loss. Plus, it’s super easy to have. You can have it on the go.
• Bananas
Bananas are undoubtedly the most popular fruit. Be it, children or adults, all love having bananas. It is loaded with potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, fibre, and many more essential nutrients. You should definitely have them every day.
• All types of berries
Strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries–all of them are rich in nutritional value. They also have good fibre content, hence can be an excellent addition to your diet. You can have them as it is, as a milkshake, or add them to your smoothie bowl; the choice is yours.
High fiber vegetables:
• Carrots
Carrot is a root vegetable that’s known for its high nutritional value. It is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, fibre, and antioxidants. It promotes a healthy gut and improves your eyesight. You can chop fine pieces of carrots and have them as it is, prepare a dish, or juice.
• Beets
Beet is another root vegetable that you should incorporate into your diet. It has a rich iron, potassium, magnesium, and fibre content. It improves your haemoglobin levels and gut health. It also works wonders for your skin.
• Potatoes
Potatoes have a bad reputation, as having potato chips and fries is very unhealthy. However, if you have potatoes the right way, they have incredible nutritional value to offer. Plain old potatoes, sweet potatoes, or red potatoes, all of them have a high fibre content. You can try them out to increase your fibre intake.
• Broccoli
You may not feel like having broccoli, but you should have it. It is a superfood that’s loaded with nutrition. It is high in B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, iron, magnesium, and fibre. You should have broccoli for a healthy gut. You can find innumerable broccoli recipes online. They are easy to prepare and taste delicious. Try them!
Legumes:
• Lentils – Lentils are one of the most nutritious legumes to have. They are packed with protein and have a high fibre content.
• Kidney beans – Your favourite rajma, kidney beans, are an excellent source of fibre and various plant-based nutrients. Whether you cook or bake these beans, you gain great nutrition and enjoy a lip-smacking taste.
• Chickpeas – You can find chickpeas mentioned at the very top of the high-fibre food chart. Per 100 grams of chickpeas offers 7.6 grams of fibre.
• Split peas – Split peas are peeled seeds of peas. They are nutritionally dense and taste amazing when prepared as a soup.
Cereals and nuts:
Cereals and nuts are another great source of fibre, essential nutrients, and vitamins. Oats and Quinoa are the two most popular cereals to try. They are easy to prepare, tasty and filling.
Almonds and sunflower seeds are great nuts you can munch on to for increasing your fibre intake. You can also have dried fruits like dates, figs, and prune to boost your fibre intake.
Note:
• Increase gradually: Make sure that you increase your fibre intake gradually. If you increase your fibre intake at once, there is a huge possibility of bloating and cramping. As you gradually increase your fibre intake, your body can adjust better.
• Stay hydrated: Keep yourself hydrated when increasing your fibre intake. Fibre pulls in water; hence it’s important that you keep yourself hydrated. Otherwise, you can suffer from constipation and dehydration.
Fibre alternatives:
As mentioned, eating fibre-rich foods is the best way to increase your fibre intake. However, if you are unable to obtain a proper fibre intake or cannot eat certain foods due to allergies, you can take fibre supplements. You should consult your doctor to know your need and various supplement options.
