Dietary fiber is found in grains, fruits and vegetables. The fibers consist of indigestible parts or plant compounds that pass relatively unchanged in the stomach and intestines. The fiber is mainly carbohydrate. The main role of fiber is to maintain the health of the digestive system.
Other terms for dietary fiber include "loose" and "roughage", which can be misleading because some forms of fiber are water soluble and not bulky or rough at all.
Benefits of Fibre
Dietary fiber is mainly used to maintain the health of the digestive system. It also helps other processes such as stabilizing glucose and cholesterol levels. In countries with traditional high-fiber diets, diseases such as bowel cancer, diabetes, and coronary heart disease are much less than in Western countries.
Most Australians do not have enough fiber. On average, most Australians consume 20-25 grams of fiber per day. The Heart Foundation recommends that adults consume about 25-30 grams per day.
Children between the ages of 4 and 8 should consume 18 grams of fiber per day. Girls aged 9 to 13 and 14 to 18 need 20 grams and 22 grams each day. Men aged 9 to 13 and 14 to 18 years old need 24 grams and 28 grams per day.
Diseases caused by low-fiber diets include:
- constipation
- irritable bowel syndrome
- diverticulitis
- heart disease
- some cancers
Fiber type in food
There are two types of fiber that we need to eat at the same time in our diet, including:
Soluble fiber - including pectin, gums and mucilage, is found mainly in plant cells. One of its main effects is to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Good sources of soluble fiber include fruits, vegetables, oat bran, barley, seed coat, flaxseed, psyllium, dried beans, lentils, peas, soy milk and soy products. Soluble fiber can also help with constipation.
Insoluble fibers - including cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which form part of the plant cell wall. The primary role of insoluble fibers is to increase the volume of feces and prevent constipation and related problems such as acne. Good sources include wheat bran, corn bran, rice bran, skin and vegetable skins, nuts, seeds, dried beans and whole grain foods. Both types of fiber are good for the body, and most plant foods contain a mixture of two types.
Resistant Starch
Resistant starch, although traditionally not considered a fiber, functions in a similar manner. Resistant starch is part of a starchy food (about 10%) that is resistant to normal digestion of the small intestine. It is found in many unprocessed grains and grains, immature bananas, potatoes and lentils, and is added to bread and breakfast cereals as Hi-Maize. It can also be formed by cooking and manufacturing processes such as rapid freezing.
Resistant starch is also important in gut health. Bacteria in large intestine fermentation turn resistant starch into short-chain fatty acids, which is important for gut health and can prevent cancer. These fatty acids are also absorbed into the bloodstream and may play a role in lowering blood cholesterol levels.
Fiber keeps the digestive tract healthy
The main advantage of a high fiber diet is to improve the health of the digestive system. The digestive system is lined with muscles, from the swallowing to the final waste discharge from the intestines (called the peristaltic process), along the tubing to massage the food. Since the fibers are relatively difficult to digest, the volume of the feces is increased.
Soluble fiber absorbs moisture like a sponge, which helps to swell the feces and make it easier to pass through the intestines. Its role is to slow down the rate of digestion. This slowing effect is usually covered by insoluble fibers that do not absorb moisture and accelerate the passage of food through the intestines.
Drink a lot of water
A high-fiber diet may not prevent or cure constipation unless you drink enough water every day. Some very high fiber breakfast cereals may contain about 10 grams of fiber per serving. If the cereal does not have enough liquid, it may cause abdominal discomfort or constipation.
Fiber and aging
Fiber is more important for the elderly. The digestive system slows down with age, so a high-fiber diet becomes more important.
Lower cholesterol in the blood
There is ample evidence that soluble fiber reduces cholesterol levels in the blood. When blood cholesterol levels are high, fat streaks and plaques are deposited along the arterial wall. This may make them dangerously narrow and lead to an increased risk of coronary heart disease. It is believed that soluble fiber lowers blood cholesterol by combining bile acids (made from cholesterol to digest dietary fat) and then excreting them.
Fiber and weight control
A high fiber diet prevents weight gain. High fiber foods tend to have lower energy densities, which means they provide less kilojoules per gram of food. Therefore, people with a high fiber diet can consume the same amount of food, but less kilojoules (calories).
Fibrous foods are usually bulky and therefore filled. Soluble fibers form a gel that slows the emptying of the stomach and the transit time of food through the digestive system. This extends the time a person is satisfied or "full". It also delays the absorption of sugar from the intestines. This helps maintain lower blood glucose levels and prevents rapid rises in blood insulin levels, which is associated with increased risk of obesity and diabetes.
Fiber and diabetes
For people with diabetes, eating a high-fiber diet can slow the absorption of glucose from the small intestine to the blood. This reduces the likelihood of a surge in insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas to stabilize blood sugar levels.
Conditions associated with a low fiber diet
Eating a low-fiber diet can cause many diseases, including:
- Constipation - a small, hard, dry stool material that is difficult to pass
- Hemorrhoids - anal varices
- Diverticulitis - a small digestive tract caused by long-term constipation
- Irritable bowel syndrome - abdominal pain, flatulence and bloating
- Overweight and obesity - carrying too much body fat
- Coronary heart disease - arterial stenosis caused by fat deposition
- Diabetes - a disease characterized by excessive glucose in the blood
- Colon cancer - colorectal cancer
Diet, cancer and heart disease
Increasing dietary fiber and whole-whole intake may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, weight gain and obesity, and possible overall mortality.
These observed health benefits are also likely to occur indirectly through the protection of "phytochemicals" (such as antioxidants) that are closely related to the fiber components of fruits, vegetables and cereals.
Studies have shown that dietary fiber, cereal fiber and whole wheat protein have protective effects on colorectal cancer. Fiber is believed to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by increasing stool volume, diluting possible carcinogens in the diet, and reducing transit time through the colon.
Furthermore, bacterial fermentation of the fibers results in the production of short chain fatty acids which are believed to have protective effects against colorectal cancer. It is recognized that dietary fiber can prevent colorectal cancer, and the total dietary fiber intake per 10 grams per day is equivalent to a 10% reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer.
Method of increasing fiber intake
Simple suggestions for increasing daily fiber intake include:
- Eat breakfast cereals containing barley, wheat or oatmeal
- Switch to whole wheat or multigrain bread and brown rice
- Add extra vegetables for dinner every night
- Snacks on fruits, dried fruits, nuts or whole wheat crackers
If you eat whole-grain cereal products, more fruits, vegetables and beans than low-fiber cakes and biscuits, nuts or seeds for snacks or when eating, it is easy to consume more than 30 grams per day.
You don't need to eat more kilojoules to increase your fiber intake. You can easily double your fiber intake without increasing your selectivity to increase your kilojoule intake. Compare the table below.
Fiber intake is less than 20 grams per day
Fibre (g)
|
Kilojoules (kJ)
|
|
|---|---|---|
1 cup puffed rice cereal
|
0.4
|
444
|
4 slices white bread
|
3.0
|
1166
|
1 tablespoon peanut butter
|
2.7
|
610
|
1 piece of fruit (apple)
|
1.7
|
268
|
1/2 cup canned fruit, undrained
|
1.4
|
468
|
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables
|
4.3
|
102
|
Mashed potato 120 g
|
1.7
|
336
|
1 cup white cooked rice
|
1.0
|
999
|
2 plain dry biscuits
|
0.4
|
150
|
1 slice plain cake 60 g
|
0.6
|
643
|
1 cup commercial fruit juice
|
0.8
|
391
|
TOTAL
|
17.9 g
|
5,557 kJ
|
Fiber intake exceeds 30 grams per day
Fibre (g)
|
Kilojoules (kJ)
|
|
|---|---|---|
2 wholewheat cereal biscuits (for example Weetbix or Vita Brits)
|
3.2
|
398
|
4 slices wholegrain bread
|
5.7
|
1085
|
1 tablespoon peanut butter
|
2.7
|
610
|
2 pieces of fruit (apple & pear)
|
4.9
|
515
|
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
|
8.6
|
203
|
1 small boiled potato with skin, 100 g
|
2.8
|
338
|
1 cup white cooked spaghetti
|
2.5
|
696
|
2 wholemeal dry biscuits
|
1.5
|
209
|
25 almonds
|
3.0
|
852
|
1 cup whole fruit juice
|
0.5
|
362
|
TOTAL
|
35.4 g
|
5,118 kJ
|
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