Did you know that only 10-15% of the population get the recommended amount of dietary fiber?
Read on to know the surprising health benefits and how you can get adequate fiber in your diet.
What is dietary fiber?
Dietary fiber is a macro-nutrient, like carbs, protein and fat. These are nutrients which we need in large quantities. Fiber is also known as complex carbohydrates.
Are you familiar with the phrase- 5 a day?
5 portions of fruits and vegetables everyday. This recommendation is being followed in several countries across the globe, to reduce the risk of heath conditions like some types cancer, heart disease and stroke.
Fruits and vegetables are rich in micronutrients, phytochemicals and more importantly dietary fibre.
It is only natural to wonder as to why so much emphasis is being laid on this macronutrient.
Why is Dietary Fiber Important?
Dietary fiber is made up of both soluble and insoluble fibers and they attribute to the different health properties.
Soluble fiber:
It is made up of mucilage, pectins, gums. Soluble fibers absorb water and form gel. They can be utilised by the bacteria in your gut by fermentation to release short chain fatty acids (SCFA) like acetic, propionic and butyric acids. They are regulators of gut homeostasis. The impact of these acids, particularly butyric acid is discussed.
Sufficient intake of soluble fibre has been proven to reduce the risk of diabetes, obesity, colon cancer, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.,
Benefits of insoluble fiber:
Insoluble fibers (cellulose,hemicellulose and lignin) are a part of the plant food, which is indigestible in the small intestine.
Insoluble fiber delays the gastric transit time i.e., give satiety and results in slow release of glucose.
Since the insoluble fiber holds water, it adds bulk to the stools and help prevent constipation, reduces the risk of colonic cancer and diverticulitis.
Resistant starch:
Resistant starch escape digestion in the small intestine. They are used by the beneficial bacteria in the large intestine.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF DIETARY FIBER:
1. Feed for the gut microbiota:
The type of bacteria that live in your gut is predominated by the foods that you eat. A healthy gut is associated with numerous benefits from modulating the immune system and metabolic responses (1).
Dietary fibre is a pre-biotic, acts as a feed to the microbiota and is vital in the resultant microbial composition. Eating a variety of foods provide you with different types of fiber and thereby a diverse population of beneficial bacteria.
It also interacts with epithelial and mucosal cells in the intestine, which form the second and third line of defense, acting as an immunomodulatory agent.
This shows the impact of dietary fiber on your immune system.
2. Stabilizes blood glucose levels:
Foods rich in soluble fiber, have delayed gastric emptying time and help to stabilize the release of blood glucose after a meal. This is why fiber rich foods usually have a low glycemic index (GI).
Additionally, there are several other mechanisms by which fibre regulates blood glucose levels, as presented in this study.
3. Lowers cholesterol levels:
The gel forming soluble fibres have the efficacy to reduce blood cholesterol levels, particularly LDL cholesterol, by removing bile from the small intestine. This reduces the risk of atherosclerosis related cardiovascular diseases (CVD).
A small study was conducted to compare the effects of processed and unprocessed oat bran on serum cholesterol levels. The unprocessed oat bran help reduce the LDL cholesterol levels but not the processed one (2).
4. Weight loss:
Short term studies have shown the association between increasing fruit, vegetable intake and weight loss. However, randomized controlled trials show that better fruit and vegetable intake alone cannot result in sustained weight loss, which is understandably so.
The health benefits from consuming fruits and vegetables regularly are extraordinary.
Food Sources of Dietary FIber:
Cellulose is present in good amount in cereals and vegetables.
Fruits with edible seeds like strawberries; carrot and other root vegetables have high amounts of lignin. Whole grain cereals and bran are rich in hemicellulose.
Fruits like apple, banana, guava contain pectin.
Oats and flaxseed is a good source of soluble fiber.
Change in food habits:
Research studies of the paleolithic (old stone age) period, indicate that about 65 per cent of the food consumed was uncultivated fruits and vegetables, which were high in dietary fiber (12.6 g/100 g).
They also consumed game meat which had more unsaturated fatty acids, protein and lesser calories and provide more micronutrients than our current diet (Susan Sungsoo, 2001). This helped them lead a very healthy lifestyle.
We, on the other hand, are more inclined to processed and ultra-processed foods for convenience.
These processed foods hardly contain any fiber in them and have added additives to increase shelf-life. Our present day diet is energy dense and nutrient scarce, leading to several health conditions.
Many food brands claim to contain sufficient amount of fiber in the product. Read the nutrition label to see how much it actually provides and what is the source. If it is highly processed then you may not benefit from the fiber.
Recommended dietary allowances for Dietary Fiber:
A dietary intake of 25-30 g/day is recommended for adults.
Kids need 15-25 g/day.
Dietary fiber supplements:
While there are supplements like psyllium, inulin and many more, they cannot provide the health benefits of consuming whole foods.
If you choose to use any supplement, check with your doctor to know how it interacts with other medications or any underlying health conditions that you have.
How to get sufficient dietary fiber in your daily diet?
Choose whole grains like brown rice, oat meal, whole wheat bread or pasta.
Add fruits or vegetables to your breakfast.
Include pulses and lentils in salads, soups or eat them boiled.
Snack on vegetables like carrot, peppers, cucumbers, beet or kale chips.
Add an extra serving of vegetables to your lunch and dinner.
Use vegetable like capsicum in dips or serve beetroot hummus.
Very useful info thank you very much.