One of the biggest shortfalls of our modernised diets and nutrition is the shortage of fibre in it. This is because most packaged foods today are processed, refined and polished to such an extent that fibre gets stripped off in the process. Even foods like rice, whole wheat, fruits that are actually healthy (if eaten in the most natural form) are processed and refined.
Fibre plays more of a mechanical role. Even though it doesn’t have any nutritive value, it still plays a major role in boosting our health by:
-Regulating sugar and lipid levels
-Increasing the satiety value of a meal
-Making bowel movements easy
-Boosting gut microbiome
This means that lack of fibre can invite a host of health problems ranging from plummeting sugar and lipid profiles, overeating and thus obesity as a result, constipation and gut dysbiosis which can pave the way for even more serious issues. If you are eating processed foods all the time and add minimum or no fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, lentils, legumes, then your diet is surely a fibre-deprived one. All foods available in nature are rich in fibre and hence adding them to your plate becomes necessary.
Fibre is of two types. Soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre easily dissolves in water and gets broken down into a gel-like substance whereas insoluble fibre doesn’t dissolve or get digested in the gut. Both forms of fibre have health benefits.
-Soluble fibre: Flaxseeds, apple, sabja (chia) seeds, strawberries, onions, psyllium husk, the gel in lady’s finger .
-Insoluble: Green leafy vegetables, whole grains, carrots, celery, outer covering and seeds of lady’s finger. As a standardised value, the ideal amount of fibre a woman should be getting is 25gm while a man should be getting 35gm. However, in reality most of us struggle to get even 15gm. So yes, modern diets are fibre-deprived. One has to make a conscious effort to eat a balanced meal comprising nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lentils and legumes to be able to meet daily fibre quota.
Having said all this, one mustn’t go overboard with too much fibre as well. Excess fibre can backfire by irritating the mucosal linings of the gut, causing bloating, gas, constipation and inhibit absorption of vitamins and minerals. Individuals with compromised gut health like cases of IBS, Chrons and autoimmune conditions must be extra cautious because fibre may not suit all, especially when it comes from raw sources. In such cases, either cook or blend to break down the fibre.
Sneaky ways to make your diet fibre friendly:
-Add a portion of salads to meals
-Stir fry vegetables
-Unstrained vegetable juice
-Fruits with skin – if organic
-Green leafy vegetables, sweet potato
-Sprinkle flaxseed powder over salads
-Soaked sabja seeds water
-Prunes, black raisins, dates, figs and apricots. Whole grains such as hand pounded rice, bajra, ragi, jowar, khapli wheat, amaranth are good sources of fibre too.
by Luke CoutinhoHolistic Lifestyle Coach-Integrative Medicine
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