Eating high fibre food is good for you – by Dr Harold Gunatillake

Fibre or roughage comes from unprocessed plant foods. Meat and fish have no fibre, but mainly found in vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes and whole grain foods. They have protective benefits against a range of chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease. Diabetes, obesity, constipation and diverticular disease.

Dietary fibre consists of indigestible plant compounds, providing water and nutrients to our beneficial gut bacteria, and aiding elimination of wastes. There are the soluble fibres and insoluble fibre. Insoluble ones don’t dissolve in water, whereas soluble ones form a gel in combination with water. It forms bulk within the gut which helps to prevent constipation, give time for absorption of nutrients, and slow the movement of food within the gut. The insoluble fibre adds bulk and helps to keep the bowels regular. They are found in whole grain breads and cereals, the outer skins of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, raw lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, and so on.

The soluble fibres lower cholesterol absorption, a risk factor in atherosclerosis and heart disease. So, you need to eat high dietary fibre containing foods daily to prevent cardiovascular events.

Soluble fibre delays absorption of glucose a breakdown product of complex carbs. This helps to stabilise blood sugar levels. They are found in fruits, vegetables, dried beans, lentils and oats.

The gut microbes produce short chain fatty acids from fibre, which seem to enhance immune function. Short chain fatty acids are produced by bacterial fermentation of carbs and proteins in the large bowel. These short chain fatty acids stimulate blood flow to colon tissues and aid fluid and electrolyte absorption. They also protect the large bowel from cancer by decreasing bowel pH.

Fresh fruits

Fresh fruits have fibre ranging from about 4grams to 10 grams. Pears have a whopping 9.9 grams of fibre.

In whole grain bread the grains includes all parts of the grain and the fibre content is about 2.9 mg per 100gms. To prevent the risk of heart disease and diabetes people must eat wholegrain bread, though white bread is the choice among Sri Lankans in Sri Lanka.

Vegetables are high in fibre. Green peas, spinach, corn, broccoli and potatoes are high fibre veggies.

Dried fruits; Prunes are recommended for constipation, the syrup for the kids. They have high fibre and helps regulation of bowels.

Beans are high in fibre. Mexicans eat lot of beans in their cuisines. Beans are favourites in Sri Lanka, prepared as a traditional curry to go with rice. Beans must be washed thoroughly to avoid constipation and gas. Lentils and peas are high in fibre and protein and low in fat. Legumes are very popular in Sri Lanka, eaten daily as curry, with bread or rice.

Nuts, seeds are high in calories. Cashew nuts are too expensive in Sri Lanka for the average purse, they are full of fibre. Jaffna people eat lot of ‘kadala’ and pea nuts- are very high fibre.

Enjoy brown rice and other street food in Sri Lanka like hoppers, string hoppers, flat rotties made of unprocessed flour. Try wholegrain noodles and pasta made of unprocessed flour.

Seeds of flaxseed not available in Sri Lanka are an excellent source of fibre, giving you 2.8 grams per tablespoon.
Kohila root and tender leaves (dalu) –Lasa spinosa, Banana flowers (Kehel mal), sweet potatoes, potatoes and tapioca are very high fibre foods that are made into curries and go well with rice.

Sweet potatoes help prevent constipation due to its high fibre content.

Resistant starch

Resistant starch is found in undercooked pasta, under ripe bananas, cooked and cooled potato, overnight cooked rice with added oil and refrigerated.
The daily requirement of dietary fibre is 25-30 grams per day
Hope reading this article will keep you reminded that you need to eat high dietary fibre foods to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Good advice by Dr Harold
Ref: WebMD