Gracefoods

Now that the holidays have come and gone,  now might be a good time to pay attention to fibre filled foods. Known also as roughage, fibre is a carbohydrate found in the walls of plant cells and is indigestible by humans. It helps to keep the digestive system in working order.

A healthy digestive system helps to reduce weight and increase health, while reducing the risk of contracting bowel cancer, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, haemorrhoids or diabetes.

Fibre contains no nutrients, but helps speed the movement of waste matter through the digestive tract, preventing the tract from clogging. As it moves through the tract with waste, fibre absorbs water so that such waste often becomes softer, bulkier and easier to pass. This  prevents constipation. Fibre is useful in another positive way. When eaten, it makes you feel full, which means you are likely to reduce the levels of your food intake.

There are two types of fibre – soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre helps the absorption of water to soften waste matter and quicken its movement through the intestines. Soluble fibre also lowers cholesterol, and thus the risk of heart disease, by absorbing and expelling it as waste. Soluble fibre is important for diabetics since it prevents the absorption of glucose into the blood, stabilizing blood sugar levels. Insoluble fibre makes waste matter bulky to easy its way through your system.

Fibre is critical for maintaining a regular, healthy digestive system. It is recommended that adults should eat about 25 – 35 grams of fibre daily. Drinking water regularly helps the fibre to efficiently expedite the removal of waste and toxins from your body.

ibre can be found in of the following vegetables and fruits.

The following are foods that are low in fibre content: most refined breads & cereals, meat & animal products, dairy produce, and fast foods.