If you have trouble getting enough fibre in your diet, you're not alone.
It is estimated the average Canadian consumes between 10 and 17 grams of fibre each day - less than half the amount recommended to guard against digestive disorders, high cholesterol, heart attack, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and possibly even colon cancer.
If you're on the go, it can be challenging to eat the required daily servings of fruits and vegetables (seven to 10) and whole grains (six to eight). And not everyone enjoys starting the day with a bowl of bran.
The good news: If you're averse to produce (or All-Bran cereal), there are other ways to bulk up your diet in additionto eating foods naturally rich in fibre. You can supplement your intake with fibre wafers, capsules, chewable tablets and powders.
You can also buy foods with added fibre, such as yogurt, milk, pasta and vegetable and fruit juices.
While some fibre supplements have proven health benefits, others may not be as good as the real thing. And some products supply too little fibre to have any noticeable effect. (Do you really want to swallow 15 pills per day?)
Dietary fibre refers to the
material found naturally in plants that your body can't digest. You'll find dietary fibre (also called "intact" fibre) in whole grain breads, cereals, legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables.
Functional fibre, on the other hand, is what you'll find in many supplements and foods fortified with fibre. These fibres are isolated from plants or animals, or commercially produced. Studies show that functional fibres help treat constipation, lower blood cholesterol and control blood-sugar levels.
Both dietary and functional fibres can be classified as soluble or insoluble. Soluble fibre, plentiful in legumes, lentils, oats, barley, psyllium husks, apples and citrus fruit, forms a gel in your stomach when consumed and slows the rate of digestion and absorption.
Scientists attribute the health benefits of soluble fibre to its viscosity (stickiness). When consumed, soluble fibre forms a gummy texture that binds to cholesterol in the gut, helping to lower LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream.
Some types of soluble fibre are also fermented, or broken down, by "friendly" bacteria in the gut, producing compounds thought to have significant health properties.
Foods such as wheat bran, whole grains, nuts and vegetables (especially the skins) contain mainly insoluble fibre. This fibre passes through the digestive tract largely unchanged. Its claim to fame is its ability to retain water, increase stool bulk and promote regularity.
Men are advised to consume 38 grams of fibre per day, and women should consume 25 grams. Men and women older than 50 need 30 and 21 grams per day, respectively. Children aged 1 to 3 need 19 grams and those aged 4 to 8 should consume 25 grams of fibre daily. Requirements for teenagers are similar to those for adults.
People who don't like high-fibre foods, or find they cause cramping or gas, often turn to fibre supplements available as wafers, capsules, tablets or powders.
Psyllium
Bulk-forming supplements such as Metamucil contain psyllium, a mostly soluble fibre that comes from the crushed seeds of a plant commonly grown in India.
While psyllium is often used to treat constipation, foods rich in insoluble fibre (e.g. wheat bran) work best, in my opinion.
Psyllium may help relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. A 2004 review of 17 studies comparing soluble to insoluble fibres concluded that people taking soluble fibre tended to have symptom improvement while those who took insoluble fibre were more likely to have pain.
Clinical studies also show that psyllium, in combination with a low-fat diet, helps lower elevated LDL cholesterol.
You can buy psyllium husk powder at health food stores and mix it with water. One tablespoon provides roughly three grams of fibre.
