 Fibre
is that constituent of our food that cannot be digested by the body
- cellulose, hemicellulose, pectins that cannot be easily broken
down by digestive enzymes. It adds bulk to our diet and facilitates
easy movement of waste products thereby reducing strain to the body.
Fibre also helps in eliminating toxins - both absorbed through food
and produced inside the body.
You could say it acts as a broom that cleanses the interns of the
body.
Our ancestors consumed food mainly in its raw form - raw fruits and
vegetables and coarsely ground or cooked cereals. But food consumed
today is highly refined - refined flour for noodles, cakes, biscuits,
chapatti, breads, polished rice, pealed vegetables, fruits and strained
fruit juices. Such a diet needs correction.
The body can take up to 10 -15 gms of fibre everyday, without adverse
effect and 25 - 30 gms for therapeutic purposes. Sufficient fibre
decreases incidence of colon cancer, regulates sugar absorption and
the amount of cholestrol in our blood. But excessive fibre leads to
stomach upsets.
Fibre
or roughage is
present in |
- The skin and structural parts of plant and
plant products like whole grain and breads (chappatis,
unleavened breads, etc.)
- Green leafy vegetables, carrots, potatoes,
peas, tomatoes, cauliflowers and all kinds of
beans.
- Fruits like peaches, prunes, guavas and oranges.
- The bran layer of cereals.
|
| Foods
lacking in Fibre include |
- Refined flour
(food made from it)
- Polished rice
- Animal foods
|
|
|
| Ten
ways to add fibre to your diet |
- Do not sift flour
- Use unpolished rice
- Do not strain juices
- Buy whole wheat bread and
bran biscuits
- Do not peel vegetables and fruits
- Do not overcook vegetables
- Include 4-5 servings of vegetables and fruits
in daily diet
- Raisins, dried fruits like apricots and sprouts
are good sources of fibre
- Jams and jellies have pectin -
for children and people with
a sweet tooth
- Use bran, flea seed husk (Isabgol)
to correct fibre defects in diet
|
|
|
|
