Yes, even 30-40 years ago, fiber or dietary fiber was considered useless ballast. But in 1979, famed Irish doctor Denis Parsons Burkitt published Don't Forget Fibre in Your Diet, which became a bestseller. Burkitt had worked in Africa for a long time and found that the locals almost did not suffer from diseases common in developed countries: heart attacks, high blood pressure, obesity, hemorrhoids, colon cancer, and varicose veins. He attributed this to the fact that Africans eat a lot of fiber and few refined foods. And the spread of these diseases had just begun after 1890 when a new method of processing grain appeared and became popular. In addition, with the industrial revolution, people began to move much less.
The idea was taken up by the product manufacturers. True, in its own way: in 1984, the Kellogg company wrote on the packaging of All-Bran's cereal that it contains fiber and is extremely beneficial for health.
In 1990, the American Cancer Society issued guidelines for reducing the risk of cancer, including advice to eat more fiber. At the same time, the US Congress passed the Food Labeling Act, requiring manufacturers to measure fiber content and place this information on packaging.
Fiber, or dietary fiber, is the cell membrane of plants, algae, or fungi. Fibers are soluble and insoluble. Plant-based foods contain both types of dietary fiber. Soluble fiber binds easily to water and becomes a gel-like substance. Thus, it gives a feeling of fullness, softens the stool, and maintains its regularity.
Foods rich in soluble fiber:
Insoluble fiber does not absorb water and is completely excreted from the body in an almost unchanged form. It helps move food through the gastrointestinal tract.
Foods rich in insoluble fiber:
Fiber or dietary fiber helps the stool pass more smoothly and reduces the likelihood of constipation. And vice versa - they absorb water and contribute to the formation of stools.
Remember the keto diet? This diet is about consuming high amounts of fat and protein. People who switched to this diet first suffered from indigestion, and when the body was more or less rebuilt, constipation began. Precisely because there is no fiber in the diet.
The stomach does not react to calories, but the very fact that something has got into it. Fiber absorbs water, pushes against the walls of the stomach, and signals to the body that it is full. For example, bran contains a lot of fiber. They take a long time to digest and therefore give a long-lasting feeling of fullness.
Fiber works like a sponge, it absorbs fats and sugars. Pectin and inulin prevent sugar from entering the bloodstream immediately, i.e. prevent its level from sharply increasing. This is the difference between fresh fruits and juices: there is no fiber in the juice, sugar immediately enters the bloodstream. And in fruits, there is fiber, which slows down this process.
Fiber partly contributes to the balance of intake and excretion, but you should not rely only on it, dietary habits are equally important. High cholesterol and high blood sugar levels are often associated with obesity. Correct eating habits contribute to the maintenance of normal body weight. One of the good eating habits is to eat fiber-rich foods and the other is not to overeat.
From fiber, the bacteria in our intestines create new organic substances that have anti-inflammatory properties. It is believed that it is the synthesis of these anti-inflammatory substances that reduce the risk of chronic and even some autoimmune diseases: atherosclerosis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis.
Many types of fiber have now been discovered (cellulose and hemicelluloses, lignin, gums, pectin, etc.). The more diverse the fiber we eat, the more diverse the gut microbiota. Therefore, we should eat as varied as possible, preferably at least 30 different foods per week, with the exception of highly processed ones.
Dietary supplements with fiber exist, but it is better to eat normal food. Tablets and soluble powders can be prescribed by a doctor if there are problems with the gastrointestinal tract (bloating, flatulence, constipation) that cannot be solved by adjusting the diet.
The minimum amount of fiber required every day is 15 grams: this is 2 tablespoons of porridge and two small fruits or vegetables, 80-90 grams each.
It is optimal to get at least 25-30 g of fiber per day: eat 4-5 servings of vegetables and fruits daily, optimally 8-10 (portion: a small vegetable or fruit sandwiched between the thumb and middle finger - 80-90 g or a handful of dried fruits, about 20- 30 g) and 1-3 servings of whole grains (servings: 40 g bread or 4-6 tablespoons of cooked cereals).
The latest WHO recommendation is up to 500 grams of vegetables per day. 1 tomato is about 100 grams, cucumber is about 150-200 grams. If at breakfast you ate 300 grams of oatmeal in the water, you can assume that you have received the minimum.
Oatmeal in the morning is a guarantee that the intestines will work well.
There is no upper limit for fiber intake for the simple reason that overeating fiber every day for a long time is not an easy task. If you eat 25-30g of fiber every day, you can be proud of yourself. Overeating leads to obesity, but not because of vegetables or fruits, but precisely because of the wrong ratio of consumed and expended energy. Often at the expense of deeply processed products, which no longer contain fiber.
Half of your diet should be vegetables and fruits, it is also advisable to eat at least 2 tablespoons of porridge for breakfast or for a side dish every day. If you are not in the habit of eating fiber-rich foods (salads, nuts, legumes, cereals) and you drastically change your eating habits, then at first you may start going to the toilet more often. It is possible that you feel unwell because of a certain type (but not quantity).
Also, keep in mind that obesity is a significant risk factor for cancer, and healthy fiber intake plays an important role in maintaining normal body weight.
Heat treatment affects certain types of fiber in different ways. For example, cold potatoes will be rich in resistant starch, which is digested primarily by gut bacteria, which promotes microbiota diversity, while hot potatoes will absorb starch as a carbohydrate. But you should not eat only cold potatoes because of resistant starch: the main thing is that there is a variety of food, which also brings pleasure!
The position of leading nutritionists: a balanced and varied diet (including fiber and everything else) is the key to a good quality of life and its duration.
If you tolerate gluten well (eat fresh baked goods, bread, pasta with pleasure and without consequences), then it will not do any harm to you. Yes, there is the celiac disease - gluten intolerance. This is when the stomach hurts from foods with gluten, bloating and diarrhea begins. But the disease is not as common as it is written about.
In addition, people have individual intolerances to certain foods, not all gluten. For example, there is bloating from pasta. However, other gluten-containing foods are well tolerated. If you do not tolerate baked goods well, do not eat them.
Various substances enter our body, including those that are not useful, and they are also formed as a result of metabolism. Therefore, we have a multifunctional excretion system: metabolic products (often referred to as toxins) are excreted in sweat, urine, breath, and feces. And fiber increases the efficiency of elimination of substances that are not useful and even dangerous to us. Unfortunately, the term "toxins" is overused, but you shouldn't worry - our excretory system copes with them with a bang.
The function of detoxification is performed by the liver. If poisoning occurs, then the problem is not in the toxin, but in its quantity. If there is too much toxin, the body cannot cope - we get sick, we feel bad. We all know about a hangover - this is exactly alcohol intoxication. When we are healthy, nothing hurts for us, then removing some toxins is to harm ourselves. For example, freshly squeezed juice is a popular theme. On an empty stomach, it can cause stomach cramps if a person has problems with the gastrointestinal tract, but it certainly will not be able to remove toxins.
Have you learned something new for yourself? Share in the comments!
