What is a High Fibre Diet?

There are lots of ways to create a high fibre diet and lots of foodstuffs like bran, prunes, vegetables and more to build the right diet for you. So do you understand the general classifications or groups of foods that are high in fibre? If you do, then if you want to increase your fibre you know where to look!

In general wholemeal foods are better than bleached or prepared wheat foods. Think wholemeal bread, pasta or rice and of course wholegrain cereals like Bran Flakes or porridge are excellent.

Pulses ate great and beans and lentils will help increase your fibre nicely. The one most people overlook is fruit. If you like to snack then you can also choose dried fruit like apricots or figs too.

As a quick guide, check out some examples of foods and their fibre content below :

• Dried apricots or figs: 20-25g of fibre per 100g weight
• Dried prunes, almonds : 14-16g of fibre per 100g weight
• Shredded wheat, frozen peas: 10-12g of fibre per 100g weight
• Wholemeal bread, muesli, baked beans, spinach: 6 - 8g of fibre per 100g weight
• Sprouts, celery, cabbage, apples, pears, bananas, oranges: Less than 3g of fibre per 100g weight

But remember to look at how much 100g of each is - for example one banana can weigh 50 - 75g, whereas eating 100g of dried apricots would be no mean feat!

What Are the Sources of Fibre?

In short, do you know the best sources of dietary fibre? Increasing the amount of fibre in your diet can help with digestion and weight, but do you know how to get it?

The main sources of dietary fibre are basically from the plants that were not able to fully digest. You wont find it in meat and you may wonder why you need something that your digestive system isn't able to break down.

The reason for increasing your fibre is that basically that it keeps your colon working properly so that you don't become constipated. This helps avoid other digestive problems and even more serious conditions like rectal cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

By making sure you have in your diet good dietary sources of fibre, you're ensuring that you keep your whole system on track.

The problem with many processed foods, including cereals, is that much of the goodness has been removed from them through the industrial processes used to make them. This is why its worth checking out the listings on the packet.

As a general rule of thumb, wholegrain pasta, brown bread and brown rice are less likely to have been stripped of their content than the white versions of the same products. In order to be able to put high in fibre on their packaging, foods must contain more than six grams per serving.

Most people eat less than fifteen grams of this vital substance per day. Recommended intake is approximately twenty-five grams per day. So try to make sure you're eating plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as cereal that have a high content.

The Benefits of High Fibre Foods

In most instances, high fibre foods are particularly good for you for a number of reasons. For starters, high fibre foods and diets prevent constipation. In fact, overall its very healthy for your digestive processes. This is because high fibre foods take longer to digest so that your stomach and small intestine empty more slowly.

This all contributes to giving you a feeling of fullness so you wont get hungry again as quickly after eating and are therefore less likely to overeat. This slower digestion also reduces the risk of your body producing what's known as an insulin surge to cope with a sudden absorption of glucose into the blood. Sometimes when food is digested very quickly, it causes your blood sugar levels to rise rapidly leading to over insulin production which can in turn lead to diabetes.

More Benefits!

In addition to helping you digest food at a slower pace, it is thought that high fibre foods can also help prevent the development of rectal cancer and haemorrhoids. Good sources include fruits, vegetables and nuts as well as brown bread, brown rice, and brown flakes.

The emphasis on the brown here is because white bread and rice have been processed so that much of their vitamins, minerals and fibre have been stripped away.

Similarly, try to go for wholegrain pasta and breakfast cereals and check the content listed in the ingredients. To be considered a good source, a product should have at least three grams per one hundred grams. Make sure you're getting what you need as part of a healthy balanced diet.