Fibre
What is fibre? We can get fibre from different foods like vegetables and fruits such as carrots, potatoes, beans, broccoli and peas, apples, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, plums and prunes. We can also get fibre from seeds, lentils, nuts and beans and whole grain foods like wholemeal flour, bread, pasta and rice. Fibre is very important for our health. If we don’t eat enough fibre, we might get constipated and have other serious health problems such as cancer in the bowel and colon and high blood pressure and heart disease.
Fibre is a kind of carbohydrate that helps your digestive system work well by making food move through it. Fibre is also called roughage or Non-Starch Polysaccharide (NSP).
How much fibre do we need? Soluble vs. insoluble fibre
Different ages need different amounts of fibre. For example, 11-16 year olds should eat about 25 grams of fibre every day. A diet with a lot of fibre can help you feel less hungry and more satisfied for longer. The right amount of dietary fibre can stop constipation and lower the chance of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, bowel cancer and obesity.
There are two kinds of fibre in foods that have a lot of fibre: soluble and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre can dissolve in water and turns into a gel-like substance in the large intestine. It can help lower blood cholesterol. You can find this fibre in foods like chickpeas and carrots. Insoluble fibre does not dissolve in water. It goes through the digestive tract and takes in fluid and other waste matter. The fibre helps the waste matter move through the intestines and out of the body. This kind of fibre can help stop constipation. You can find this fibre in foods like rice and nuts.
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