Fibre in food

Dietary fibre is found in cereals, fruits and vegetables. Fibre is made up of the indigestible parts or compounds of plants, which pass relatively unchanged through our stomach and intestines.

The main role of fibre is to keep the digestive system healthy.

Other terms for dietary fibre include ‘bulk’ and ‘roughage’, which can be misleading since some forms of fibre are water soluble and aren’t bulky or rough at all.
Fibre is a carbohydrate
Fibre is largely a carbohydrate. The building blocks of all carbohydrates are different types of sugars and they can be classified according to how many sugar molecules are combined in the carbohydrate:

* Simple sugars - consist of 1-2 sugar molecules; for example glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose and lactose.
* Oligosaccharides - consist of 3-10 glucose molecules joined together.
* Starch polysaccharides - have more than 10 glucose molecules joined together.
* Non-starch polysaccharides - have more than 10 sugar molecules; for example xylose, arabinose and mannose.

Fibre keeps the digestive system healthy
Dietary fibre is mainly needed to keep the digestive system healthy. It also contributes to other processes, such as stabilising glucose and cholesterol levels. In countries with traditionally high fibre diets, diseases such as bowel cancer, diabetes and coronary heart disease are much less common than in the West.

Most Australians don’t consume enough fibre. On average, most Australians consume 18-25g of fibre daily. The Heart Foundation recommends that adults should consume approximately 30g daily. Australian experts suggest that children should eat 10g of fibre a day plus an additional gram for every year of age. For instance, a 10 year old child should eat 15-20g of fibre per day.

Disorders that can arise from a low fibre diet include:

* Constipation
* Irritable bowel syndrome
* Diverticulitis
* Heart disease
* Some cancers.

Two types of fibre
There are broadly two categories of fibre and we need to eat both in our daily diets:

* Soluble fibre - includes pectins, gums and mucilage, which are found mainly in plant cells. One of its major roles is to lower blood cholesterol levels. Good sources of soluble fibre include fruits, vegetables, oat bran, barley, seed husks, flaxseed, psyllium, dried beans, lentils, peas, soymilk and soy products. Soluble fibre can also help with constipation.
* Insoluble fibre - includes cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, which make up the structural parts of plant cell walls. A major role of insoluble fibre is to add bulk to faeces and to prevent constipation and associated problems such as haemorrhoids. Good sources include wheat bran, corn bran, rice bran, the skins of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried beans and wholegrain foods.

Both types of fibre are beneficial to the body and most plant foods contain a mixture of both types.

Resistant starch
Resistant starch, while not traditionally thought of as fibre, acts in a similar way. Resistant starch is the part of starchy food (approximately 10 per cent) that resists normal digestion. It is found in many unprocessed cereals and grains, firm bananas, potatoes and lentils, and is added to bread and breakfast cereals as Hi-Maize. It can also be formed by cooking and manufacturing processes such as snap freezing.

Resistant starch is also important in bowel health. Bacteria in the large bowel ferment and change the resistant starch into short-chain fatty acids, which are important to bowel health and may protect against cancer. These fatty acids are also absorbed into the bloodstream and may play a role in lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Fibre keeps the digestive tract healthy
The principle advantage of a diet high in fibre is the health of the digestive system. The digestive system is lined with muscles that massage food along the tract from the moment a mouthful is swallowed until the eventual waste is passed out of the bowel (a process called peristalsis). Since fibre is relatively indigestible, it adds bulk to the faeces.

Soluble fibre soaks up water like a sponge, which helps to plump out the faeces and allows it to pass through the gut more easily. It acts to slow down the rate of digestion. This slowing down effect is usually overridden by insoluble fibre, which doesn't absorb water and speeds up the time that food passes through the gut.

You must drink lots of fluid
A high fibre diet may not prevent or cure constipation unless you drink enough water every day. Some high fibre breakfast cereals may have around 10g of fibre per serve and if this cereal is not accompanied by enough fluid it may cause constipation.

Fibre and ageing
Fibre is even more important for older people. The digestive system slows down with age, so a high fibre diet becomes even more important.

Lowering blood cholesterol
Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in oat bran, since some studies showed that regular intake of foods high in soluble fibre - such as oat bran, baked beans and soybeans - reduced blood cholesterol levels. When blood cholesterol levels are high, fatty streaks and plaques are deposited along the walls of arteries. This can make them dangerously narrow and lead to an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

It is thought that soluble fibre lowers blood cholesterol by binding bile acids (which are made from cholesterol to digest dietary fats) and then excreting them. Cereal fibre seems to be more protective against coronary heart disease than the fibre from fruit and vegetables.

A method of weight control
In many cases, people who are overweight or obese have been shown to lose significant amounts of excess body fat simply by increasing the amount of dietary fibre, especially soluble fibre, in their daily diet.

Fibrous foods are often bulky and, therefore, filling. They also tend to be low in fat. Soluble fibre forms a gel that slows down the emptying of the stomach and the transit time of food through the digestive system. This extends the time a person feels satisfied or ‘full’. It also delays the absorption of sugars from the intestines. This helps to maintain lower blood sugar levels and prevent a rapid rise in blood insulin levels, which has been linked with obesity and an increased risk of diabetes.

The extra chewing time often required of high fibre foods also helps contribute to feeling satisfied. As a result, a person on a high fibre diet is likely to eat less food and so consume less kilojoules (calories).

Good for people with diabetes
For people with diabetes, eating a diet high in fibre slows glucose absorption from the small intestine into the blood. This reduces the possibility of a surge of insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas to stabilise blood glucose levels.

Conditions linked to low fibre diets
Eating a diet low in fibre can contribute to many disorders, including:

* Constipation - small, hard and dry faecal matter that is difficult to pass.
* Haemorrhoids - varicose veins of the anus.
* Diverticulitis - small hernias of the digestive tract caused by long term constipation.
* Irritable bowel syndrome - pain, flatulence and bloating of the abdomen.
* Overweight and obesity - carrying too much body fat.
* Coronary heart disease - a narrowing of the arteries due to fatty deposits.
* Diabetes - a condition characterised by too much glucose in the blood.
* Colon cancer - cancer of the large intestine.

The debate about diet, cancer and heart disease continues
Studies that show a reduced risk of some cancers and coronary heart disease have received much attention. How these apparent health benefits arise is not fully understood. It is very likely that these observed health benefits occur indirectly, through the protective effects of ‘phytochemicals’ (such as antioxidants) that are closely associated with the fibre components of fruits, vegetables and cereal foods. It has also been suggested that dietary fibre dilutes harmful substances and possible carcinogens present in the diet, thus reducing the gut's exposure to such compounds.

Recent studies have challenged the widely held belief that fibre reduces the risk of developing colon cancer. Differences in methodology, in particular the type of fibre used, between these recent studies and earlier ones may explain the inconsistencies in their findings.
Ways to increase your fibre intake
Simple suggestions for increasing your daily fibre intake include:

* Eat breakfast cereals that contain barley, wheat or oats.
* Switch to wholemeal or multigrain breads and brown rice.
* Add an extra vegetable to every evening meal.
* Snack on fruit, dried fruit, nuts or wholemeal crackers.

A daily intake of more than 30g can be easily achieved if you eat wholegrain cereal products, more fruit, vegetables and legumes and, instead of low fibre cakes and biscuits, have nuts or seeds as a snack or use in meals.

You don't need to eat a lot more kilojoules to increase your fibre intake; you can easily double your fibre intake without increasing your kilojoule intake by being more selective - compare the tables below.
A sudden increase in fibre can have explosive effects
It should be noted that a sudden switch from a low fibre diet to a high fibre diet can create some abdominal pain and increased flatulence. Also, very high fibre diets (more than 40g daily) are linked with decreased absorption of some important minerals, such as iron, zinc and calcium. This occurs when fibre binds these minerals and forms insoluble salts, which are then excreted.

This could increase the risk of developing deficiencies of these minerals in susceptible individuals. Adults should aim for a diet that contains 30-35g of fibre per day and should introduce fibre into the diet gradually to avoid any negative outcomes.

Healthy Soup

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Ten foods you must have in your shopping cart for excellent health

Ten foods you must have in your shopping cart for excellent health, here we List out the Top ten Foods

1. Vegetables. “Green vegetables like our callaloo, our beetroot and high coloured vegetables, the ones with fibre, I generally always encourage,” she said. “Eat vegetables raw when you can. Some people might not want to have pumpkin raw, but pumpkin can be substituted for some carrots once it’s firm. String beans also do not have to be eaten cooked, you can just cut them up in a salad and it is nice and crunchy.”

2. Fruits. Choose “the things that are in season like bananas, June plums, papaya, soursop, those kind of fruits. They have a lot more body, a lot more nutrients, they have minerals, they have vitamins, and like for the banana, the potassium would be higher on the list there. You have vitamin C type fruits, you have fibre type fruits too that are enzymatic in their giving such as papaya and pineapple,” she noted.

3. Wholegrains. Whole grains have been linked to lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and other health issues. “You will encourage people to have their whole wheat bread and their whole wheat flour, because people want to have their dumplings and so on,” said the nutritionist, who pointed out that some people might have strong allergic reactions to wheat in which case they will have to find alternatives.

4. Lentils. “Lentils are a good source of iron and calcium and protein and so you can have even lentil soup. Peas and beans are very important. A lot of people are not eating sufficient peas and beans and they are eating more meat and carbohydrates than anything else and therefore they are missing out on the nutrient contents of all of the other food groups that should be had,” said Fletcher.

5. Oatmeal. Oatmeal is great and can be found at most supermarkets. “Oats is a good thing, but rolled oats, not so much the instant oats, because that is processed,” the nutritionist said. “If you are doing rice, do the brown rice,” she added, while pointing out that those who hate the taste of brown rice could purchase additional vegetables to cook with it, such as pumpkin.

6. Ground provisions. “Sweet potatoes have more fibre than Irish potatoes, so it is more highly recommended. You have plantains, you have yam, even dasheen to some extent, but sometimes we boil the dasheen out too much,” Fletcher said.

7. Lean meats. “It’s good to have the meat fresh and with high nutrient contents — your fish and your chicken and your beef,” she said. “The organ meats I don’t lean too well on in terms of recommending it — maybe liver — but I kind of just stop there. I am not convinced of the value of the other organ meats; but that’s my personal take,” the nutritionist said.

8. Nuts. Fletcher noted that eating too many nuts can make you put on weight even though they are considered healthy. Even so, peanuts and almonds are good things to snack on when you want to avoid more high caloric snacks such as cookies and potato chips.

9. Coconut oil. Although olive oil is often touted as the best possible brand for good health, Fletcher’s personal preference for cooking is the coconut oil or the canola oil which is similar to olive oil.

10. Water. If you are restricted from having tap water for medical reasons, be sure to stock up on bottled water while at the supermarket. Stocking up on the healthiest of foods at the supermarket will not get you any closer to meeting your weight loss or health goals without this vital ingredient.

Alternative Health News

Best five foods to help you sleep

Whether it’s a one-off incidence before a huge event or a nightly struggle, most of us affect from insomnia at one time or another.

Fortunately, there are many foods that can help you sleep a little easier. To help you relax and catch some Zs, check out our top 5 foods to help you sleep.

Dairy products

If you’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep, foods containing tryptophan should be a first port of call. Tryptophan, an essential amino acid, helps to raise serotonin and melatonin levels in the body, both of which can help induce sleep. While turkey is a famously good source of tryptophan, other (perhaps more bedtime-friendly) sources include dairy products such as yoghurt and milk.

On top of their tryptophan levels, dairy snacks are also a great source of calcium, which helps the brain to use tryptophan to create melatonin. Research has also suggested that a deficiency of calcium in the diet can cause disturbed sleep patterns and a lack of deep (REM) sleep.

Oats

While many of us associate oats with breakfast time, they are also the perfect evening snack. Oats are a good natural source of melatonin, which is often taken as a sleep aid due to its ability to help regulate the body's internal clock. They are also another good source of tryptophan, especially when combined with milk.

Furthermore, oats are rich in both calcium and magnesium; two minerals that have been proven to promote good quality sleep. For a warm, soothing snack before bed, try eating a small bowl of porridge to help you drift off, combined with any of the following toppings to help double its effects.

Bananas

If you suffer from muscle spasms or cramps during the night, it may be that you are deficient in the electrolytes magnesium and potassium, both of which help to relax muscles and keep them functioning properly. Fortunately, bananas are excellent source of both minerals, making them a good bedtime snack, particularly after a heavy exercise session.

As well as being rich in these essential minerals, bananas also contain tryptophan, which can help to promote sleep. Researchers from the University of New England in New South Wales have also found that having a banana before bed can help sufferers of sleep apnea by keeping their throats open and therefore reducing the risk of choking.

Cherries

For those who have trouble sleeping, you may be familiar with over-the-counter melatonin supplements used to treat insomnia. However, while melatonin can help to regulate sleep, it may be unwise to rely on supplements for long-term use. Fortunately, cherries provide a great natural source of melatonin as well as being excellent for overall health.

A research study published in The Journal of Sleep and Sleep Disorders Research has indicated that consuming tart cherries before bed helped participants sleep faster and easier, making fresh cherries or cherry juice a great natural sleep aid.

Flax seeds

Flax seeds are great for increasing levels of sleep-regulating substance serotonin in the body due to their high levels of both tryptophan and omega-3 fatty acids. Furthermore, the omega-3 fatty acids they contain have been proven to help reduce the anxiety, depression and stress which are leading causes of insomnia, and have been shown to be effective against the condition sleep apnea.

Not only that, flax seeds are a good source of magnesium, which is renowned for its ability to reduce stress due to its relaxing effect on the muscles and nervous system. Magnesium has also been shown to help prevent restless leg syndrome and night terrors; both of which can affect sleep.

Alternative Health News

With Junk Food Stores Nearby, Teens May Eat More of It

Teens are much more likely to eat junk food if they live in or go to school in neighborhoods with many fast food restaurants and other sources of unhealthy foods, a new study finds. Click here to find out more!

Researchers compared 2007 data on junk food consumption by California teens living in neighborhoods with high concentrations of junk food outlets, such as fast food restaurants, convenience stores, dollar stores and liquor stores, with the eating habits of teens living near healthier food outlets, such as grocery stores and farmers' markets.

The study, from the University of California Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research, found that nearly three-quarters of the teens lived in or went to school in neighborhoods crowded with junk food outlets, and that the teens on average had more than seven times as many junk food outlets near their home or school as healthy food outlets.

Teens in neighborhoods with high concentrations of junk food outlets were 18 percent more likely to eat fast food at least twice a week and 17 percent more likely to drink soda every day, compared to teens in neighborhoods with fewer junk food outlets.

Previous research has linked consumption of fast food and soda to high caloric intake, which can contribute to diabetes and obesity.

"You are what you eat. You are, also, where you live," study co-author Susan Babey, a senior research scientist at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, said in a center news release. "And if you live in a place where there's a fast food restaurant or convenience store on every block, with few healthier alternatives, you are likely to eat more junk."

"It is a travesty that our kids have better access to liquor stores and other unhealthy food outlets than a grocery store," Dr. Robert K. Ross, president and CEO of the California Endowment, a private health foundation that funded the study, said in the news release. "We have put our children and youth in harm's way, and they are paying the price for our carelessness. If nothing is done, this will be the first generation to live shorter lives than their parents."

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Family meals benefit health of children

A study in the journal Pediatrics finds that children and adolescents who share meals with their families at least three times per week are less likely to be overweight, eat unhealthy foods or be at risk for eating disorders.

"It tells parents what they can do to help in those nutritional issues with their children," said lead study author Amber Hammons, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

"We understand that parents are really busy, and that's definitely one of the biggest problems that's cited by parents- that it's just so difficult to manage time to prepare it and then to get all the family members to be present," she said. "What this study is suggesting is that sitting down for three meals out of the week tends to show this significant benefit." The researchers examined 17 previous studies, which involved 182,836 children aged 2 to 17. Their findings reinforced the recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics, as part of its campaign to prevent childhood obesity.

The researchers found that three or more family meals per week were associated with a 12% reduction in the odds for being overweight, a 20% drop in the odds of eating unhealthy foods regularly and a 35% reduction in disordered eating- including purging, the use of diet pills, skipping meals or the use of smoking cigarettes as a way to control weight.

Unhealthy foods included soda, fast food, fried food and sweets or candy.

In addition, the kids were 24% more likely to eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, breakfast and also more likely to take a multivitamin.

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End World Hunger: World Food Programme Launches Website

When you were a kid, did you ever sit down for a family meal that ended with a half-full plate and your mom saying, "Finish your broccoli, there's starving kids in Africa?" Maybe you rebelliously answered, "Why don't you send them my broccoli then?"
Believe it or not, now you can.

With the new website WeFeedback.org, launched by the United Nations World Food Programme, you can donate the price of your dinner to school programs around the world.

In 1961, the World Food Programme began providing food to communities during and after emergencies. Fifty years later, they aim to reach more than 90 million people with food assistance in more than 70 countries -- this year alone.

WeFeedBack allows people to estimate the cost of their nightly dinner -- whether it's broccoli, sushi, or spaghetti and meatballs -- and donate the equivalent to school programs around the world for children in need. Putting a 50-cent serving of "broccoli" into the website's calculator, WeFeedBack lets you know that two children can eat for that price. That's bang for your buck.

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Healthy Junk Food Choices

It’s nearly impossible to resist junk food. For decades, food scientists have been engineering delicious snacks that are as addictive as any drug. Barbecue potato chips, cheese puffs, sugary cereal, and pretzels dusted with heavenly honey-mustard powder are the product of an intense scientific effort that has only been rivaled by the Manhattan Project. When facing such insurmountable odds, it’s easy to give up and gorge on the tasty morsels. Thankfully, the same food-science masterminds that have been working against you all these years have had a change of heart. They’re actually using their genius to create tasty low-fat, low-calorie snacks that won’t stick to your waistline like congealed tallow. These snacks can be eaten—in moderate quantities—without turning you into Paul Prudhomme. But you’ll still need to exercise some restraint, because no matter how low-fat junk food is, it’s still junk food. Whatever you do, don't overindulge. Read more:

Health and fitness briefs: Healthful recipes for Lent

To help make the notion of giving up favorite foods during Lent easier, the Church Health Center in Memphis has created a daily devotion called Seasoning Lent, which will offer a healthful recipe for each day of the 40-day season.
"Traditionally, Lent is a time of spiritual discipline, when people give up various foods as a time of sacrifice," said Rachel Thompson, editor of the Church Health Reader (chreader.org), where Seasoning Lent recipes will be found throughout Lent.
"Some traditions instead choose to take up a virtue or a practice, like a community service. We thought this would be a great way to incorporate both traditions. Through Seasoning Lent, we are inviting people to give up unhealthy foods and take up the practice of cooking."
Each day, Seasoning Lent will provide a different recipe from the CHC Nutrition Kitchen created by the on-staff nutritionists. "These recipes are taken straight from the kitchen at CHC Wellness, which offers daily classes on food preparation and cooking for the thousands of patients and clients we serve," Thompson said. "They are healthy yet economical and easy to prepare, and they will all fit a weekly theme inspired by the season of Lent.
"Each Friday's recipe will be vegetarian. As a way of preparing for the week, each Sunday will feature a devotional on a Lenten scripture text, as well as a weekly shopping list."

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Report: About 17% in U.S. get sick from food each year

One in six Americans gets ill from food each year, and about 3,000 die from those illnesses, according to record released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"These are preventable diseases," said Chris Braden, acting director of the division of food-borne, water-borne and environmental diseases at the CDC. "We need to do more to lower the impact of these sickness in the U.S."

The numbers mark the first time since 1999 that the federal government has updated the estimates for food-borne illnesses. The latest figures are lower than those in the 1999 report, which estimated that one in four Americans got sick from food each year and that 5,000 died.

Fruits and Vegetables May Prolong Your Life

The study shows that eating foods rich in antioxidants, like vegetables and fruits, fights illness and may prolong life.

Researchers found that people with the maximum levels of the antioxidant alpha-carotene in their blood had a 39% lower risk of death from any cause, including heart disease and cancer, than those who had the lowest levels of the antioxidant during the 14-year study.

"These findings support increasing fruit and vegetable consumption as a means of preventing premature death," write researcher Chaoyang Li, MD, PhD, of the CDC and colleagues in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Alpha-carotene is part of a group of antioxidants known as carotenoids, which also includes beta-carotene and lycopene. Vegetables mainly high in alpha-carotene include yellow-orange vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and winter squash, and dark green vegetables, such as broccoli, green beans, green peas, spinach, turnip greens, collards, and lettuce.

Although before studies have suggested eating more fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of disease, studies have not shown that taking beta-carotene supplements reduces the risk of dying from heart disease or cancer.

Researchers wanted to see if other carotenoids may also play a role in reducing the risk of diseases.

Junk Food Diet Works

A two month experiment proves that it is very achievable to lose weight while eating like crap.

Nutrition professor Mark Haub, who teaches at Kansas State University wanted to see if eating a reduced calory diet full of junk food and the occasional piece of fruit could help him lose weight.

Not only did he finish up losing a bit of weight, he ended up losing a lot of weight, 27lbs in only eight weeks.

urthermore, his blood level of bad cholesterol dropped, and his blood level of good quality cholesterol increased.

Did he exercise to help weight loss? He says he did not do anything that he would not normally do.

His diet consisted of things that can be purchased from a vending machine, including: cookies, brownies and chips.

His moral of the story is that it is not what you eat, but how much of it you do eat.

Fish Oil Linked to Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Millions of people already take fish oil to maintain their hearts healthy and to luxury ailments range from arthritis to depression. Now, a new study suggests that the supplement may also help women lower their risk of breast cancer.

Postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 and 76 who took fish oil were 32% less likely to enlarge certain types of breast cancer than women who didn’t, the study found.The researchers looked at 14 other popular supplements but only fish oil which contains rigorous amounts of the omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, tuna, and other fish had any link to breast cancer risk.

Despite their findings, the researchers say it’s too soon to counsel that women start taking fish oil to stave off breast cancer.

New research shows organic food has no nutritional benefits

Research shows organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over non-organic foods.