Increase Your Fiber Intake
Fiber is as important in diet as protein and vitamins. Eating 30 gms of fiber a day is necessary to keep heart diseas at bay.
What is Fiber?
Fiber refers to carbohydrates that cannot be digested. Fiber is present in all plants that are eaten for food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. However, not all fiber is the same, and there are a number of ways to categorize it. One is by its source or origin. For example, fiber from grains is referred to as cereal fiber. Another way of categorizing fiber is by how easily it dissolves in water. Soluble fiber partially dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. These differences are important when it comes to fiber's effect on your risk of developing certain diseases.
Eating a high fiber diet prevents Heart disease -
High intake of dietary fiber has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease in a number of large studies that followed people for many years. In a Harvard study of over 40,000 male health professionals, researchers found that a high total dietary fiber intake was linked to a 40 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to a low fiber intake. Cereal fiber, which is found in grains, seemed particularly beneficial.
Fiber intake has also been linked with the metabolic syndrome, a constellation of factors that increases the chances of developing heart disease and diabetes. These factors include high blood pressure, high insulin levels, excess weight (especially around the abdomen), high levels of triglycerides, the body's main fat-carrying particle, and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Several studies suggest that higher intake of cereal fiber and whole grains may somehow ward off this increasingly common syndrome.
The best sources of fiber are whole grain foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts.
How to increase fiber in diet?
These are a few basic recommendations by nutrition experts to increase fiber in diet:
- Eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.
- Replace white rice, bread, suji and pasta with brown rice and whole grain products like brown rice, multigrain bread and whole wheat flour products.
- Choose whole grain cereals for breakfast like oats, dalia, wheat bran based cereals.
- Binge on raw vegetables instead of chips, crackers, or chocolate bars when hunger strikes.
- Substitute whole grain legumes for washed pulses.
- Eat fresh cut raw veggies like cucumbers, raddish, onions and tomatoes with each meals.
Indian diets are considered healthiest when compared to American and European diet. Indian dals, porridges, poha are relished delicacies being adopted by other cultures.
Tina Khanna
Diet Expert
(excerpts taken from Harvard Nutrition source)
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