Fibre and its magic

Do you ever get sick of all the nutritionist wisdom? After reading a few articles about healthy eating, one often falls into despair. One author recommends eating only vegetables and fruits, another one describes at length the benefits of omega fatty acids, and another one denies it all and tries to impose some other, but guaranteed truth 😊. But there are a few things that most nutritionists can pretty well agree on. One of them is the health benefits of fibre. Therefore, we could take a closer look at the benefits and possible risks of consuming fibre.

What is fibre?

Let’s avoid complicated definitions and stay grounded. The term fibre includes substances of plant origin (often plant building blocks) that are indigestible or only partially digestible by the human body after being digested by our intestinal microflora. These are substances of a carbohydrate nature that pass through the stomach and small intestine virtually unchanged. Some just dissolve in water, others absorb water and increase their volume, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Soluble and insoluble fibre – its effect on our body

We often see and hear experts talk about soluble and insoluble fibre. One would think that if something is soluble, it is also digestible. But you would be wrong right at the beginning 😊. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and then forms gels, thereby thickening the contents of the small intestine and slowing down the absorption of nutrients like glucose. As a result, glucose enters the blood more slowly and there are no sharp fluctuations in glycaemia (blood glucose levels). Therefore, we will feel better when digesting larger or more energy-dense meals and the feeling of fullness will last longer. In addition, soluble fibre will sooner or later reach the large intestine, where our gut bacteria feast on it. According to scientific studies, these are increasingly important for the health of our bodies. Intestinal bacteria ferment (ferment) soluble fibre into many healthful substances. I would mention especially short fatty acids. Among them is butyric acid, which smells like hell, but is very beneficial for our organism.

• Stabilizes blood sugar levels
• Reduces the production of cholesterol, especially “bad” LDL cholesterol
• Lowers the pH of the colon, thus favoring positive bacteria against putrefactive bacteria and other harmful microorganisms

Slowing down the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine may be one of the few negative effects of fiber for our body. If we regularly eat more fibre than the recommended 30 g/day, we could experience reduced absorption of heavier minerals such as calcium, iron, copper or tin.

But insoluble fibre also has an important function. It can absorb (trap) water in the small intestine. This will increase the volume of the so-called. digestion and slows down gastric emptying. Here, too, the result is a longer feeling of satiety. Insoluble fibre also has a positive effect on the function of the small and large intestine. Thickening the digestion has the additional positive effect that substances undesirable for the body have less chance of contact with the intestinal mucosa and are often passed in the stool without being absorbed. Increasing the volume of the digestive tract and retaining water in it also optimises its passage through the intestinal tract and reduces the risk of constipation or diarrhoea.

Experts also often argue about the best ratio of soluble to insoluble fibre in the diet. I would stick with the ratio from the nutritionist’s scripts, which recommended 2 parts insoluble to 1 part soluble fiber. But it is quite possible that in a few years data and studies will be available that will correct my opinion. For those of you who just want to eat healthy, the most important thing is to keep your total fibre intake around the recommended 30g/day and you can be sure that in that amount your body will have enough of both 😊.

Health benefits associated with fibre consumption

So let’s take another look at the most important benefits associated with consuming fibre. Eager readers. Those who have jumped straight into this paragraph will have to look a paragraph above, where the benefits are related specifically to soluble and insoluble fibre.

• Optimising digestion – small and large intestine function
• Sufficient nutrients for our intestinal microflora and its healthy development
• Prevention of colorectal diseases
• Reduction of cholesterol (especially “bad” LDL cholesterol) in the blood
• Optimising blood sugar (glycaemia) levels
• Reduction of absorption of harmful substances from food
• Prolonged feeling of satiety – especially suitable for reduction diets

I think this is already worth a little bit of our effort. Try adding up how much fibre you eat in an average day. I have tried to list the most common sources and the amount of fibre in them in the next paragraph. If your favourite one isn’t there, feel free to let me know in the comments and I’ll fix it 😊

Sources of fibre

It’s worth it

I hope that all those who have read the whole article do not need any further persuasion, but I won’t let me repeat the most important thing.

A regular and sufficient intake of fibre will perfectly regulate our digestion and help our body to use the nutrients it receives. Those who want to live a healthy life and keep their own metabolism under control should never forget about fibre. Clearly, our body cannot survive on fibre alone and a proper energy intake with an optimal balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins is essential. Without fiber, however, all your efforts would be ineffective and your attempts to lose, gain, or gain weight would have limited effect. So why avoid it? I mean, it’s