High Fibre Diets

Sorry for being MIA for so long... But I'm back with more nutritional tips and tricks, starting with the high fibre diet.

Now, there aren't many diets that I necessary agree with. But this diet is one that theoretically makes sense. Fibre can contribute to weight loss in the following ways.

1) It isn't digested so they make you feel full without filling you up

2) Fibre require lots of chewing so your body has the time to register if you are full

3) Fibre rich foods take time to travel through your body, keeping you full for longer

'Fibres' at its core is a complex polysaccharide (carbohydrate) found in the cell wall of plants. However, it is also very important to understand that there are several types of fibres. The first type is soluble fibres, which are, as the name suggests, dissolved in water as they enter our digestive systems. There are definite health benefits to such fibres, including regulation of blood pressure, blood glucose level and cholesterol level. The second type of fibre is insoluble, which help -prevent constipation by bulking food and making them easily pass through out digestive system. In addition, the faster the food passes through your body, the lower the chances of harmful substances passing through intestine walls into bloodstream. The last type is prebiotic, meaning they are fermented into energy sources for bacterias in the large intestine. The health benefit of this is that the fibre keeps the good bacteria alive, and they in turn help our body absorb essential minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium. These bacterias also produce vitamin B and K for us to absorb.

*Foods with high fibre content:

- Soluble: Whole grain oats, barley, black beans

- Insoluble: Whole wheat bread, wheat bran, corn

- Prebiotic: Chicory root, Dandelion root, Globe artichoke

Overall, I think high fibre diets are beneficial for both weight loss and health purposes. However, it is also important to find the balance between the 3 types of fibres. The diet also focuses on eating lots of vegetables and whole grains which are both known, quite universally, to be healthy. Furthermore, it is also important to note that this diet isn't nearly as restrictive as other diets. In fact, no food is off limits here. Therefore, if you can overcome the 'unappealing' nature of many high fibre foods, this can be a great diet for you!