So would you eat a super food to live longer, remain more healthy, reduce the chance of a heart attack or stroke?
The answer – I presume – is a resounding “Yes!”
A recent report indicated that this food will help you lose weight, reduce your blood pressure and strokes, as well as keeping your cholesterol level down.
That has to be good, right?
Further, the food is inexpensive and readily available.
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What is this superfood?
It’s fibre – and a major diet study recently completed indicated that eating fibre is a game-changer, Professor John Cummings told the BBC News in a recent article on the development.
The researchers, at the University of Otago, in New Zealand, and the University of Dundee say people should be eating a minimum of 25g of fibre per day.
But they call this an “adequate” amount for improving health and say there are benefits for pushing past 30g (1oz) of fiber.
Generally people internationally are eating less than 20g of fiber a day – in the UK and US fewer than ten per cent of adults eat the required 30g fibre daily. Men will generally eat more fiber than women, but all need to eat more to remain healthy, stay healthy and lose weight (if they require that).
What other foods have more fiber in them?
You find fiber in fruit and vegetables, some breakfast cereals, breads and pasta that use whole-grains, pulses such as beans, lentils and chickpeas, as well as nuts and seeds.
You also need to take some care with the fiber quantities. Take bananas, for instance, which has only about 3g of fiber when the sugars and water is removed from the fruit.
Work to increase your fiber consumption for some powerful health benefits.
Dietary fiber is also known as roughage or bulk, includes the parts of plant foods your body can’t digest or absorb. Unlike other food components, such as fats, proteins or carbohydrates — which your body breaks down and absorbs — fiber isn’t digested by your body. Instead, it passes relatively intact through your stomach, small intestine and colon and out of your body.
Fiber is often classified as soluble, which dissolves in water, or insoluble, which doesn’t dissolve.
- Soluble fiber. This type of fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like material. It can help lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Soluble fiber is found in oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley and psyllium.
- Insoluble fiber. This type of fiber promotes the movement of material through your digestive system and increases stool bulk, so it can be of benefit to those who struggle with constipation or irregular stools. Whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts, beans and vegetables, such as cauliflower, green beans and potatoes, are good sources of insoluble fiber.
The amount of soluble and insoluble fiber varies in different plant foods. To receive the greatest health benefit, eat a wide variety of high-fiber foods.
So work on increased fiber intake and I have no doubt the science and the dietary benefits will see major benefits on a number of fronts.