fiber
What is fiber? We can get fiber from different foods like vegetables and fruits such as carrots, potatoes, beans, broccoli and peas, apples, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, plums and prunes. We can also get fiber from seeds, lentils, nuts and beans and whole grain foods like wholemeal flour, bread, pasta and rice. fiber is very important for our health. If we don’t eat enough fiber, we might get constipated and have other serious health problems such as cancer in the bowel and colon and high blood pressure and heart disease.
fiber is a kind of carbohydrate that helps your digestive system work well by making food move through it. fiber is also called roughage or Non-Starch Polysaccharide (NSP).
How much fiber do we need? Soluble vs. insoluble fiber
Different ages need different amounts of fiber. For example, 11-16 year olds should eat about 25 grams of fiber every day. A diet with a lot of fiber can help you feel less hungry and more satisfied for longer. The right amount of dietary fiber can stop constipation and lower the chance of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, bowel cancer and obesity.
There are two kinds of fiber in foods that have a lot of fiber: soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber can dissolve in water and turns into a gel-like substance in the large intestine. It can help lower blood cholesterol. You can find this fiber in foods like chickpeas and carrots. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. It goes through the digestive tract and takes in fluid and other waste matter. The fiber helps the waste matter move through the intestines and out of the body. This kind of fiber can help stop constipation. You can find this fiber in foods like rice and nuts.
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