Remember your parents telling you that you need to eat whole plant foods? Well, the reason for that is Fibre. There has been a lot of evidence backing the need for fiber in our diet. It has been found that fibre helps aid digestion in the best way possible. It also helps in keeping many a chronic disease at bay.
Listed below are some of the major benefits that consuming fibres offers to the body
Fibre helps in developing good bacteria in the gut:
Despite the fact that bacteria in our body live all through, the most amount of bacteria actually reside in the large intestine. To be exact, a variety of around 500 bacteria live in the gut of a human being. Out of these bacteria, many a bacteria, contrary to the reputation of most bacteria, actually help our body perform many processes better.
Blood sugar control function, brain functions and even the functioning of the immune system can be attributed to these bacteria. The fibres that humans consume essentially help in feeding these ‘good’ bacteria in the gut, thus aiding with many of the functions of the body listed above.
- Weight Loss
A few fibres, specifically when consumed in the right quantity, promote weight loss in people by reducing their appetite. The consumption of dietary fibre helps in reducing the calorie intake and thus aiding in weight loss.
Fibre essentially does this by soaking up the liquid in the intestines, in turn slowing the rate at which the body absorbs nutrients from the food and thus increasing the feeling of fullness. This effect mainly comes from soluble fibres.
- Reduces Blood Sugar Spikes
High-fibre food might just be the best friend of most diabetics. Fibres essentially are low on glyceimic index when compared to foods that are refined carbs as they have been mostly stripped of all the fibres present.
Including soluble fibre rich foods can make a huge difference by containing smaller sugar spikes in blood sugar levels. So if you are a diabetic and consuming high carb foods, then including fibre rich foods can go a long way in balancing out your diet.
- Reduces constipation
Because fibre absorbs the excess water in the gut and increases the bulk of a human’s stool, it ends up speeding the movement of the stool through the intestine. However, this might differ according to the type of fibre being consumed.
Fibre that adds water to the stool can help cure constipation as it ends up having a laxative effect while fibre that adds bulk to a stool might end up causing constipation. Before you decide to indulge in a fibre-rich food source, do consult your doctor.
Fibre should, without a doubt, form a major part of your diet if one wants to live a healthier life in the long run. Adding fibre, vitamins, carbs and the likes to a diet ensures that one is having a balanced diet.
