Modern progress is of great benefit to mankind, but at the same time, it is actively changing the environmental situation for the worse. Of course, this affects people's health along with a sedentary lifestyle and frequent stresses. To strengthen their own health in such conditions, many try to eat right, not forgetting to enrich the menu with vitamins, minerals and proteins, while completely forgetting about fiber. Such a mistake robs the body of the most important part of the diet and can lead to serious diseases in the future. That is why it is necessary to understand where fiber is contained, in which products it can be found and what it actually is.
Definition
Fiber is a complex dietary fiber that is not digested by our digestive system. You can find it only with herbal products. Where fiber is most found can be understood from the features of its structure - these are any coarse parts of plants. The maximum concentration of fibers is in the peel of the fruit, seeds, stems and so on.
Each product is different in structure, therefore, a large amount of fiber accumulates in different parts. So, carrots accumulate fibers in the core, beets in the rings of the fetus, and fruits in the peel. As a percentage of the total mass of the product, most fiber is concentrated in berries - 3-5%. In vegetables and mushrooms, fiber is about 1-2%.
Varieties of fiber
To provide your body with the necessary useful substances, you also need to know where various types of fiber are. Specialists divide it into soluble and insoluble. The latter exists much more and it is just those very coarse fibers that are completely not absorbed by the body, since there are no enzymes in the digestive system that can process it. The most important insoluble fibers include lignin and cellulose.
Fiber is considered to be no less important pectin, but its body is able to digest a healthy person and partially absorb, therefore, the substance belongs to a soluble form. The main sources of such fibers are fruits with delicate pulp and peel - leafy vegetables, berries and fruits, oat bran. What is fiber with coarse fiber? Its greatest concentration is found in cereals, mushrooms, nuts and vegetables.
To provide the digestive system with everything necessary, a person needs to regularly consume both types of fiber.
Fiber benefits
Since the fibers are practically not absorbed by the body, many believe that the benefits of using such products are few. The obvious advantage of fiber is the stimulation of the digestive system, but in fact it is not its only benefit.
The beneficial effects of fiber on the body begin when it enters the mouth. When thoroughly chewing coarse food, a large amount of saliva is released, which mechanically cleanses the oral cavity, prevents putrefactive processes, has a bactericidal effect and improves digestion.
The answer to the question, where a lot of fiber is contained, is often of interest to people on a diet due to its following useful property. The fact is that the fibers, getting into the digestive system, are very quickly absorbed by moisture and increase in size, which leads to an early feeling of fullness. In addition, passing through the digestive tract, the accumulation of fibers absorbs cholesterol and bile acids, and then removes them naturally from the body and does not allow it to enter the bloodstream.
They block the ingress of harmful substances into the blood and pectins, due to the fact that they turn them into insoluble compounds. Interestingly, after heat treatment of products containing pectins, their concentration only increases.
And, of course, thanks to mechanical cleaning of the intestine and stimulation of the entire digestive system, fiber helps prevent colorectal cancer and improves immunity.
Consumption rates
In addition to where fiber is contained, it is important to know how much it needs to be consumed to maintain the health of your body. Experts believe that consuming 25 grams of fiber per day will be sufficient for a healthy person. It is important to observe the proportions: insoluble fibers in this norm should be 1 part, and soluble - 3 parts. Knowing the list of products that contain fiber, to develop the right menu for yourself according to all the rules for every day will not be difficult.
The main thing is to remember at the same time that a sharp transition to roughage can lead to bloating, abdominal pain and other digestive disorders. Increase the rate of dietary fiber should be gradually over a couple of weeks.
Fiber deficiency
For a long time, the role of coarse dietary fiber in the human diet has been underestimated, but today experts are confidently asserting that fiber should be present in the diet daily. Lack of pectins and other substances can lead to:
- colorectal cancer;
- diabetes mellitus;
- intestinal atony;
- gallstones
- Obesity
- atherosclerosis;
- dysbiosis;
- hemorrhoids;
- spastic colitis;
- coronary heart disease.
Highest fiber concentration
A special place among products with fiber is bran. They are rightfully considered a unique product, the usefulness of which has already been proven by many studies. In addition to a high concentration of dietary fiber, bran contains carotene, B and E vitamins, nicotinic acid, magnesium, selenium, zinc and many other necessary substances. You can buy bran at a pharmacy or supermarket. They are wheat, barley, oat, corn, rice and so on.
Before consumption, the product is steamed with water and eaten in a small amount before the main meal. Since bran contains a large amount of fiber, they should be introduced into the diet very slowly, starting with 1/2 teaspoon. You can buy a ready-made product with vegetable additives, which is not required to be steamed.
It is very important to use bran separately from any medicines. The interval should be at least 6 hours, since the powerful cleansing property of the product will simply wash the medication.
100 g of wheat bran contains 43 g of pure fiber - this is the maximum figure. In other bran fibers will be less.
Cereals
Considering the various products that contain fiber, the list needs to be replenished with all kinds of grains.
It is important to keep in mind that cereals should be whole, since during processing, all coarse dietary fiber is removed from the products. Important sources of fiber for the body are:
- buckwheat;
- oat groats;
- rice
- millet;
- barley groats and other cereals.
The maximum value of 12 g of pure fiber per 100 g of product is buckwheat and oatmeal.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
The highest concentration of dietary fiber is concentrated in the peel of the fruit, so all seasonal fruits must be consumed with the top layer. If juice is prepared for them, then it is necessary to make it with pulp. Most vegetables retain fiber when consumed raw. To do this, you can make salads from fresh products.
It is recommended to eat fruits and fresh vegetables an hour before meals or 2 hours after it, so that they can give the maximum of their benefits.
So, among soft plant foods, the largest amount of dietary fiber is concentrated in mushrooms, lentils, soybeans, beans and peas - 10-13 g per 100 g of product.
Foods that are high in fiber include dried mushrooms as well as dried fruits. Due to the fact that there is almost no liquid in them, the concentration of fiber increases significantly. So, dried mushrooms already contain up to 26 g of coarse fibers, and dried fruits - 13-18 g.
Fresh fruits and berries have an average of only 0.3-2 grams of fiber. The exception is sea buckthorn - 4.7 g, black currant - 3 g and red currant - 2.5 g. Fresh vegetables also do not differ in a high fiber content and have them on average in the amount of 1.4-7 g for every 100 g of their weight .
A lot of fiber can also be found in nuts. There, depending on the variety, the amount of substance can reach 12 g, but on average is 7-10 g.
Soluble fiber
Since the ratio of soluble and insoluble fiber in the diet should be observed for proper nutrition, the content of pectins in foods should be considered separately. They are found only in fresh vegetables, fruits and berries.
Their concentration largely depends on the variety of the crop, its ripening period and place of growth, but even taking into account such deviations, we can distinguish products whose pectin content always remains maximum. Among them:
- currants (5.5-12.5 g);
- peaches (5-9 g);
- apples (4.5-7.5 g);
- quince (5.5-9.5 g);
- cucumbers (6-9.5 g);
- sweet pepper (6-8.5 g);
- eggplant (5.2-9 g);
- carrots (6-8 g).
Harm and Prohibitions
Despite the great benefits to the body of products that contain fiber, some are interested in this so that it is not eaten. The fact is that it is forbidden to consume coarse fibers for people with digestive disorders, as this can provoke severe abdominal pain, vomiting, bloating or diarrhea in them. Similar symptoms are observed in those who ate only soft foods for a long time. That is why it is necessary to increase the amount of fiber in the diet gradually and be sure to increase the amount of liquid drunk per day with it.