Tip 88. More things
y
o
u need to know about
fibre.
There are six classes of
fibre. They are cellul
o
se,
hemicellul
o
se, pectin,
g
ums, mucilage and lignin. They
differ in physical proper
t
ies and ch
em
ical inter
a
ctions in the gut, though
all except lignin are p
o
lysaccharid
e
s
. The facts
known so f
a
r about these forms of fibre as a result of various stu
d
ies are discussed belo
w
.
Cellulose:
T
hisis the most prevalent fibre. It is
f
i
b
rous and so
f
tens the st
o
ol. It aboun
d
s in frui
t
s, vegetables, bran, whole-meal bread and beans.
I
t is also pr
e
sent in nuts
and seeds.
I
t
increases
t
h
e
bulk
of
in
t
estinal
was
t
e
and
eases
it quickly through the colon. Investigations indicate that
these acti
o
ns may dilute and flush
cancer-causing toxins
o
ut of the int
e
stinal tract. They also suggest that
cellul
o
se may help level out glucose
in the blood
and curb weight gain.
Hemicellulose: It is
u
s
u
ally present
wherever cellul
o
se
is a
n
d shares s
o
me of its traits. Like cellul
o
se, it
helps relie
v
e constipa
t
ion, waters down carcin
o
gens in the
bowel and aids in
weight reduction. Both cellulose a
n
d hemicellul
o
se undergo
some bacterial breakd
o
wn in the large intes
t
ine and this
produces g
a
s.
Pectin: This
form of fibre is highly b
e
neficial
in r
e
ducing ser
u
m cholesterol levels. It,
however, does not h
a
ve influence on the stool and does
n
othing to pr
ev
ent consti
p
ation. Res
e
arches are being cond
u
cted to asc
e
rtain if pec
ti
n can help
e
liminate bile
acids throu
g
h the intestinal tract thereby preventing galls
t
ones and c
o
lon cancer.
I
t is found in
apples, gra
p
es, berries,
citrus
fruits, guava, raw papaya and bran.
Gums and
Mucilages:
They are the sticky fibr
e
s
found in d
r
ied beans,
o
at bran and
oatmeal. Investigati
o
ns have shown that they are useful in the dietary control of diabetes and cholesterol.
Lignin: The
main functi
o
n of lignin
is
to escort bile acid and cholesterol
o
ut of the int
e
stines. There is s
o
me evidence that it may prevent the formation of gallstones.
I
t is cont
a
in
e
d in cereals, br
a
n, whole meal flour, ras
p
berries, str
a
wberries, c
a
bbage, spi
n
ach, parsley
and tomatoes.
The best way to increase fibre cont
e
nt in the diet
is to i
n
cre
a
se the cons
t
ipation of
w
holemeal bread, brown rice, peas
beans, lentils, root vegetables and sugar-contai
n
ing fruits,
s
u
ch as dates, appl
e
s, pears and bananas.
T
he intake of
sugar, refin
e
d cereals,
m
eat, eggs a
n
d dairy products s
h
ould be red
u
ced. Candi
e
s, pastri
e
s,
cakes which
are rich in
b
oth sugar a
n
d fat, should be t
a
ken sparingly. White processed bre
a
d should be
completely eliminated from the diet.
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