Since the second half of the last century, eating white bread has become a symbol of wealth, and this, paradoxically, was the beginning of our health problems. In fact, “dark” cereals still retain many beneficial substances : minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber. A few years later, around the 1970s, the concept of dietary fiber was introduced.
Dietary fibers: what they are
By dietary fiber we mean complex carbohydrates - such as cellulose - that our body is unable to assimilate. In fact, although they are made up of simple sugar chains, the digestive enzymes present in our stomach cannot dissolve them.
Dietary fiber has a beneficial effect on health . They are soluble and insoluble : soluble are those of soy, oats, pectins, gums, glucomannan and insoluble those of wheat and rice.
In order not to be mistaken by reading the labels on food, we give a list of the names of dietary fibers: polysaccharides, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignins, silicates, inulin, oligosaccharides and some non-fibrous substances but with the same beneficial effects as, for example, pectin.
Importance of dietary fiber in the diet
The introduction of fiber with food provides an increase in satiety as the fibers "make mass" by swelling liquids and decreasing the glycemic index of other foods, and improves bowel movements, helping to increase the fecal mass and to do "Cleaning" between the intestinal villi, like a good sweeper would do. In the intestine the fibers help to reinforce the "good" bacterial flora that defends us from the attack of pathogenic bacteria, responsible for diseases. Recent scientific studies also link the presence of dietary fiber in foods with the reduction of the risk of colorectal cancer, diabetes and heart disease and circulation.
The lack of fiber in the diet is correlated with a large number of diseases, especially those affecting the intestinal tract.
Tips for a diet rich in dietary fiber
Every day we have to take an adaguata amount of dietary fiber, about 30 grams. Concentrated fiber supplements are strongly discouraged as they can cause a reduction in the absorption of calcium and iron and can be harmful if not accompanied by adequate amounts of water . We take food fibers directly from nature then - where they are accompanied by high doses of minerals and vitamins - increasing the intake of:
Whole grains from organic farming
Seasonal fruit and vegetables, if from organic farming, also with the skin
Legumes from organic farming
Dried fruit and oilseeds, from organic farming
