The eating habits of most of the world's inhabitants have not changed since the 60s. We are accustomed - or so we were told - to eat buckwheat and bread, try to eat less fatty and fried foods, reproach ourselves for an extra piece of cake, and consume as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Why? No one knows. The same "American diet", which is rapidly creeping into the whole world, bears fruit, and diets are powerless. Why? Are we eating right? What does the latest research show? In this article series, we'll take a look at the nutrition of centenarians and see what scientists have to say about nutrition.
Let's start with such an interesting, but many incomprehensible element, as fiber.
What is fiber?
Fiber is a combination of substances (cellulose, pectin, lignin and others) contained in plant foods, says Nikolai Karpov, an employee of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology of Tyumen State University. The main feature of fiber is its indigestibility in the gastrointestinal tract. The diet of a modern person includes refined products (flour, juices, jams), which contain little fiber. Therefore, many people experience a lack of it. First of all, this is reflected in the work of the digestive tract. What is the benefit? In the stomach, fiber absorbs gastric juice, the volume increases and satiety sets in earlier, which helps a person not to overeat. In the small intestine, fiber inhibits the absorption of simple sugars, so foods with fiber have a low glycemic index. Our body does not feed on fiber,but it feeds on the bifidobacteria of our intestines, which means that our immunity is strengthened. To get your daily intake of fiber, you need to eat about a kilogram of vegetables and fruits daily, as well as eat bread made from wholemeal flour or with bran. Or resort to the help of special additives.
Dietary fiber (fiber) is defined as the sum of polysaccharides and lignin that are not digested by endogenous secretions of the human gastrointestinal tract, adds Nadezhda Gorskaya, therapist of the mobile clinic DOC +. For example, in herbivores, a special enzyme (cellulase) is responsible for the digestion of fiber, but in humans it is absent in the body, so dietary fiber is not absorbed. They swell under the influence of fluid, thereby creating a feeling of quick satiety, which is especially important for weight correction, regulation of sugar and blood cholesterol levels. Dietary fiber helps cleanse the gastrointestinal tract from undigested food residues, which significantly speeds up the absorption of nutrients into the blood and lymph.
Traditional sources of fiber: dietary fiber of cereals, legumes, vegetables, root crops, fruits, berries, citrus fruits, nuts, mushrooms, algae.
These words are supported by the practitioner of weight loss, Elena Kalen is a psychologist, an expert in the psychology of weight loss, the author of weight loss training.
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“There is no enzyme in the body that can break down fiber, so when it gets into the stomach and later into the intestine, the fiber swells and irritates the walls, causing them to contract (peristalsis). Thanks to this, food moves through the intestines, digestion and absorption are improved. This means that due to fiber, more nutrients and vitamins enter the body. In addition, due to increased peristalsis, the intestines are better cleansed, which ensures faster penetration of nutrients from the intestines into the blood.
The importance of fiber in the diet also lies in the fact that dietary fiber is a source of nutrition for bacteria living in the large intestine. The balance of these bacteria provides the body with stable stools.
In order to ensure a constant supply of fiber to the body, it is necessary to include raw vegetables and fruits, legumes, grains and cereals in the diet. Cooked vegetables and fruits contain less fiber because they have already been processed. If these foods are not enough, there will be permanent digestive problems."
Fiber harm
It was mentioned above that the fiber in the intestines swells, and this requires water. Only in this case can the desired effect be obtained. If you increase the amount of fiber in the diet, but at the same time practically not drink water, you can cause an even greater deterioration in bowel function.
Bran is the leader in fiber content. If the bowel function is disrupted and there are no foods containing fiber in the diet, then it is recommended to add bran to food. One tablespoon in porridge in the morning is enough, because an excess of fiber can harm the body.
Fiber intake from food is one of the important ways to normalize bowel function. The digestive system provides the body with building materials, energy and vitamins. If there are disturbances in her work, insufficient absorption and digestion of food, then this will affect the entire body and life expectancy.
How much fiber should you consume?
Doctor-therapist and dietitian of the Online service Dr. Viktoria Griskova argues that there is no need to peel fruits and vegetables. For an adult, the rate of fiber is 25 grams. You need to eat at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables per day.
Fiber has a positive effect on the body and the human digestive system. So, when we eat foods that contain a lot of fiber, a large amount of saliva is secreted in the mouth. Saliva is rich in enzymes and trace elements, it protects teeth from caries, neutralizes acid and has a bactericidal effect.
Then, when fiber enters the stomach, it begins to actively absorb water and increase in volume, which gives a feeling of fullness. This is especially useful for people who are struggling with excess weight.
Once in the intestines, fiber improves the passage of the food bolus, thereby improving the stool. Another important property of fiber is the cleansing of the body from cholesterol, dietary fiber adsorbs cholesterol on itself, preventing it from entering our bloodstream.
Dietary fiber (fiber) is useful for people suffering from intestinal dysbiosis and increased flatulence. Fiber helps maintain intestinal microflora. Suppressing the activity of pathogenic bacteria, it reduces putrefactive processes in the body and improves the excretion of waste products. And as you know, a healthy intestine is the key to strong immunity.
Process chemist and individual entrepreneur in the field of a healthy lifestyle, Elizaveta Murzich recommends focusing on bran:
“Bran is made up of the most valuable thing in cereal grains - grain hulls, germ seeds and aleurone layer. These parts of the grains contain all biologically active and useful substances given by the grain nature - more than 90% of the benefits we could get from them if they were not thrown away during the production of flour. The main value of bran is the high content of dietary fiber (fiber). And when the diet lacks fiber, it leads to dysbiosis and is one of the causes of intestinal diseases.
Bran helps to regulate bowel function, improve microflora. The norm of dietary fiber per day is 25-30 g. I think you know that there is no fiber in meat, fish, and other animal products, in vegetable products there is, but there is little of it, and to eat fresh vegetables and fruits in kilograms, especially in winter, really hard. The bran contains up to 40%. fiber. 40 g of bran per day is equal to 680 g of boiled carrots, 770 g of boiled cabbage or 1.5 kg of raw apples. The calorie content of bran varies from 160 kcal (and more) per 100 g, where the main share falls on vegetable proteins and carbohydrates, while the fat content in them is extremely low - about 4 g per 100 g of product.
There are many different bran manufacturers in pharmacies. When the bran enters our body, they begin to work like a vacuum cleaner: they collect and remove toxins, cholesterol, radionuclides, salts of heavy metals, and harmful substances."
Fiber: is it really needed?
Despite the consensus among nutritionists and nutritionists, there are some studies that deny the benefits of fiber, or reduce it to special conditions, such as increased consumption of refined and "wrong" foods (a well-known modern vice).
In 1971, Dr. Denis Burkitt, an Irish surgeon, published an article based on his observations of life in Uganda, where he lived at the time. In it, he suggested that a lack of dietary fiber was the cause of many of the problems that were troubling Western society at the time. He decided that it caused bowel cancer, type II diabetes, probably also heart disease, varicose veins, obesity, diverticular disease, appendicitis, gallstones, cavities in the teeth, hemorrhoids, hernias, and constipation.
Dr. Burkitt observed that native Africans produce four times as much feces as English children in school, and do so three times faster. He suspected it was due to all the fiber that was eaten in Africa. And he suggested that the high rate of bowel movements does not leave time for the development of cancer caused by food contact with our gut.
Since then, there has been a wave of recommendations to consume more fiber.
But in 2002, the respected Cochrane Collaboration reviewed five high-quality, controlled trials involving 5,000 patients. And she concluded that there is no evidence that increasing the amount of fiber in the diet reduces the risk of bowel cancer.
This review was followed in 2005 by a study by the Harvard School of Public Health. Her work covered 13 studies involving 725,628 people. And again, the dietary fiber had nothing to do with it. The authors concluded that high fiber intake did not reduce the risk of bowel cancer.
The theory is that fiber reduces the risk of heart disease by lowering the "bad" cholesterol. However, studies have shown that while oats do lower cholesterol, trials with other types of fiber have not shown them to be good or bad for this process. There is also no evidence that fiber reduces the risk of dying from heart disease.
When it comes to constipation and hemorrhoids, research has repeatedly found it difficult to prove that constipated patients eat less fiber than those without. Because fiber is essentially indigestible fiber, consuming too much fiber can lead to constipation. Moreover, the elimination of the abundance of fiber from the diet of people suffering from constipation has led to an improvement in their condition.
Where is the truth? You will have to decide for yourself.
Ilya Khel