Fibre

2009-11-23T20:53:00.000Z

Well okay..I said before that I'm gonna have some information about fibre so....here it is.
What is Fibre?
"Fibre is a virtually indigestible substance that is found mainly in the outer layers of plants. Fibre is a special type of carbohydrate that passes through the human digestive system virtually unchanged, without being broken down into nutrients. Everyone hears about the need for enough fibre in the diet. But few people understand the importance of dietary fibre - or where to get it.
Fibre is a useful part of slimming because it makes you feel satisfied longer because when you eat fibre the contents of your stomach are bulkier and stay there longer. Fibre helps reduce the absorption of fat from food and drinks and can help prevent obesity. It also slows digestion and absorption so that glucose (sugar) in food enters the bloodstream more slowly, which keeps your blood sugar on a more even level.

The recommended average daily allowance for fibre is between 20 and 35 grams. For example, one cup of cooked beans has about 12 grams of fibre, a slice of whole-grain bread has about 2 grams, and an apple has about 3 grams.

Fibre has a host of health benefits. Diets high in fibre help the body absorb certain vitamins and minerals during the digestive process. This is accomplished when soluble fibres are broken down and become absorbed in the intestines rather than in the stomach. Soluble fibre also helps lower blood cholesterol. Sources of soluble fibre include: oats, oat bran, oatmeal, peas, beans, barley, citrus fruits and strawberries. Insoluble fibre is a critical part of normal bowel function. If you eat a diet rich in wheat cereals, wheat bran, grains such as rye, brown rice and barley; vegetables such as cabbage, beets, carrots, Brussels sprouts and turnips; and, everybody's favourite, the apple, you may never need a laxative.

Which Fruits are Best for Fibre?
Look for yellow or orange fruits, like cantaloupes, mangoes and oranges. While fresh fruits and vegetables are so readily available, it's an ideal time to work more of them into your diet. Add berries to your breakfast cereal. Make a fruit salad for lunch. Eat a piece of fruit for dessert. Be especially adventurous and try tropical fruits like pineapple, noni and papaya, they have a host of health benefits including, preventing indigestion, arthritis, muscle sprains inflammation, bacterial infection and cancer.
Top Ten Fruits
Here are the top ten fruits, based upon their content of these nutrients: vitamin C, fibre, carotenoids, calcium, and folic acid. Availability, safety, and versatility also influenced these choices:
Avocado
Papaya
Guava
Cantaloupe
Orange
Apricots (dried, unsulphured)
Mango
Strawberries (organic)
Kiwi
Grapefruit (pink or red)"
Any way I hope that was helpful.

Fruits and Nutrition

2009-11-15T18:12:00.001Z

By this point, you probably have heard several times how important it is to include fruits into your diet.The question that pops up is: "Why?". Why do we keep hearing this all over the place?If we tune in to a program about health or healthy diets or healthy living, one of the first things we hear is:-"It is absolutely vital that you consume fruits!!!" Now wait a second, what if I don't particularly enjoy fruits?What if some of them disgust me? What would a good alternative be?

The harsh truths here is that there is no alternative. How did this society, how did we end up, being so concerned with what wee eat?If not concerned then, why are we getting told how to live our lives, how to eat, what to eat, and I can continue with the 'how to'-s.Do we really need it?

Apparently so. Relying on the media has become a trend, a lifestyle.

Fruits, fruits, and more fruits. "It's good for you!" Is it?

Let's look at some of the facts:

-Apple: 100(grams) contains 49 Kcal, 2.3 (grams) of fibre, 0 (grams) of fat(interesting), 0.4 (grams) of protein, not to mention all the vitamins.

-Banana: 100(grams) contains 88 Kcal, 2.7(grams) of fibre, 0(grams) of fat, 1.2(grams) of protein, and loads of vitamins.

-Grapes: 100(grams) contains 64 Kcal, 2.2(grams) of fibre, 0 (grams) of fat, 0.6(grams) of protein, and vitamins.

-Orange: 100(grams) contains 47 Kcal, 1.8(grams) of fibre, 0(grams) of fat, 1.0(grams), and vitamins.

Now someone might say: "Ahhh... what is this?", "Why is this important?". The answer: It is important because we are concerned about health, our well-being, our fitness, our physical strength.

To be more precise our body needs all these things listed above, and more every day.In order to have a healthy mind in a healthy body(Mens sana in corpore sano), we need to understand the basic needs of our body.

I'm going to go into the details here about the Kcal. what are these?, What do they do? Why should we know about them so on and so forth.

Kcal= kilocalorie, refers to one thousand calories. A calorie is a measure of energy expenditure. The calories referred to in diet and exercise are kilocalories (kcal).

2,000 calories is a rough average of what people eat in a day. But your body might need more or less than 2,000. Height, weight, gender, age and activity level all affect your caloric needs.

In other words, this is what provides us with energy, our 'fuel' if you like.

The advice is: Try to provide your body with the necessary amount each day. It is important to understand why we have to keep this in mind. The body is a very sophisticated 'machine', and the better you understand it, the better it is for you.

Fruits are not the main providers of calories, but as you can see they all contain a healthy amount.

The idea is : It is important to be aware of these facts, as our health, thus our happiness is on the line.

To conclude, one of the first steps we must take towards a healthier life is try and eat more fruits.

More reasons to come in the next post.

Nutrition and fruits

Fibre

Fruits and Nutrition