Fibre and weight loss

What do crunchy carrots and chewy oatmeal have in common? It's not a nutrient; it doesn't even contain a single calorie because it can't be digested. But it could make the difference between wearing your current pant size and downsizing. "It" is fibre, and most of us consume only half the amount we should. The following information will tell you more.

Fibre is a key player in the battle of the bulge. It slows digestion, adds bulk to the diet and makes you feel full for longer, so there's less room for "junk."

Serving for serving, fibre-rich foods have fewer calories than their low-fibre counterparts. A 250-millilitre (one-cup) serving of apple juice weighs in at 117 calories and zero grams of fibre, while an apple with skin comes in at just 74 calories and an impressive 3.4 grams of fibre.

Since the body can't digest fibre, it runs right through your digestive tract instead of landing on your hips. Chalk up one point in fibre's favour. Fibre (think bran cereal and whole wheat bread) takes up a lot of room in the stomach, which helps you feel full. It also slows digestion, which keeps a lid on blood sugar spikes that can trigger hunger a few hours later. The soluble fibre found in oats, beans and apples actually forms a gel in your stomach that acts as a barrier between your meal and the stomach acids that digest it. When a meal is digested slowly, your blood sugar levels increase more gradually — and you stay full longer.

Finally, foods with a lot of fibre take longer to chew, and the slower you eat, the less food you're likely to consume.The bottom line: you'll lose more weight if your diet contains more fibre. A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that the main difference between normal-weight adults and their overweight or obese counterparts was the amount of fibre they consumed. Although, according to food questionnaires, the two groups ate about the same amounts of sugar, bread, dairy products and vegetables, the normal-weight subjects consumed a whopping 33 percent more dietary fibre and 43 percent more complex carbohydrates each day, per 1,000 calories, than those who were overweight or obese. They also ate less fat. Other studies link fibre with lower body weight, less body fat and a lower body mass index.

Experts recommend consuming a minimum of 25 grams of fibre daily. To get your daily dose, gradually bump up your servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes — and wash them down with plenty of water to help all that fibre pass through.

Follow these guidelines to get more fibre into your diet for better health.