The real benefits of fibre

Fibre is indispensable — and not just for "regularity." Consuming plenty of fibre lowers the risk of diabetes, breast and colon cancers, and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Find out more about the health benefits of fibre and how you can sneak some more into your diet.

Technically, fibre is not a nutrient since it doesn't dissolve in the digestive tract and never enters the bloodstream. But it's still an important part of a healthy diet.

German researchers who followed 25,067 women and men for seven years found that those who got the most fibre from whole grains were 27 per cent less likely to develop diabetes than those who got the least. Because fibre makes the body digest food more slowly, it helps level out blood sugar spikes and plunges that can decrease energy and affect mood. Fibre can also prevent constipation and diverticulosis by keeping your colon in good condition. Recent research also suggests that eating a lot of roughage appears to protect against heartburn.

• Certain forms of cancer
• Constipation
• Diabetes
• Diverticulosis
• Gallstones
• Heartburn
• Heart disease
• Obesity

Fibre passes slowly from the stomach into the intestines. That makes fibre a must if you're trying to lose weight, since it makes you feel full longer. It also helps you to feel full with less food so you don't overeat in one sitting. Losing weight doesn't mean going hungry; it means eating better — which includes a healthy intake of fibre.

Insoluble fibre, the rough stuff in whole-wheat bread and broccoli, acts like a sponge by soaking up water in the intestines, which helps make stools bulky and soft. Soluble fibre, found in oats, beans, barley, and strawberries, turns into a sticky gel in your intestines. This gel pulls cholesterol along with it as it moves through the body, preventing cholesterol from entering the bloodstream and clogging arteries. The gel also removes bile acid, a digestive juice that's made from cholesterol, which can help prevent gallstones.

• Aim for 25 to 30 grams (25 to 30 teaspoons) of fibre a day. You can get there by eating a serving of bran cereal in the morning, a salad with 110 to 125 g  (1/2 cup) cooked lentils at lunchtime, a pear as a snack, and a cup of winter squash with dinner.
• If you can't get the recommended amount of grams from food, try psyllium-based fibre supplements.
• Buyer beware: Most "wheat" bread is simply white bread. Look for the word "whole" in the first ingredient.
• If you can't eat gluten, found in wheat, barley, rye and more, try buckwheat, corn, and other grains that make excellent flours full of fibre.

• Navy beans, cooked: 200-250 g (1 c) 19.1 g
• Kidney beans, canned: 200-250 g (1 c) 16.4 g
• Lentils, cooked: 200-250 g (1 c) 15.6 g
• Black beans, cooked: 200-250 g (1 c) 15.0 g
• Whole-grain wheat flour: 200-250 g (1 c) 14.6 g
• Oat bran, raw: 200-250 g (1 c) 14.5 g
• All-Bran cereal: 110-125 g (1/2 c) 8.8 g
• Mixed vegetables, frozen, cooked: 200-250 g (1 c) 8.0 g
• Raspberries: 200-250 g (1 c) 8.0 g
• Brussels sprouts, cooked: 200-250 g (1 c) 6.4 g
• Whole-wheat spaghetti, cooked: 200-250 g (1 c) 6.3 g
• Winter squash, cooked: 200-250 g (1 c) 5.7 g
• Pear 5.1
• Potato, baked, with skin 4.4