Scopriamo le FONTI DI FIBRA - IoBoscoVivo Srl

Let's discover the SOURCES OF FIBER

The main sources of dietary fiber are foods of plant origin: in particular, insoluble fiber is contained mainly in whole grains, greens and greens, while soluble fiber is present mainly in legumes and fruit; although more generally we can say that foods contain both soluble and insoluble fibers but in different percentages.

We have said that the recommended fiber intake for adults is at least 25g/day, a quantity higher than what is currently consumed on average by the Italian population which is around 17g/day. As is also recommended for other nutrients, to reach reference levels it is best to consume foods rich in fiber more often rather than resorting to supplements.

However, an increase in the usual fiber consumption must always be carried out gradually as it can be accompanied by the appearance of unpleasant side effects such as meteorism, flatulence and abdominal distension, caused by bacterial fermentation of the fiber with the production of volatile fatty acids and intestinal gas.

A particular case are subjects with intestinal pathologies (colitis and similar) who often link fiber consumption to a worsening of symptoms. The problem we often find in these individuals is intestinal dysbiosis which leads to excessive or unregulated fermentation of fiber by the microbiota, resulting in all the undesirable effects just mentioned. In these people, action should be taken first by rebalancing the intestinal flora, and then continuing by choosing predominantly soluble fibers and adding them little by little to the diet to create a "virtuous circle of well-being".

The table below shows some foods rich in fibre.

Legumes

Beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, broad beans

Vegetables and greens

Broccoli, artichokes, carrots, cabbage, turnips, aubergines, fennel, shiitake mushrooms IoBoscoVivo

fresh fruit

Dried nuts

Dried fruit

Strawberries, apricots, oranges, apples, pears, medlars, peaches

Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts

Dried apricots, dried figs, dried plums

Whole grains and derivatives

Wholemeal flour, wholemeal pasta and rice, wholemeal bread

WHOLE CEREALS: WHY ARE THEY SO GOOD FOR US?

A food we would like to focus our attention on are whole grains:

Despite the large presence of so-called wholemeal products on the market, a consensual regulatory definition of wholemeal flour or wholemeal product is lacking. Recognizing a whole product is not as simple as it seems, and for this reason we believe it is essential to promote correct consumer information in order to help them recognize deceptions! The label of each product can help us in this: in fact if we find written "with bran", it means that this was added during the manufacturing phase and therefore it is advisable to check the ingredients that were used to verify the possible presence of refined flours! However, if the ingredients specify, for example, wholemeal spelled flour (as you can see in our wellness breadsticks!!) it means that the product actually contains wholemeal flour. This difference plays a very important role from a nutritional point of view! In fact, the mixture of white flour with bran, although comparable to wholemeal flour in terms of fiber content, has a very different nutritional composition: wholemeal flour contains vitamins, minerals and unsaturated fats, protective compounds essential for our health!

Precisely due to the presence of these compounds, the most recent studies associate the consumption of whole grains with a reduction in the risk of chronic-degenerative diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some forms of cancer such as colorectal cancer, and at the same time contribute to maintenance of body weight and gastrointestinal functions.

In a balanced diet it is recommended that at least half of the portions of cereals consumed be wholemeal and to do this small changes in the daily choice of foods are sufficient: replacing some portions of refined foods with wholemeal counterparts and consuming the 5 daily portions of recommended fruit and vegetables we can easily reach the recommended daily amount of fiber!!

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