DIETARY FIBRE

Dietary fibre is a substance found mainly in vegetables, pulses, fruit and whole cereals.

Although it is true that it has no actual energy value, it nevertheless plays an extremely important role in the digestive process. The cellulose, lignin, pectin and gums that it contains ensure good intestinal function, and lack of dietary fibre is the cause of most cases of constipation. Moreover, fibre is very rich in vitamins, major minerals and trace elements, without which serious deficiencies can occur.

It also blocks the absorption of fats, so reducing the risk of atherosclerosis.

Fibre has yet another advantage. It limits the toxic effects of certain chemical substances, such as additives and colourings. And gastro-enterologists believe that some forms of fibre have the property of protecting the colon from a number of risks, particularly that of cancer.

Over recent decades, the rise in the standard of living seen in industrialised countries has brought with it a reduction in the amout of fibre consumed.
In France, for example, the current average daily consumption of fibre is 20g, whereas the recommended daily intake is 40g. In 1925, consumption of pulses, which are particularly rich in fibre, was running at 7.3kg per person per year. Now it is down to 1.3kg. In Italy the staple diet has always been pasta. But 30 years ago, the major part of Italians' diet consisted of vegetables (high in fibre) and wholewheat pasta that is, pasta made with whole flour containing the wheat fibres .

Cereal Products				Dried Vegetab		es	Oily dried fuit
Bran			40g	Dried Beans		25g	Dessicated coconut		24g
Wholemeal Bread			13g	Split peas		23g	Dried figs		18g
Wholemeal Flour			9g	Lentils		12g	Almonds		14g
Wholegrain Rice			5g	Chickpeas		2g	Raisins		7g
White Rice			1g				Dates		9g
White Bread			1g				Peanuts		8g
Green Vegetables							Fresh Fruit
Cooked peas	12g			Cabbage	4g		Raspberries	8g
Parsley	9g			Radishes	3g		Pears with skin	3g
Cooked spinach	7g			Mushrooms	2.5g		Apples with skin	3g
Lamb's lettuce	5g			Carrots	2g		Peaches	2g
Artichokes	4g			Lettuce	2g			2g
Leeks	4g

With today's higher standard of living, meat has more often than not replaced vegetables, while pasta is manufactured with refined, white flour, from which the fibre has been removed. This is the explanation given by Italian doctors for a higher incidence of obesity and also for the alarming increase in cancers of the digestive tract.

Furthermore, it has been shown that fibre has a beneficial effect on obesity. Introducing it into the diet has the effect of reducing both the blood glucose level and the level of insulin in the blood; as we shall see in the following chapter, it is these two factors that are responsible for the laying down of body fat.

Of the four main groups of nutrients, proteins are absolutely essential to our bodies, as they contain vital amino acids which we cannot make ourselves. Equally important are certain lipids, which contain vitamins and essential fatty acids (linoleic acid and linolenic acid) that our cells are incapable of producing independently. Only carbohydrates can be considered more expendable, since the human body is able to make its own glucose from stored fat.