HEALTH GEM:It keeps your bowel working well, it could help improve your cholesterol and it lowers the risk of obesity. Yet most people in Ireland do not eat enough dietary fibre.
The North/South Ireland Food Consumption Survey, published in 2001, found that 77 per cent of adults here took in less than 18g per day. But getting enough can make a difference: the insoluble fibre found in wholegrain flours, wheat bran, nuts and many vegetables helps avoid constipation or watery stools, while soluble fibre (found in oats, beans and fruits) has been linked with lower levels of "bad" cholesterol.
Eating high-fibre foods will also help you feel fuller for longer, and they can help slow the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream.
So choose brown bread, rice and pasta over white, opt for porridge or high-fibre breakfast cereals rather than refined versions, bump up your intake of fruits, vegetables and legumes, and wash it all down with plenty of water.
– CLAIRE O’CONNELL
