2023-11-16 14:25:03
Anti-cancer, anti-cholesterol, anti-heart attack… Fiber is essential for health but we really don’t eat enough of it. The good reflexes of Magali Cros-Roig, dietician-nutritionist for refueling every day.
In adults, theConsidered fixe daily fiber intake at 30 g per day. However, we are far from the mark! Depending on the network Mother-of-pearl (Nutrition Physical Activity, Cancer Research), in France, the average of fiber consumption of the adult population is of 17,5 g/jour. Only 13% of adults (17.1% of men and 8.3% of women) reach the recommended threshold.
Fibers protect against stroke and heart attack
We know that fibers are useful in case of constipation, but their roles don’t stop there! By trapping some of the fat in the intestine and eliminating it naturally, fiber reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels, thus helping us to keep cardiovascular conditions such as stroke and heart attack at bay; “in reducing the speed of digestion, they reduce the glycemic index of the meal, a helping hand in cases of diabetes“, specifies Magali Cros-Roig, dietician-nutritionist; satiating, they cut short our cravings and our desire for sugar, which allows us to stay in shape and treat excess weight; they also participate in prevent the development of certain cancers, particularly colorectal cancer. Their means of action? By fermenting in the colon, fiber generates short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate, a substance capable ofinhibit the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells.
They have a protective effect on cancer
“In addition, by accelerating intestinal transit, they reduce the contact time of pro-carcinogenic cells present in the stools with the colorectal mucosa., adds Magali Cros-Roig. The fibers would also play a role in breast cancer prevention even if the mechanism of action is not yet very clear (researchers have several avenues such as reducing obesity, providing protective elements, etc.). According to the report published in 2018 by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) which evaluate the levels of evidence of associations between fiber consumption and cancer risk, “consumption of foods containing fiber is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer with a probable level of evidence“, while in the collective expert report coordinated by the National Cancer Institute (INCa) in 2015, the level of evidence was described as convincing for this cancer, and probable for breast cancer.
Add legumes to your menus
To be sure to consume at least 30 grams of fiber per day, you need to start by eating legumes more often. Long shunned from our plates, lentils, chickpeas, broad beans and other dried beans are mines of fiber: 100 g of cooked dried vegetables provide on average 9.34 g (8.45 g for lentils, 8.20 g for chickpeas and 13.8 g for white beans). As a bonus, they help us do the full of anti-fatigue B group vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, iron or even calcium. Dried vegetables can be eaten cold, in salad, or hot as an accompaniment of a portion of meat, fish or eggs and can also be cooked in soups, stews, purees or, mixed with vegetables, in the form of pancakes or gratins.
Eat three fruits a day
Whether for breakfast, snack or dessert, eating fresh fruit is an opportunity to stock up on fiber. Among the richest: fresh coconut (9 g of fiber per 100 g), passion fruit (6.8 g/0100 g), red fruits (5.3 g) or even guava (5.15 g). Tips: ideally, eat them with their skins because most of the fiber is hidden there.
Replace white cereals with whole grains
Swap rice, pasta, semolina and white bread for their “complete” or even “integral” version is a great way to increase your fiber intake. Unlike their “white” counterparts, whole grains retain their shell. But this is where they hide essential vitamins, minerals and fiber. For example, if 100 g of cooked white pasta contains 1.9 g of fiber, whole foods contain 3.3 g. 100 g of white rice provides 1 g of fiber versus 2.3 g for whole grain rice, and 100 g of white flour (T45) contains 2.5 g of fiber, versus 6.9 for whole grain flour and 10.2 g for wholemeal flour.
Eat two servings of vegetables per day
Whether as a starter or as an accompaniment to your main dish, eating vegetables makes it easy to increase your daily dose of fiber. Which ones to choose? “Salsify, celery, green cabbage, broccoli, leeks, spinach… are among the plants that contain the most“, lists the dietician. To be prepared in soup, in puree, in gratin with a little crème fraiche or béchamel sauce, in pan-fried dishes or even incorporated into a quiche, a savory cake or a plate of pasta…
Snack on oleaginous fruits
In your morning bowl of muesli or as an afternoon snack, oleaginous fruits (almond, walnut, hazelnut, pistachio, etc.) are a tasty tip to reach 30 g of fiber daily. The most rich ? The almond with 12.5 g per 100 g, closely followed by pistachios (10.1%), hazelnuts (9.4%), walnuts (6.7%) and Brazil nuts (6.4%).
Sprinkle with wheat bran
It is the champion in all categories: it alone provides 42 g of fiber per 100 g! “To benefit from its benefits, simply sprinkle one or two tablespoons of it on your mixed salad, your vegetable or pasta dish, add it to a yogurt or in the preparation of a bread or a pastry shop“, recommends our expert.
Add seeds
On the second step of the podium, we find the flax and chia seeds. 100 g of these little nuggets provide around 30 g of fiber (34 g, for chia seeds and 27 g for flax seeds). We don’t hesitate to add it to our dishes, in our pastries and bread preparations.
Fall for dark chocolate
Here’s some news that will take away our chocolate cravings: we already knew that this gourmet food was a mine antioxidants, minerals and vitamins, but it is also a source of fiber since it provides between 8.76 and 12.8 g depending on whether it contains 40 or 70% cocoa. So we no longer deprive ourselves of a little square during the day, with our coffee… or even like that!
To drink coffee
If you don’t overdo it, coffee is a source of fiber. If 100 g of ground coffee provides 19.8 g of fiber, one cup (250 ml) contains 2.97 g of these valuable nutritional substances.
If you have fragile intestines, know that fiber can be irritating, especially when you are not used to consuming it. “They can cause symptoms such as bloating, pain or even episodes of diarrhea, explains Magali Cros-Roig. To benefit from their virtues while avoiding these digestive discomforts, there is no shortage of tips such as eat plants preferably cooked because cooking softens them and makes them more digestible. To you compotes, soups, purees… Also make sure to chew them well, about twenty times because the enzymes in saliva allow them to be “pre-digested” and, in the intestine, they pass much better“. Finally, cut your food into small pieces has the advantage of softening the fibers of your fruits and vegetables. Another option: prepare them in smoothies.
Thanks to Magali Cros-Roig, dietitian-nutritionist.
World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. Washington DC: AICR, 2018 Update of PNNS benchmarks: revision of food consumption benchmarks, ANSES, 2016 National Cancer Institute. Nutrition and primary cancer prevention: updating of data. Boulogne-Billancourt: INCa; 2015 Dietary fiber and cancer risk, the main data, Nacre
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