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Healthy High-fibre Diet

What is dietary fibre?

  1. Dietary fibre is the part of plants that cannot be digested and absorbed by the human body. It plays an important role in maintaining our health.
  2. In general, dietary fibre can be classified into soluble and insoluble forms:
    • Soluble fibre is found mostly in beans and legumes, oatmeal, fruit and seeds.
    • Insoluble fibre comes mostly from whole grains and vegetables.

Recommendations for dietary fibre

  • The daily recommended intake of dietary fibre for adults and teenagers is 25 grams or more.
  • For children, the daily requirement of dietary fibre in grams is equivalent to their age plus five. For example, the daily recommended intake of dietary fibre for a six-year-old child is 6+5 grams = 11 grams.

Health benefits of dietary fibre

  1. Fruit and vegetables help us stay healthy because they are generally rich in dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
  2. Dietary fibre promotes bowel movements. It also absorbs water and softens the stool, thereby preventing or relieving constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis.
  3. Dietary fibre slows down the release of glucose from the intestines into the blood. This in turn helps stabilise blood glucose level and keep diabetes under control.
  4. Soluble fibre can bind with and remove cholesterol-like substances (such as bile) to help reduce blood cholesterol levels and keep our heart healthy.
  5. Many studies worldwide have shown that a sustained high-fibre diet lowers the risk of colon cancer. This is probably because dietary fibre increases faecal bulk and promotes bowel movements, which shorten the stay of waste in the bowels.
  6. High-fibre foods tends to be low in energy and help to increase satiety which can prevent overeating. Therefore, high-fibre foods are useful in weight management.

Ways to increase dietary fibre intake

  1. Take an adequate amount of fruit and vegetables every day. Adults are recommended to have at least 2 servings of fruit and at least 3 servings of vegetables.
  2. Choose grains that are high in fibre, such as replace part of the white rice with red or brown rice.
  3. Substitute dry beans for meat 2-3 times a week.
  4. Eat wholemeal bread and biscuits instead of breads and biscuits that have a high-sugar and -fat content.
  5. Read food labels and choose high-fibre foods more frequently.
  6. Increase dietary fibre intake gradually and drink at least 6-8 cups of fluid every day. Otherwise you may experience discomforts such as diarrhea, bloated stomach and flatulence.

A balanced diet is the most important

Although high-fibre foods are good for our health, they should not be over-consumed. We should maintain a balanced diet, which includes the following major food groups: Grains, Vegetables, Fruit, Meat, Fish, Eggs and Alternatives, as well as Milk and Alternatives. It is advisable to have grains as the main portion of a meal and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. While Meat and dairy products should be consumed moderately.

(Revised in Feb 2024)