Here is how including fibre in your diet can make your heart healthy

Make this one diet change and your heart will thank you for this!

Till about two decades back, heart problems were thought to be a predicament of the old and ailing, but in today s technology-driven urban set-up even people in their late 20s and early 30s are falling prey to heart ailments high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attack are becoming a way to common. Add to it the burden of increasing number of urbanites suffering from type II diabetes; it makes the heart vulnerable and prone to a host of heart diseases. This is why some good preventive measures are needed in place. When it comes to prevention and care most experts believe that a little attention to diet and exercise can go a long way in boosting heart health. One way to make your diet a heart-friendly one is to include more fibre in it. Here are few more reasons to eat fibre-rich diets.

According to various studies fibre in your diet helps a lot in keeping your heart healthy and the other parameters like blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rate in check. Fibre-rich diets also help to prevent an onset of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD). Here is how different kinds of fibre from different foods help to keep the heart healthy:

Insoluble fibres

This kind of fibre is what people refer to as roughage. They are present in plant-based foods especially the stalk, skins and seeds, like in whole grains, nuts and various vegetables. This kind of fibre is insoluble in water. So, they don t break down in the gut and are absorbed into the bloodstream adding bulk to the bowels. Studies show that including at least 7gm of insoluble fibre a day considerably reduces the risk of CVD and CHD. This means having a little more than half a cup of either potato, sweet potato or any other starchy vegetable. Here are some fibre rich foods that you can choose from.

Soluble fibres

This kind of fibre is water soluble and helps the stool to become soft. Best sources of soluble fibres are nuts, seeds, peas, lentils, fruits and vegetables. Studies suggest that including at least 4 gm of soluble fibres in your diet decreases the risk of CVD and CHD. Probably this is one reason why many experts suggest going on a Mediterranean diet which includes a lot of plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts and a right mix of soluble and insoluble fibre. Fibre in your diet helps to control the blood sugar levels and prevents a spike in the same. Fibre is particularly good for diabetics who have fluctuating blood sugar levels. Diabetes is also known to affect one s heart health. So, eating fibre-rich food works both ways controls blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of heart diseases too, says Dhvani Shah, naturopath and sports medicine expert, Mumbai. Here are few health risks of eating too much fibre.

Fibre from cereal rich foods

Most of the cereals can be safely said are rich in insoluble fibre, however, some of them can also have traces of soluble fibres. Studies have shown that consuming cereal based fibres like whole wheat grain, barley, dalia, etc., help to reduce the risk of various kinds of heart disease. Various studies concluded that having at least 7 gm of fibre every day from cereals can do the trick, which again means including an at least 1/4^th cup of cereals in your diet in any form.

Fibre intake from fruits

There is a reason why they say an apple a day will keep the doctor away. Higher the consumption of fibre through fruit lessens one s chances of developing heart diseases. Studies suggest that higher fruit fibre intakes of up to around 5-8 gm/day, which is equivalent to about two to four servings of fruit can save the heart from falling prey to CVD or CHD.

Fibre intake from vegetables

Some studies tried to explore how the fibre intake from vegetables, excluding potatoes, affected heart health. It was seen that greater intakes of vegetable fibre, up to intakes about 6 gm/day reduced the risk of CHD and 10 gm/day that of CVD, which means having at least four to six portions of vegetables every day to reap its benefits.

If you find it difficult to calculate how much fibre you need to eat to keep your heart healthy better get in touch with a dietician or talk to your doctor about which foods you should eat and which ones you should avoid keeping your heart healthy. But the bottom line is you should not forget to include fibre in your diet for your heart s good.

Reference:

Threapleton, D. E., Greenwood, D. C., Evans, C. E. L., Cleghorn, C. L., Nykjaer, C., Woodhead, C., Burley, V. J. (2013). Dietary fibre intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis. The BMJ, 347, f6879. http://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6879

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