Irish Visitors Click HereEssential Fibres and Fluids
What do you do automatically when your sink is blocked? Turn on the tap. Flushing out blockages is the instinctive course of action and so it is with constipation. However healthy your diet, however carefully you balance intakes of protein, carbohydrate and fats, you can still become constipated if you fail to consume enough fluids because fluids soften food, bulk it out and make it more pleasant and easy for waste to leave the body naturally.
But fluids on their own are not enough. The intestines and bowels work in a rhythmic action, propelling food through the body to eliminate waste. The system needs something to 'grab hold of' and this is where dietary fibre comes in. Low-fibre food, 'junk' food that has been over-processed to remove fibre, all end up as a sludgy, fatty or creamy mass which cannot be moved easily through the body. Think of it as a ball of butter: even several glasses of water would not move this blockage!
The end result can be painful constipation, straining and stomach distension.
Optimum fluid intake.
- two litres of water is suggested, and a helpful way to try to achieve this is to remember to drink a paper-cup sized serving of water every time you have been to the loo: in other words, replacing what you have just lost.
- 'eating' fluids is important, and a diet high in fruit and vegetables will give you up to two pints of fluid per day.
Examples of high-water foods.
So, a diet that is not only rich in fluids but rich in high-fluid foods, will help against constipation, as well as providing vital micronutrients, not found in plain water alone.
Dietary Fibre
All plant foods contain some fibre - like cellulose, pectins and gums that make up their cell walls. Our main sources of fibre are cereals, vegetables, fruits, pulses, nuts and seeds. Most cereal fibre is found in the outer layer of grains, which are removed when grains are refined. This is why a refined diet can cause constipation.
While fibre has little or no nutritional value, it forms an essential link in the body's digestive chain. There are two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. Both are important in the diet.
Insoluble fibre
This type of fibre passes through the system whole. Acting as a sort of 'scrubbing brush' for the insides, it binds to waste and helps propel it out of the body. Some examples of insoluble fibre are:
- rice
- nuts
- wholemeal bread
- All Bran
- Strawberries
Soluble fibre
Soluble fibre soaks up water like a sponge, which helps to plump out the faeces and allows it to pass through the gut more easily. It acts to slow down the rate of digestion. This slowing down effect is usually overridden by insoluble fibre, which doesn't absorb water and speeds up the time that food passes through the gut.
- Oats
- Brown bread
- Pulses
- Most fruits and vegetables
Combined fibre
Some foods contain both soluble and insoluble fibre. They include:
- Dried fruits
- Wheat bran
- Whole grains
- Apple peel
Fibre and fluids
A high fibre diet needs to be accompanied with lots of water to help prevent and ease constipation. Some high fibre breakfast cereals may have around 10g of fibre per serve and if this cereal is not accompanied by enough fluid it may cause constipation.
Fibre and ageing
Fibre is even more important for older people. The digestive system slows down with age, so a high fibre diet becomes even more important.
Fibre keeps the digestive tract healthy
The principle advantage of a diet high in fibre is the health of your digestive system. The digestive system is lined with muscles that massage food along the tract from the moment a mouthful is swallowed until the eventual waste is passed out of the bowel. Since fibre is relatively indigestible, it adds bulk to the faeces. In the UK most people don't eat enough fibre (the average intake is 12g per day*). The recommended fibre intake for adults is currently 18g per day, but if you're prone to bouts of constipation, you should try and increase this to 25-30g daily.
Disorders that can arise from a low fibre diet include:
- Constipation
- Irritable bowel syndrome
The amount of fibre you need
The average intake is recommended as 18g - 25g per day.
Fibre - putting advice into action!
- Stock up on high-fibre - Make it easier to include fibre in your diet by stocking up on cereals, oats, brown rice, rye and whole-wheat biscuits and bread.
- Increase fibre and fluids gradually - Gradually increase your intake of fibre over a three to five day period and ensure you also increase your intake of water to six to eight glasses a day.
- Start the day with your own muesli - by mixing oats, bran flakes, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts, and assorted chopped dried fruits.
- Try and add fibre foods to everything - When making casseroles, stews or soups, add lentils, pearl barley, brown rice or cracked wheat, all of which are good sources of fibre.
- Finish a meal off with citrus fruit
- Choose breads that contain wholegrain kernels. Pumpernickel and seed loaves have the highest fibre content.
- Cut down on your use of white bread or replace it with a wholegrain or wholemeal variety.
* British Nutrition Foundation
- View interactive animations of how the digestive system works »
- Find out what the symptoms of constipation are »
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