Fibre in nutrition has been an area of increasing interest for study by nutritionists all over the world. Dietary fibre, unavailable carbohydrates or roughage are the different terms, that refers to the total amount of naturally occurring material in food, mainly of plant origin, that is not digested. Dietary fibre is widely recognised to have a beneficial effect in patients with NIDDM.
Indian diet has a fairly high fibre content and therefore, the dietary requirements as recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) do appear excessive. An average Indian diet contains about 25-35 gms of crude fibre. Today, due to Western influence and urbanisation, the consumption of highly refined food has increased, thereby reducing the intake of dietary fibre.
However, excellent sources of fibre like wholegrains, cereals, fresh fruit, dried fruit and vegetables, contribute to the dietary fibre intake, if eaten regularly. It can be added to the diet to increase the fibre intake. For all kinds of ailment, there is a restriction of food in some form or the other.
However, one should not increase fibre intake suddenly. A sudden increase makes the patient feel distended with abdominal discomfort and increased flatulence, especially if the initial fibre intake was low. Some patients like to take their additional fibre in the form of bran, but on the whole it is better to take a balanced high fibre diet that they can enjoy for the rest of their lives.
Commonly Available Food
Food, commonly available in India and rich in fibre, are as follows:
• Millet preparations, either as cooked cereals or homemade snack
• Red beans
• Sprout from pulses, gram or beans
• Vegetables like cluster beans (guargum), curry leaves, drumstick or lotus stem
• Guava and pomegranate are amongst the fruits with the highest fibre content
• Certain items commonly used for garnishing enriches the food preparations with fibre eg., green chillies, cardamom seeds, coriander
The indigenous system of medicine in India employs some herbal preparations that are rich in fibre and probably their blood sugar lowering effect is due to their fibre content eg., Fenugreek (methi), Neem, Jamun, Karela, Psyllum (Isabgol).
In diet planning for diabetics, the most beneficial metabolic profile is produced by a high carbohydrate low-fat diet. These high carbohydrate diabetic diets are effective only when relatively large amounts of unrefined carbohydrates and fibre are included, such as legumes, unprocessed vegetables and fruits.
Delicious Way to Add Fibre
• Use of whole wheat gram in the ratio of 3:1 for chapati is better than plain wheat chapatis
• Mix equal portions of rice and whole pulses for idli, dosa and khichri
• Select whole — wheat bread or soya bread instead of white bread
• Drink 6-8 glasses of fluid daily to help your body to use fibre effectively
• Include more of uncooked vegetables and sprouted beans for your salad
A diabetic, who is a vegetarian and likes wholesome and coarse food with natural fibre, mixed proteins and restricted fat of unsaturated nature, will lead a healthy life.
Dietary Fibre Content of Some Indian Foods
Foodstuff – Dietary Fibre
Cereals and Millets (gm)%
Rice 7.6
Wheat 17.6
Sorghum 14.3
Bajra 20.3
Ragi 18.6
Pulses and Legumes
Green gram (whole) 15.2
Green gram dal 13.5
Black gram dal 14.3
Red gram dal 14.1
Bengal gram (whole) 26.6
Bengal gram dal 13.6
Nuts and Oilseeds
Groundnut 6.1
Coconut (dry) 8.9
Roots and Tubers
Sweet potato 7.3
Potato 4.0
Yam 5.3
Carrots 7.0
Fruits
Banana 2.5
Mango 2.3
Vegetables
Amaranth 3.4
Spinach 5.0
Brinjal 2.0
Ridge gourd 5.7
Snake gourd 1.8
Bottle gourd 2.8
Yellow pumpkin 0.5
Beans and peas 0.7
Source: B.S. Narsinga Rao, Nutrition Foundation of India Bulletin 9
4), 1988. Note : Fibre Content indicated is per 100 gm of foodstuff.