What do these statistics tell us?
Bad eating habit is a main cause of many diseases. In Thailand,
the Public Health Ministry has launched a campaign to urge
Thai people change their inappropriate eating behavior.
Slogan of the campaign is“half veggies,
half another food in one meal”.
This shows the importance of the vegetables for our body
system. Besides its nutrients, vegetables are rich of dietary
fibre that is good for health.
Fibre can be divided in two groups: soluble fibre and insoluble fibre.
Soluble fiber is a gel. It becomes mucilage glue in
contact with water. This fibre can be found in fruits, beans and oat.
In Thailand, sweet basil seed is a great source of soluble fibre that
Thai people like to eat with sweet ice an ice cream. It is easy to
find and very cheap. The next one is insoluble fibre.
This fibre isn't dissolve in water. Insoluble fiber
is also found in coarse rice and rice bran.
When eating fruits and vegetables, stomach will release an acid to
digest these foods but some of them will be sent to digest at small intestine.
Only fibre which we have been thought unnecessary is left. In fact,
this fibre can be digested by a number of bacteria at large intestine.
After being digested, fibre will turn to some chemical substances
which body can absorb to use.
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According to studies, the fibre has
an important role in reducing level of cholesterol and the
risk of being cancers.
When we take fibre foods, soluble fibre will coat the stomach by
reacting with acids in the stomach. That is why we feel full and are
not hungry frequently after eating them. For someone who is dieting,
this is your good way. In addition, mucilage in soluble fibre can help
to prevent cholesterol absorption in intestine wall.
Insoluble fibre do not react with acids in stomach.
It performs as food waste to fulfill your stomach. By this way,
you can eat as much as you want without worry about fat. Moreover,
insoluble can help to prevent fat and cholesterol absorption in intestine wall.
More having fibre foods, more excrete quantity increases.
Fibre is also useful for excretory system. It arouse you to excrete.
This is accepted that fast evacuation will help to lower the risk of
being colon cancer because there is less time that harmful
materials in faeces are in contact with intestine wall.
Don't forget that one of soluble fibre properties is to absorb
much of water. Drinking at least 6-8 glasses a day is recommended.
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