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things to know about dietary fibre

1 Refined or milled grains are stripped of bran and germ. This takes away nearly all the fibre and nutrients and leaves behind nearly all the calories. Whole grains contain natural plant compound phytochemicals. Bran contains an abundance of fibre, which helps improve cholesterol and reduce the risk of developing heart disease. 2 Most breads don’t contain as much whole grain as brown rice, toasted wheat cereals, or oatmeal. Some of the really rich sources of whole grain are brown rice, oatmeal, toasted wheat cereals, even popcorn, whole wheat, barley, cornmeal. 3 The germ also contains vitamin E. Endosperm is the energy portion of the whole grain. Whole grains are necessary for proper digestion, calming the nervous system, encouraging sleep and satisfying hunger and taste, thereby decreasing cravings, while promoting energy and endurance, elimination, good reflexes, a long memory and clear thinking.

We already knew that whole-grain food, with its three parts ? bran, germ, and the starchy endosperms ? cuts the risk of heart disease and helps control diabetes. A new study, carried out by the scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, US, is saying it can also help us lose weight.

According to the researchers, Pauline Koh-Banerjee and colleagues, these fibre-rich foods, with all three parts, somehow work together to put a long-term effect on human health. ?The whole grain is greater than the sum of its parts,? adds the study ? the first to link whole grains with lower weight ? published in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers found that men who increase their consumption of whole grains gain less weight than other men. They analysed diet and health records from more than 27,000 of 40 to 75-year-old men and found that eating 40 grams of whole grains a day cuts middle-age weight gain by as much as 3.5 pounds.

?It?s more than just fibre. All it takes is about 1 cup of oatmeal, or 3/4 cup of brown rice, or several slices of brown bread daily,? claims Koh-Banerjee, now an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. Although the study says, whole grains did not stop the subjects from gaining weight, they found that it protected them from being overweight. ?It is important to consume the whole grain. We are finding more and more nutrients in it,? says Koh-Banerjee.