FRIDAY FOOD FACT - BREAD, RICE, POTATOES, PASTA, OTHER STARCHY FOODS AND BOWELS What counts? Bread, chapatti, pitta, nan bread, tortilla, crackers, potatoes (including low fat oven chips), pasta, rice, cous cous, noodles, maize, breakfast cereals and oats. Choose wholegrain varieties where possible, such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals, whole wheat pasta and brown rice. They have a high fibre content. How much? Try to include at least one starchy food with each of your meals, and base your meal around this food. It is a really important part of a healthy diet and should make up about a third of the food we eat. How does this affect our bowels? Studies show us that fibre-rich foods can reduce the risk of bowel cancer by at least a quarter. The evidence is around natural foods, such as fruit, vegetables and cereals, and not fibre supplements or foods with artificially added fibre. The journey of food through the digestive system is a long one; you need fibre to help the waste products travel through the bowel. Some types of fibre help to carry bile acids (that could potentially cause cancer) through the bowel more quickly. Soluble fibre—oats, beans, fruit and veg without skin—increase nutrient absorption by slowing down the passage of food in the journey. It acts as a food source for bowel bacteria, which increase poo bulk and production of gases (wind). Insoluble fibre (wheat, maize, rice, fruit and veg with skin) absorbs water which makes stools bulkier and softer. People who do not eat enough fibre tend to be constipated, so any cancer causing agents are in contact with the bowel lining for longer and increase bowel cancer risk. Top Tip! Look out for the wholegrain logo on food packages. Brown pasta is very similar to white pasta, taste test it and see if you agree!
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 08:45:58 +0000
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