Fibre

Fibre is an important component of a healthy balanced diet. We get fibre from plant-based foods, but it's not something the body can absorb. This means fibre is not a nutrient and contains no calories or vitamins, although very small amounts of energy are sometimes produced by the bacteria in your intestines digesting the fibre in your diet.
Fibre helps your digestive system to process food and absorb nutrients.
Fibre lowers blood cholesterol.
Fibre helps to control blood sugar levels, which in turn controls appetite.
There are two types of fibre: insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fibre contains cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. It helps your bowel to pass food by making stools soft and bulky. This type of fibre helps prevent constipation. Insoluble fibre is found in the following foods; beans, brown rice, fruits with edible seeds, lentils, maize, oats, pulses, wheat bran, wholegrain bread, wholegrain cereals, wholemeal pasta, wholewheat flour.
Soluble fibre contains gums and pectin. This type of fibre lowers cholesterol levels and controls blood sugar. It can be found in all fruit and vegetables, but the following are rich sources; apples, barley, citrus fruits, guar gum, legumes, oats, pears, strawberries.
Current advice says adults should aim for 18g fibre a day. Most of us eat less than this, and The British Nutrition Foundation puts the average adult intake at 12g.
Breakfast cereals are our most usual source of dietary fibre.
Because fibre is central to your bowel health, be careful about suddenly increasing your intake and overburdening your digestive system.
You should only aim for a 5g increase over a three to five day period, and drink plenty of water for it to be effective.
Make sure you get both forms of fibre in your diet.
Fibre supplements generally contain both soluble and insoluble fibres, in a carefully controlled balance.