| TOTAL HEALTH RECIPES |
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Healthy Heart
FORTIFY
YOUR DIET WITH FIBRE
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The importance of fibre has already been discussed in the earlier pages. To put
it simply, fibre is the complex carbohydrate present in foods, which is not digestible
by our body. However, it forms an essential part of our daily diet, as it has
more than one function contributing to a healthy living style. |
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A
high fibre diet satiates you for a longer time and helps to prevent raised blood
cholesterol and triglyceride levels, thus defending your body against risks to
heart disease. Considering these benefits of fibre, you should include 15 to 25
grams of fibre in your daily diet.
Have
a quick look at few helpful clues to enhance your fibre intake and maintain a
healthy heart.
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Choose a breakfast containing high fibre cereals like bulgur wheat, apples, green
peas etc. A classic example of this are the Spicy Oats Pancakes.
- Snack
on fruits in between meals as they will satiate you for longer hours and help
to control the blood cholesterol levels too.
- Have
plenty of vegetables, especially raw vegetables in the form of salads and raitas.
Do not peel vegetables and fruits like cucumber, carrots, chickoos. apples etc.
as their peels are edible and much of the fibre lies just beneath the peels. Do
remember to wash them thoroughly though, or scrape the peels slightly before eating.
- Choose
whole-wheat flour chapatis, brown bread, whole-wheat noodles as compared to refined
flour products like white bread, pastas, biscuits etc. as bran (outer covering
of wheat which abounds in fibre) is lost with the processing of these foods.
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Try to use the bran of cereals like wheat, oats and rice in your regular meals.
Adding 1 tablespoon of bran in the chapati dough (see Pyaz ki Roti) or in the
vegetable dishes will provide plenty of fibre. Bran is also a good thickening
agent and can add low calorie bulk to soups, gravies etc. Bran is easily available
at most health food stores and larger grocery stores.
- Make
fibre-rich pulses like moong, rajma, soyabean a part of your daily diet. Sprouting
the pulses adds on to their fibre content.
All
the recipes mentioned in the above text can be found through the search
option.
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