Fibre 1, is it your best source of fibre?

How much fibre do you get everyday? Do you get the 21-38 grams of fibre/day that is recommed by Health Canada? Chances are you don’t. According to Rennie Benedict, registered dietician, most Canadians only get around 12 grams/day. According to an Ipsos-Reid survey conducted in October 2009, one in four Canadians believe they aren’t getting enough fibre. When asked how much fibre they consume each day only 16% said they consumed 25grams and 60% had no idea how much fibre they consumed each day.

But fibre is super important in order to be in good health. It helps keep you fuller longer, because of its bulk. There are two types of fibre: insoluble fibre and solubable fibre. Insoluble fibre is found in the skins, peels, seeds, and roots of fruits and vegetables. This type of fibre helps bowel movements flow nice and smooth, and may decrease the risk of colon cancer and gastrointestinal disorders. The second, soluble fibre, works to control blood sugar levels and reduce cholesterol levels. Soluble fibres are in oats, oatmeal, beans, and fruits like apples, strawberries, and citrus fruits.

The point of all this is that fibre is crucial to include in your diet. So crucial in fact that a lot of companies, like General Mills, started to make great tasting snacks to help people get their daily recommend intake of fibre. Fibre 1 is a great tasting fibre bar drizzled with chocolate or caramel with tasty chips inside. From just one fibre bar, General Mills claims that you’ll receive 20% of your daily intake. But just how good are these bars for you? The first ingredient on the package is glucose-fructose, which is just the scientific term for sugar. As you keep reading, you’ll find the whole grained rolled oats, crisp rice, and barley flakes; but in between are these huge, unpronounceable names that most people don’t know what they are. So I decided to take a look into some of them and what I found changes the way I look at these bars. But decided for yourself.

High Maltose Corn Syrup (concentrated sugar)

· Largely suspected that it is a contributor to American obesity, diabetes, and other blood sugar ailments because it is found in so many of the foods we eat.

· Limit dietary intake

extremely high amounts are bad

· Research has shown that it’s no worse than regular sugar. All sugars should be consumed in moderation

· Corn syrup is not natural and it may contain mercury

Honey Glycerin

· Sweet tasting

· Most commonly used in soap and other beauty products

Palm-kernel oil

· Extracted from the seeds of the oil palm, a tree native to Africa.

· Not really healthy. It is extremely high in saturated fats and low in essential fatty acids. In other words, it’s not good to have it in your diet.

· Straight palm oil is much healthier, but palm-kernel oil is cheap.

Maltodextrin

· Is produced from corn, potato, or rice.

· Considered to contain fewer calories than sugar.

· Used in all types of foods from canned fruits to snacks.

· More easily digested than regular sugar, so scientists believe it no does cause as many health issues, which could be a good thing for people with type 2 diabetes.

· Has less than four calories per gram and extremely small amounts of fiber and protein.

Monoglycerides

· Is hydrogenated oil/fat, usually know as “trans fat”.

· This is something in the ingredients that should be avoided.

Tocopherols

· Also known as vitamin E

· Fat-soluble antioxidants

· Protects red blood cells

If you want more information from people who have more knowledge than me or just a good opinion check out these other sites:

Diet blog

Fitness Mantra

Cheap Eats

ht