Keep your stomach healthy with regular consumption of fibre
Low carb diets may be used as a weight loss tool for some people, and dieticians and nutritionists are warning that they’re contributing to a reduction in fibre intakes, setting up health problems in the future for today’s dieters.
The average fibre intakes are already low and avoidance of foods like potatoes, a surprisingly important fibre provider according to the latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey, is bad news for digestive health.
Potatoes provide 12% of the average adult intake of fibre, which is twice the amount we get from breakfast cereals and 30% more than our intake from brown bread, including wholemeal bread.
Potatoes are an even more important source of fibre for teens, with 11 to 18-year-olds getting 15% — nearly one sixth of their daily intake — from these unsung health heroes.
Fibre is crucial for good health and long-term population studies suggest it may help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. It also aids digestion and supports weight control by promoting a sense of fullness.
However, the average UK adult gets just three quarters of the recommended amount (Reference Intake) and this deficit is set to deepen with a draft recommendation from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) that an adult needs about 25% more than previously thought. This all means that current intakes of fibre will have to increase by a hefty 60% to reach the new targets.
Dieters often wrongly believe potatoes are calorific and fattening, yet they are naturally fat free, lower in calories than most people think, and provide only 6% of the energy intake for adults – less than white bread and the same contribution as alcohol.
But fibre is not the only reason to tuck into more tubers. Potatoes are also a useful source of potassium, which counters the effect of salt and helps maintain healthy blood pressure. Because of its role in maintaining fluid balance a healthy intake of potassium is particularly important for sports men and women and during hot weather.
Low carbohydrate diets have seen a fall in potato sales, but SACN recommends that half our calories come from carbohydrates, particularly starchy carbs such as potatoes and whole grain cereals.
Latest SACN guidance advises: “There needs to be a change in the population’s diet so that people derive a greater proportion of dietary energy from carbohydrate-rich foods that are low in free sugars and high in dietary fibre.”
It adds: “Dietary fibre intake should be largely achieved from a variety of foods, such as whole grains, pulses, potatoes, vegetables and fruits.”
For example, to reach the RI for fibre an adult would need to eat approximately: a 40g portion of high fibre cereal for breakfast; two slices of wholemeal bread at lunch; a 200g baked potato for dinner; as well as snacking on a pear and 30g of nuts.
Sigrid Gibson, a registered nutritionist, analysed the original data files from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), commenting: “The popularity of low-carb diets is worrying because starchy carbohydrates such as potatoes and wholegrain cereals make an important contribution to a balanced diet. They provide valuable amounts of dietary fibre which is in short supply in the British diet”.
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