2 reasons to increase the fibre in your diet

To fill the gap in our diets,  some people turn to fibre supplements. However, can pills and powders replace peas and whole grains and provide you with the fibre and other vitamins your need?

NO. Some people who take fibre supplements to relieve constipation end up feeling worse.

• For hard-to-treat cases, other medications may be a better choice. Your body can't absorb the fibre in food or supplements. Instead, this indigestible stuff helps to form bigger, softer stools that are easier to pass (fibre supplements are sometimes called bulk-forming laxatives).
• Doctors often recommend supplements for treating constipation, especially for patients who can't or won't add more fibre to their diets. Studies show, however, that about half of all patients who start taking fibre supplements eventually quit.
• The main reason seems to be that increasing fibre intake makes some people feel bloated, as though their stomachs were stretching and about to burst.
• Some patients may give up on fibre supplements because they aren't helping much.
• A task force for the American College of Gastroenterology found that only fibre supplements containing psyllium are effective for chronic constipation.
• If you decide to try fibre supplements to treat a case of constipation, start out with small amounts at first and be sure to drink plenty of fluids. For persistent constipation, see a doctor.

No. If your diet contains too little fibre, supplements can seem like the ideal quick fix. In fact, taking fibre supplements is easier than ever these days. But, quick fixes rarely work as long-term solutions, and fibre supplements aren't any different.

• They don't provide your body with the vitamins, minerals and other disease-fighting benefits that you get from eating high-fibre foods.
• A pear, for instance, contains about five grams of fibre, but it's also a terrific source of vitamins C and E as well as potassium.
• Eat a 250-millilitre (one cup) serving of peas with supper, and not only will you add nearly nine grams of fibre to your daily total, you'll also get a healthy dose of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which some studies suggest may help prevent vision loss.
• The US National Cancer Institute looked at the diets of nearly a half million men and women and found that people who ate the most whole-grain foods, which are rich in fibre, cut their risk of colorectal cancer by 21 percent.
• You won't get that benefit from a fibre supplement. In fact, the study showed that the fibre in these foods had no effect on a person's cancer risk; something else was doing the trick.
• Your doctor may recommend fibre supplements (to lower cholesterol, for instance), and they may help ease occasional constipation. You'll gain greater disease protection by getting roughage from your daily (whole-grain) bread.

If dietitians ruled the world, everyone would eat bran flakes for breakfast, lentils for lunch and Brussels sprouts for supper.In short, we would all fill up on fibre at every meal and be healthier for our troubles. Yet most of us fall well short of the recommended 25 to 35 grams of fibre per day. The best way to combat this is to increase the fibre in your diet through pears, peas, whole-grain breads, and other fibre-rich foods.