We often hear fibre as one of the essential components to be maintained in the diet. We hear that each meal must contain at least 8 g of fibre to meet the daily requirement. Another term heard from medical professionals is to maintain optimal digestive wellness. So, let us break down these terms for a better understanding and to better incorporate into our daily digestive lifestyle.

Digestive wellness

Digestive wellness can be simply explained as an optimal state of the entire Gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) or gut—both in health and function. It is important to maintain this wellness state, as a healthy GI tract functions efficiently to breakdown food, and absorb the nutrients for supplying the entire body. Many aspects maintain this wellness state. They are:

1. Optimal hydration: a well hydrated gut prevents sluggish digestion and improves nutrient absorption.
2. Optimal microbiome status: the microbiome of a gut decides the digestive status of the food.
3. Optimal Fibre in food: perhaps one the most important and overlooked aspects needed for the gut health. Optimal fibre ensures that both the above aspects are taken care of. Having enough fibre in the food ensures that the microbiome is fed well and increases gut hydration.

Hence, it is obvious that eating enough fibre is imperative daily for digestive wellness. This brings us to our next topic of focus: a high fibre diet.

Fibre

We can understand fibre in food as a type of complex carbohydrate that our body does not digest for energy. Unlike simple carbohydrates—fructose in fruits, lactose in milk, and sucrose in table sugar—which the body breaks down for energy, fibre mostly passes through the body intact. So why is it important? Well, it supports a variety of different roles depending on the fibre type as discussed below.

There are two main types of fibre.

Soluble fibre: This type is generally found in fruits, oats, peas, carrots, citrus fruits. Fibre in these food dissolves in water to form a soft gel in the intestines. It helps maintain the digestive pace, thus regulating glucose release. It also acts as food for gut bacteria.

Insoluble fibre: This type does not dissolve in water, and passes through our gut largely intact. However, they majorly help in adding bulk to the stools and thus, their easy movement through the intestines. Insoluble fibre is found in whole wheat flour, whole grains, cauliflower, and other beans.

How are high fibre and digestive wellness connected? Fibre helps in digestive and other body health functions.

• Improves bowel health: Promotes regularity in bowel movements and reduces the risk of hemmorhoids.
• Heart health: Soluble fibre can help lower bad (LDL) cholesterol levels.
• Gut hydration: Fibre absorbs water we drink, and while it passes through the gut keeps it well hydrated.
• Blood sugar control: Fiber, especially the soluble type, can slow sugar absorption by regulating the digestive speed thus, helping regulate blood sugar levels, which is particularly beneficial for people with diabetes.
• Weight management: High-fibre foods tend to be more filling, which can help you feel satisfied for longer and consume fewer calories.
• Reduced cancer risk: A high-fibre diet has been linked to a lower risk of certain cancers, particularly colorectal cancer.

The above points clearly show that high fibre and digestive wellness are closely linked. We can also safely say that regular fibre consumption largely determines digestive wellness.

Role of High fibre diet and digestive wellness in Indian cuisine ?

Different cuisines around the world differ in compositions which are derived largely from the geographical region the populations grew in. For example, arid/desert climates had rare access to water and fertile land, so the middle east cuisine is largely meat based, with fruits like dates in picture. Similarly, in all coastal regions, a heavy emphasis on sea food usage and nuts like coconut, fruits like jackfruit, durian which grow in these regions are vastly used. However, nowadays with trade and easy access to transported foods across geographical regions, the cuisines have evolved to include other components as well. On the other extreme, modernization of times has also modernized food: this hugely involves usage of highly refined foods, stripping them vastly of their fibre, and nutrients. Consequently, modern diet majorly lacks in the fibre, leading to multiple gut issues and extremely poor digestive health.

How does our Indian cuisine fit in the scale of low to high fibre diet ?

The good news is, high fibre and digestive wellness in Indian cuisine go hand-in-hand with each other. Let us compare Indian cuisine to a typical western cuisine to see the fibre content. A simple breakdown is given below:

Nutrition experts typically define a high-fibre diet as one that provides about 25 grams per day for women and 30–38 grams per day for men. It is obvious that our Indian cuisine is a high fibre diet as a normal Indian cuisine platter (just from the lunch/dinner) provides the entire fibre daily requirement for women, and about 2/3^rds for men!!! Quite an impressive amount without needing to artificially supplement with fibre compared to the fibre obtained from the entire day’s food of a typical USA cuisine food.

As shown above, Indians can easily meet their fibre requirements and maintain digestive wellness through Indian cuisine.

Conclusion:

Fiber may not always be the most glamorous nutrient, but it is truly the backbone of a healthy digestive system. Fortunately for us, digestive wellness in Indian cuisine are woven together.  The challenge lies in resisting the shift toward overly refined foods—which is absolutely fine if eaten once in three  to four months. By choosing traditional staple food daily, we can improve digestion, support gut health, and enjoy the many protective benefits of fiber thus maintaining both our digestive wellness and Indian cuisine. So, the next time you prepare your meal, remember: a bowl of dal, a handful of vegetables, and a whole grain roti are not just comfort food; they are also the recipe for a healthy gut.