Roughage: The process is detailed by Paul McNeil, Ph.D., and Katsuya Miyake, Ph.D., in the early online issue of Public Library of Science Biology. McNeil and Miyake work at the Medical College of Georgia, located in Augusta, Ga. “When you eat high-fiber foods, they bang up against the cells lining the gastrointestinal tract, rupturing their outer covering,” McNeil explains, in a Medical College of Georgia news release. “What we are saying is this banging and tearing increases the level of lubricating mucus. It’s a good thing,” he adds.
It’s a good idea to incorporate lots of fiber into your diet to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. Getting fiber from a variety of foods is best because eating too much from one source might not give you all the benefits of a healthy balanced diet. Many Americans do not get enough fiber the average adult only eats 15 grams of fiber per day according to the Harvard School of Public Health. This is well below the daily recommended amount needed for optimal health recommended by Dietary Reference Intakes.
Roughage Definition
Roughage, or fiber, refers to the carbs in plants that your body cannot digest. This article uses the terms roughage and fiber interchangeably.
Once roughage reaches your large intestine, it’s either broken down by your gut bacteria or exits your body in your stools. There are two main types of fiber — soluble and insoluble. Most foods high in roughage contain a combination of these but are usually richer in one type.
In the gut, soluble fiber absorbs water to become gel-like. This allows your gut bacteria to break it down easily. Chia seeds and oats are both high in soluble fiber.
In contrast, insoluble fiber has a more rigid microscopic structure and does not absorb water. Instead, it adds bulk to stools. Fruits and vegetables contain high amounts of insoluble fiber.
You should try to eat 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you consume per day. That’s about 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Unfortunately, only about 5% of people reach this recommendation.
Roughage Foods
Fiber is found naturally in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. How much fiber will you get from different foods? Here’s a list from the USDA:
- Navy beans, 1/2 cup, cooked: 9.5 grams
- 100% bran cereal, 1/2 cup, ready to eat: 8.8 grams
- Sweet potato, medium-sized and baked, including peel: 4.8 grams
- Whole-wheat English muffin: 4.4 grams
- Mixed vegetables, 1/2 cup: 4.0 grams
- Raspberries, 1/2 cup, raw: 4.0 grams
- Apple, medium-sized, including skin: 3.3 grams
- Whole-wheat spaghetti, 1/2 cup, cooked: 3.1 grams
- Banana, medium-sized: 3.1 grams
- Broccoli, 1/2 cup, cooked: 2.8 grams
- Collard greens, 1/2 cup, cooked: 2.7 grams
What Is Roughage
Roughage, also known as fiber or bulk, is a fibrous indigestible compound that your body can’t absorb. It aids in the passage of food and waste products through the gut. Fiber is usually associated with bowel regularity, intestinal disorders, and decreased risk of developing diverticulitis, but roughage is beneficial to overall health as well. Fiber is found in many fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes, nuts and seeds.
The fiber found in whole grains is generally insoluble, or does not dissolve in water, and adds water and bulk to stools. Consequently eating whole grains is an excellent way to treat chronic constipation and alleviate the discomfort of diverticulitis. Finding whole grains isn’t difficult; just read the nutrition facts on the back of cereals, bread, and pasta at the grocery store. For instance, USDA Branded Food Products Database says that whole-wheat pasta contains about 6 grams of dietary fiber. That’s more than a fourth of your daily minimum requirement, which is 25 grams per day for women; 38 grams for men, according to the Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. For optimum benefits from fiber, choose whole-wheat bread that contains 2 grams or more of fiber.
Low Roughage Diet
Beans are naturally high-fiber food and should be a staple in your diet. Legumes are a source of soluble fiber or fiber that dissolves in water. Soluble fiber has been associated with significant decreases in unhealthy cholesterol and is good for protecting your heart health. And, the fiber in beans makes them filling, helpful for weight control. Add beans to soups, casseroles, and salads for easily added fiber.
For even greater health benefits, replace red meat with legumes. Beans may be beneficial in lowering your risk of breast cancer, according to a 2018 study published in Cancer Medicine. From the findings from 2,135 breast cancer cases, the conclusion verified that fiber-rich foods, such as beans, may lower the risk of aggressive breast cancer.
Fruits and vegetables are not only high in roughage but also contain natural vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, such as vitamin A and vitamin C. Raw fruits and vegetables are the best sources of fiber, so try to make salads a part of your everyday diet. Fruits with the highest fiber content include: pears, with 6 grams of dietary fiber and supplying 24 percent of your daily value; kiwi fruit, with 4 grams of fiber and meeting 16 percent DV; and apples with 5 grams of fiber and meeting 20 percent DV, says the FDA Food Guidance Regulations.
Vegetables are also a top choice for adding fiber to your diet. And there is the added benefit that most vegetables don’t contain significant amounts of saturated fat, trans fat, or cholesterol. Some vegetables that offer the highest dietary fiber content is sweet potatoes, broccoli, and green snap beans. It is a good idea to avoid canned fruits and vegetables because they are high in sugar and salt and may have fewer nutrients because of the canning process.
Roughage Diet
A nut is simply dry fruit with the seeds inside. There are many types of nuts including almonds, pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashew nuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, and pistachio nuts. Some common varieties of seeds include sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, sesame chia, flaxseed, and caraway that are considered roughage.
A one-ounce serving of nuts or seeds, roughly equal to a handful, provides 9 to 39 percent of the DV for fiber, which is 25 grams per day, according to MyFoodData. Chestnuts offer more fiber than most nuts with 4 grams in 10 nuts, supplying 17 percent DV. Examples of fiber content in other nuts include almonds, with 3.5 grams of fiber per ounce, and sunflower seeds, with 3.9 grams of fiber per quarter-cup. Chia seed contributes a whopping 39 percent of DV for fiber per ounce.
Is roughage a nutrient?
Dietary fiber is a plant-based nutrient that is sometimes called roughage or bulk. However, on its journey, fiber does a lot of work. The term “dietary fiber” refers to the indigestible parts of plant-based foods.
What is roughage with an example?
Roughage is basically edible fiber. It has the capacity to resist the enzymes of the human digestive system. It helps in the proper elimination of waste products. examples are whole grains like oats and vegetables like carrot and cucumber.
