How much fiber should an elderly person eat daily?

　　One type is soluble, such as pectin, gum and viscose. They are soluble in water and are mainly found in fruits and vegetables.； The other type is insoluble, such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are mainly found in coarse grains (corn, millet, wheat, etc.).

　　Quite a few elderly Some people think that the more they eat, the better. Some people even make it their staple food instead of eating meat, fish, and eggs. This approach is very worrying. The gastrointestinal function of the elderly is weak, and eating too much crude fiber will cause a series of problems. It is recommended that the intake must be appropriate.

　　What are the disadvantages of eating too much?

　　Dietary fiber has an adsorption effect and can take away toxic substances in the human body, so it can relieve constipation and prevent intestinal disease It also has many functions such as lowering cholesterol, preventing the formation of gallstones, and assisting in the treatment of diabetes. However, because its adsorption is not selective, if it is taken in too much, it will increase the excretion of inorganic salts such as iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, and sodium in the body, affecting the absorption of nutrients.

　　How much is appropriate?

　　In general, a normal person's daily intake of 25-30g of dietary fiber is enough. For Chinese residents, it is roughly required that each person eats 250-400g of grains (including no less than 50g of whole grains), 300-500g of vegetables, 200-400g of fruits, and 30-50g of soybeans. In this way, the requirement of 25-30 grams of dietary fiber per person per day can be achieved. Calcium deficiency is common among the elderly. Therefore, the intake of dietary fiber must be more appropriate.

　　Especially for the elderly with weak gastrointestinal function, eating too much dietary fiber will promote intestinal peristalsis, thereby prolonging the time of digestion and absorption, increasing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, making it difficult for food to be fully digested and absorbed, and reducing the utilization of other nutrients, leading to malnutrition. As immunity declines, healthy will be threatened. It is worth noting that the convenience effect of dietary fiber is mostly suitable for patients with sluggishness. constipate For those with constipation caused by other reasons, eating more crude fiber foods will backfire and aggravate constipation symptoms.

　　How to eat reasonably?

　　Mix and match food, don’t eat whole grains three meals a day. You can add various beans to white rice. The beans need to be soaked in advance. Some beans need to be soaked for 12 hours, such as red beans and soybeans, which need to be soaked for at least 4-8 hours, so that they can be cooked together with the rice. You can also steam and eat rice, millet and corn together. You can also cook sweet potatoes or potatoes, or yams and rice together. Match the thickness, once a day, or a small bowl at a time. Don’t eat all vegetarian food and cereals. Eat some fish as part of your non-staple food. egg , lean meat is okay.