Change the Start of Your Day! The Relationship Between Dried Vegetables and Dietary Fiber

Thinking about "how to get dietary fiber" with dried vegetables

Lately we often hear voices saying, "I eat breakfast, but somehow my mind doesn't work in the morning." Especially with people whose workday starts early, we get the impression that they are being tossed around by the waves of their physical condition.

Such morning slumps may not be mere lack of sleep or fatigue butmay be caused by wild swings in blood sugar, it is said. What you eat in the morning, and in what order. This actually has a considerable effect on concentration and energy maintenance. That said, mornings are short on time, so you often can't spend much time on it.

This article explains in detail the types and workings of dietary fiber and efficient ways to take it in using dried vegetables. Touching on the gap between the recommended intake shown by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the reality for Japanese people, we convey practical methods for bringing in dietary fiber from breakfast.

Know the types and workings of dietary fiber

Features of soluble dietary fiber

Soluble dietary fiber has the property of dissolving in water and becoming gel-like. Representative ones includeinulin, contained in burdock and onions;pectin, abundant in fruit;alginic acid, contained in seaweeds.

Soluble dietary fiber is drawing attention for its role as a prebiotic that becomes food for beneficial bacteria in the gut. It also has an action of gently raising post-meal blood sugar, and bringing it into breakfast helps maintain morning performance. A role in suppressing cholesterol absorption has also been reported, and it is involved in preventing lifestyle-related diseases.

The fructan contained in onions is also a type of inulin, and it has been confirmed to work to increase bifidobacteria in the gut.Dried onionis one of the ingredients that lets you efficiently take in soluble dietary fiber.

Features of insoluble dietary fiber

Insoluble dietary fiber has the property of not dissolving in water and absorbing moisture in the gut to swell. Representative ones arecellulose, contained in grains and vegetables;hemicellulose, abundant in legumes;lignin, contained in burdock and cocoa.

It stimulates the gut, promotes peristalsis, increases stool bulk, and promotes defecation. Dried burdock in particular is rich in lignin, an insoluble fiber, and can be expected to work to regulate the gut environment. Dried shiitake also contains beta-glucan, a type of chitin, and support for immune function is also hoped for.

Because insoluble dietary fiber also has an effect of sustaining fullness, bringing it into breakfast also leads to reducing snacking until lunch. It is a nutrient also suited to those conscious of dieting and weight management.

The balance of soluble and insoluble is important

Soluble and insoluble dietary fiber each have different roles. Rather than taking only one,taking both in a good balanceleads to improving the gut environment and controlling blood sugar. As a guide, a ratio of "2 insoluble : 1 soluble" is recommended. By combining several kinds of dried vegetables, it is possible to naturally approach this balance.

Why blood sugar gets disrupted at breakfast

The effect of a carbohydrate-centered breakfast

In the morning you buy bread or rice at a convenience store and eat it on your way to work. Or, even eating at home, you finish with only a carbohydrate-centered menu. This is an eating pattern everyone has experienced. Yet it is not uncommon for it to be the cause of the subsequent ”drowsiness” and ”fogginess.”

When sugar is absorbed rapidly in the body, a large amount of insulin is secreted and blood sugar drops all at once. That drop affects performance. In fact, voices saying concentration breaks after breakfast are very common, whether at the workplace or at school.

A breakfast of only a convenience-store rice ball or sweet bread in particular tends to have a high proportion of carbohydrates. When protein, fat, and dietary fiber are lacking, the buffer that prevents a sudden rise in blood sugar disappears. Just adding dried vegetables here greatly improves the nutritional balance of breakfast.

The role dietary fiber plays in blood-sugar control

Taking a food containingDietary fiberat the start of a meal forms a gel-like barrier in the stomach and slows the absorption rate of carbohydrates. This suppresses a sudden rise in post-meal blood sugar and also prevents excessive insulin secretion. The so-called "veggies first" way of eating uses this mechanism.

Why dried vegetables contain glucose

The reality of dietary-fiber intake among Japanese people

The gap between recommended intake and average intake

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020 edition)" sets the target intake of dietary fiber at21g or more/day for adult men and 18g or more/day for adult women. However, according to the 2019 (Reiwa 1) "National Health and Nutrition Survey," the average intake among Japanese people stays at about 14g.

In other words,many people are short by about 4–7g of dietary fiber per day, the calculation shows. As a means of making up this shortfall without strain, dried vegetables are very effective.

(Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020 edition)" and "2019 National Health and Nutrition Survey Results")

What happens if the shortfall continues

When dietary-fiber intake is chronically insufficient, it becomes prone to causing constipation and a worsening gut environment. Furthermore, it is pointed out that wild swings in blood sugar become routine and the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes rises. Because a worsening gut environment also leads to lowered immunity, it is a problem directly tied to daily health management.

In particular, when a life of skipping breakfast, or finishing with a carbohydrate-only breakfast, continues, the opportunities to take in dietary fiber decrease substantially. Consciously taking in dietary fiber at breakfast is indispensable from the standpoint of long-term health management too. Using dried vegetables, it is entirely possible to make up the lacking 4–7g with a single breakfast dish.

Compare dietary-fiber amounts by vegetable

A table of dietary-fiber amounts in fresh and dried vegetables

Dried vegetables have, by the amount of moisture removed,concentrated nutrientsas a feature. The table below compares the fiber amounts of fresh and dried, based on the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (Eighth Revised Edition).

Dried vegetables let youmake up dietary fiber equivalent to a plate of fresh-vegetable salad by adding just 5–10g. Because the efficiency per weight is high, they are perfect for adding to breakfast.

The top 5 dried vegetables rich in dietary fiber

Concrete ways to use them at breakfast

Add to miso soup and soups

The easiest way to use dried vegetables is to put them straight into miso soup or soup.There is no need to rehydrate them in water the day before; just putting them in the pot together with hot water or dashi makes them ready to eat in minutes.Dried cabbageor a pinch of dried spinach lets you easily add dietary fiber and vegetable nutrition.

Using a soup jar, you just put in dried vegetables and instant miso and pour hot water. You can enjoy warm, veggie-packed miso soup even at the office. A combination of kiriboshi daikon, dried wakame, and dried negi lets you take in both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber in good balance. Being able to keep it up daily without getting bored by changing the ingredients is also a point.

Mix into yogurt and smoothies

Powder-type dried vegetableslet you boost dietary fiber just by mixing them into yogurt or a smoothie.Carrot powderandSpinach powderhave little off-flavor and go well with dairy and fruit. Even 1 teaspoon (about 3g) lets you take in dietary fiber equivalent to 20–30g in fresh-vegetable terms.

Mix into oatmeal and porridge

Adding dried vegetables to oatmeal or porridge adds not only dietary fiber but also color and texture. Chopping kiriboshi daikon finely and adding it, or adding dried mushrooms, also brings out umami—two birds with one stone. Because it is done just by heating in the microwave, it can be prepared within 5 minutes even on a busy morning.

Add 5g of dried vegetables to 30g of oatmeal, add water, and heat in the microwave for 2 minutes. Dissolve in miso to finish, and a fiber-packed Japanese-style risotto breakfast is complete.List of dried-vegetable productsChoose your favorite vegetables and give them a try.

See our collection of recipes using dried vegetables here

Needs are also expanding for OEM and commercial use

Product development appealing to dietary fiber

Such "proposals for dietary fiber through dried vegetables" are drawing rising interest in the B2B domain too. They are especially suited to companies like the following.

• Food manufacturers developing products for breakfast
• Companies considering gifts andFood OEMthat emphasize health functions
• Brands that need differentiated products appealing to vegetables and fiber
• Businesses that want to propose nutrition-enhanced menus for school lunches and staff cafeterias

Agriture's capabilities

At Agriture, we handleDomestic, additive-freeDried vegetablesWe carry out OEM manufacturing and small-lot support based on it, and form selection according to the use (dice, slice, powder) is also possible. We also accommodate consultations on product designs that make dietary-fiber content an appeal point.

dry processingIn our process, we manage things to preserve nutrients including dietary fiber as much as possible through low-temperature drying. Through the use of off-spec vegetables, we also contribute to food-loss reduction, achieving sustainable raw-material procurement.sustainableraw-material procurement.

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Dietary fiber: set it in order from the morning

The strength of dried vegetables, which can be taken efficiently in small amounts

We often hear the need to "have people eat more vegetables." But in the morning hours, it won't last unless it is a ”simple, quick” method.

Using dried vegetables well lets you design a way todeliver vegetables and dietary fiber without strain. Precisely because the moisture is removed and the nutrients are concentrated, a pinch can be expected to have a big effect.

High storability also suits breakfast

Because dried vegetables can be stored at room temperature for several months, there is no worry about vegetables spoiling in the refrigerator. Since you can take out just the amount you need, it also leads to reducing food loss. In single-person or small households, it is not uncommon to buy fresh vegetables and discard them without using them up. With dried vegetables, you use just what you need and store the rest as is.

Product design, menu development,OEM proposals. At every site, the use of dried vegetables as a means of "setting things in order" in the morning should grow ever more important going forward.

Recommended reading

Commercial dried vegetables / dry processing / Contract processing / Product list / sustainable

We have materials available to help you understand dried processing OEM

Agriture OEM, flexibly handling everything from small lots to large lots

• OEM supported from 100 g of existing raw material
• Drying of brought-in raw materials also possible
• Support from processing to filling in one place

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