Fibre: An Essential Part of a Healthy Diet

Fibre is a type of carbohydrate that your body can’t digest and is essential for keeping digestion running smoothly. Adults should aim for 30g of fibre per day from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans. Slowly increasing intake over weeks lets your system comfortably adapt. If you suddenly increase your fibre intake you may experience a gurgly tummy – totally normal and usually short lived but to avoid this I recommend gradually building up over a couple of weeks. It usually takes that long to implement new habits anyway (e.g. increasing daily veg intake). Caution: if you have IBS or IBD you will need professional guidance from a Nutritional Therapist on how and when to increase your fibre intake – it is essential to improve your gut health but doing it at the wrong time or too quickly can worsen symptoms in these conditions.

Fibre Normalizes Bowel Habits

Soluble fibre found in foods such as apples, blueberries, oats, nuts, beans, lentils and chia seeds attracts water in the gut and mixes to form a gel-like consistency which softens and adds bulk to stool (very beneficial for constipation). While insoluble fibre found in wholewheat, brown rice, quinoa, legumes, leafy green veg and fruit passes through our digestive system intact. This helps move food through our system, promotes regularity of bowel movements (essential for good gut health) and helps reduce haemorrhoids and inflamed and irritable bowels. Both types of fibre are required for optimal health.

Vitally, fibre also lowers our risk of colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases. Research suggests this is due to the protective compounds produced in our digestive system by the beneficial microbes living in our large intestine that feed on the fibre.

Fibre Helps Control Blood Sugar

Soluble fibre prevents blood sugar spikes by slowing carbohydrate absorption from meals. Ensuring adequate fibre intake can be highly beneficial in diabetics and also lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in the first place. Fibre also contributes to keeping hunger at bay helping us reduce the risk of overeating – very helpful when trying to either lose or maintain a healthy weight!

Fiber Supports Heart Health

Fibre has been shown to support heart health by lowering LDL cholesterol and blood pressure levels as well as reducing the risk of heart disease risk factors such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and blood sugar dysfunction.

Fibre Linked to Living Longer

Multiple large studies associate higher dietary fibre intake with lower risk of mortality from heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases and more. Those eating the most fibre daily reduced mortality overall by 10-30%. Pretty impressive for a carb we can’t even digest!

Easy Ways to Boost Fibre Intake

Swap white rice for brown rice and bread for sprouted grain options. Choose whole fruits over juice and aim for mixed veggies at each meal. Ideally 50% of every meal should be made up of vegetables! Snack on nuts, seeds and veggies with bean dips.

Fibre supplements are available and can be a great addition to a healthy lifestyle I recommend focussing first on adding fibre via dietary intake from beans, vegetables and whole grains.

Remember: level up your health by filling at least half your plate with fibre-rich plant foods at each meal. An essential building block for healthy digestion and longevity that keeps you feeling your best every day.

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