What is Fibre?
Fibre is the non digestible part of whole carbohydrates like vegetables, whole grains, beans etc. There are two types: soluble and non soluble.
Soluble fibre dissolves in water to form a gloopy jelly like substance. Think about how whole porridge oats create that thickness to the milk when you cook them. This ‘gloop’ helps slow down digestion, keeping you feeling fuller for longer, reducing blood sugar spikes and helping with lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Non Soluble fibre doesn’t dissolve and so helps food to move through your digestive system avoiding constipation. It is also food for your gut bacteria. Keeping them well fed has multiple health benefits.
Why should I eat fibre?
Eating a diet high in fibre helps with regular bowel movements, blood sugar control, a healthy gut micro biome, lower cholesterol levels, improvements in heart health and is associated with lower risk of some cancers.
What foods do I get fibre from?
Vegatables and fruit, preferably with the skin left on. You can eat the skin on kiwi fruit for instance. Whole grains like whole oats, quinoa, brown rice, legumes like beans and lentils, seeds and nuts. Some foods are higher than others, raspberries have more fibre than strawberries for instance. So it’s important to always eat a wide variety of different foods, don’t just stick to one type of nut, eat walnuts, pistachios, almonds, pine nuts, peanuts, pecans etc Make up a mix of different seeds and sprinkle on to porridge, soups, salads etc
How much fibre should I eat?
The guidelines say that women should eat 25g of fibre per day and men should have 35g. Most people don’t get enough so focus on slowly adding in extra fibre. Switch white rice for brown, switch some animal protein for plant protein like beans. Also see where you can add in extra veg like adding extra veg and beans to a casserole, stirring spinach into soup, sprinkle a mix of seeds onto almost anything!
Do this slowly and make sure you drink plenty of water and keep your body moving. Suddenly adding in loads of fibre without extra water and/or movement can lead to constipation and trapped wind.