So to get started – What is fibre?

Well fibre is a type of carbohydrate that we mainly find in plants, often in the walls of the cells of plants. Fibre is a very complicated structure, which is why it often takes very long to digest. This means it helps us to feel fuller for longer. Fibre is also great for our gut health as it helps to bulk out our stools and keeps everything moving through.

We have two main types of fibre. These are referred to as soluble and insoluble fibre.

Soluble fibre

Soluble fibre is the type of fibre that dissolves easily in water to form a gel-like substance. This type of fibre is great for making your stools softer and can feed those healthy gut bacteria. We find soluble fibre in foods such as oats, rye, barley, beans, lentils, potatoes, carrots, bananas, apples and strawberries.

Insoluble fibre

Insoluble fibre takes much longer to digest and often passes through the gut without being digested at all. I’m pretty sure we’ve all seen that sweet corn going in and coming out looking pretty similar… This insoluble fibre is the stuff that can help you feel fuller after a high fibre meal. And it can also add more bulk to your stools, helping for them to move through your gut more efficiently. Good sources of insoluble fibre include high fibre breakfast cereals, brown rice, the skins on fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds.

So next, what do we need fibre for?

Fibre and our weight

Well first of all, we already discussed this, but fibre can help us feel fuller after a meal. This is because it is quite bulky, and takes a while to digest, meaning it takes up more space in our stomach. By feeling more satisfied and full after a meal, we are naturally more able to control our portion sizes, and are less likely to feel hungry soon after a meal.

Fibre and colon cancer

Next, fibre helps to bulk out your stools, and helps them to move more quickly through your digestive tract. This is important, as it helps to reduce the time that waste products in your gut, helping to reduce your risk of damage to the gut wall. This is one of the reasons why higher fibre diets are associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.

Fibre foods and other nutrients

Another reason to include more high fibre foods is that these foods are often good sources of vitamins and minerals. Wholegrain foods especially are high in our b vitamins and antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium. And your fruits and veggies provide a whole host of important vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Fibre and our gut bacteria

And lastly, fibre is an important food source for the gut bacteria. We need our gut bacteria to help us with digestion and our immune system – and they also make a host of vitamins for us while they’re at it. So keeping them well fed with pre-biotic fibres, especially those soluble fibre foods, is vital.

So then, the question is, how much fibre do we need?

Most of us need 24-35g of fibre a day. However, to put this into simpler terms – in all fairness, the majority of people simply need MORE. However, do be cautious to gradually build up your fibre intake rather than increasing your fibre all at once. Your gut may need a bit of time to adjust, so increase a little day by day over the course of a few weeks. And do be aware that some people may be recommended to eat less fibre due to a medical concern – so always follow your own trusted healthcare professional’s advice over my advice in these videos!

Now, an example of a day of eating that would meet your daily fibre needs would be:

Breakfast

You have a bowl of porridge for breakfast with a spoonful of milled flaxseeds mixed in and a banana on top. 

Snack

Then you have an apple and a yoghurt as a snack. 

Lunch

You have a tuna sandwich on wholegrain bread and plenty of salad on the sandwich for lunch. 

Snack

You might have a handful of nuts as an afternoon snack.

Dinner

Then for dinner you have a jacket potato with fish and lots of colourful veggies on the side.

I’ll end this video with some super quick tips on how to include more fibre in your day:

• First of all, try not to skip breakfast. High fibre breakfast options are a great way to start the day with a high fibre meal.
• Include plenty of veg and fruit with each meal and snack.
• Snack on nuts – they are a great source of insoluble fibre.
• Add milled flaxseeds to your breakfast, soups, smoothies and yoghurts. Flaxseeds are a fantastic source of both soluble and insoluble fibre!

Make sure that you subscribe to my Youtube channel! And  if you hit that little bell button on my channel page, you will get notified when my next video comes out. I hope to catch you on my facebook, instagram, twitter and pinterest pages, where I’ll keep the conversation going until my next post.