🧠Salad isn't (always) all it's cracked up to be
Lettuce contains surprisingly little fibre for your gut bacteria
The best thing you can do for your gut bacteria?
Eat more fibre, the roughage of plant foods like fruit, veg, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
Fibre feeds your ‘good’ gut bacteria, so they can make special molecules for your health called short-chain fatty acids.
Fibre also keeps you feeling full for longer by slowing the release of sugar into your bloodstream - balancing your blood sugar levels.
Some plants have far more fibre than others, and I think you’ll be surprised which ones…
Take a moment to visualise what you think the ultimate gut health meal is, is it a big bowl of salad?
Salads are synonymous with health - you’d be hard-pressed to find a stock photo of a nutritionist or dietitian who isn’t smiling next to a salad or fruit bowl (and usually a tape measure too).
And I get it, we do need to promote eating more fruit and veg.
But when it comes to gut health, and reaching your 30g of fibre a day, salad isn’t the ultimate mecca of gut health foods.
Of course, it depends on what’s in the salad - and it’s the lettuce that I’m really talking about.
Lettuce is surprisingly lower in fibre than many other veggies - even though it feels fibrous with lots of crunching and chewing.
Let’s look at two common salad ingredients, and compare their fibre content to some other veg.
Lower fibre veggies:
Cos or Romaine lettuce 1.8g/100g
Cucumber 0.5g/100g
Let’s say you have some salad with your meal as a side. A cup of salad leaves weighs about 35g - so that’s about 0.6g of fibre you’re getting. Not that much.
Even if you doubled that to make your salad a main meal, it’s still not as large a fibre-punch as you’d expect.
What you add to your salad does make a difference, like these higher fibre veggies.
Higher fibre veggies:
Avocado 6.7g/100g
Artichoke 5.7g/100g
Green peas 4.5g/100g
Brussels sprouts 4.1g/100g
Kale 4.1g/100g
These are the true fibre heroes
I’m all about making small tweaks to what you eat to make it easy to reach your 30g of fibre a day - for your gut bacteria and your health.
Add these to your salads, or don’t - but either way - make them a key feature of what you eat each day, and your gut bacteria will thank you.
Whole-grains
Some top whole grain hitters include pumpernickel rye bread (just one slice is 6g of fibre!), rye crackers, and bran like wheat bran, oat bran, and barley flakes.
Wheat bran 44.5g/100g
Oat bran 16.1g/100g
Rye crackers 14.3g/100g
Oatcakes 10.4g/100g
Popcorn 10.1g/100g
Pumpernickel bread 9.6g/100g
I mean look…just look…at how much more fibre whole grains contain compared to veggies.
Don’t get me wrong, vegetables are fantastic for your health.
But if you want to easily get in enough fibre into your day - eating whole grains is really where it’s at.
Beans and legumes
Beans are a fantastic source of fibre too.
Take a look at these numbers…
Pinto beans 9g/100g
Black beans 8.7g/100g
Split peas 8.3g/100g
Lentils 7.9g/100g
Chickpeas 7.6g/100g
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are particularly versatile and great fibre add-ins, even if we don’t eat them in as large quantities as whole grains or beans.
Sprinkle on top of your breakfast, toast, and add to salads, have as a mid-afternoon snack with a piece of fruit.
Chia seeds 34.4g/100g
Flaxseeds 27.3g/100g
Almonds 12.5g/100g
Sesame seeds 11.6g/100g
sunflower seeds 11.1g/100g
If you’re a salad fan, then how about adding some whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds for an extra fibre boost?
And if you’re not a salad person - then you can still easily reach your 30g of fibre a day for your health by including other fibre-rich foods.
And in defense of lettuce, it is still a nutrient powerhouse with plenty of bioactive compounds for your health - even if it’s lacking on the fibre front a little.
Chat soon, Emily xx
got it! really clear to follow and take in. (Such a relief.) Really makes me feel that eating well is achievable and I needn't feel overwhelmed.