I’m always banging on about fibre. And for very good reason.
No one used to care about fibre, and I get it - it hardly had a glamorous reputation. It was known for helping you to ‘go’, and that was about it.
But how times have changed. We now know how much we’ve underestimated fibre, and just how important it is. I’m a whisker away from calling it a superfood if only such a thing existed.
Fibre is often considered the fourth macronutrient - ‘macro’ as in we need a lot of it, at least 30g of fibre a day for good health.
But. Here’s the problem. We have a massive fibre deficit.
In the UK, the average person eats only 18-20g of fibre a day, 40% less than the recommended amount.
In the US, the situation is even more dire, with as little as 15g of fibre a day, half what it should be.
This is very bad news for the gut microbiome, the gut, and overall health.
Last week I visited Harvard University in Boston for the kick-off meeting of a £20 million research grant I’m involved in, on colorectal cancer. And some of the stats shared were pretty frightening.
If you’re born after 1990, then you’re twice as likely to have colon cancer, and four times as likely to have rectal cancer.
Why someone gets colorectal cancer is highly individual, but not eating enough fibre is associated with a greater risk.
What is fibre?
Fibre is a type of carbohydrate, found in plant foods like whole grains, beans, fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds.
Unlike other carbohydrates your body isn’t able to digest fibre yourself, instead, it passes through your gut to your gut microbiome in the large intestine.
Your gut microbes thrive on fibre, they feed on it, breaking it down, and as they do this - they make special molecules that support your whole-body health.
We often think of fibre just as plant roughage, the tough, fibrous parts, but it's much more than that.
There are different types of fibre, and depending on the type they can act very differently in your gut.
Fibre has previously been separated into either insoluble and insoluble types, but this terminology is now rather out-dated.
Most foods contain many different types of fibres, and these fibre types can differ depending on their:
solubility - how well they dissolve in water
fermentability - how much your gut bacteria like to feed on them
viscosity - how well it forms a gel or ‘thickens’ when combined with water
Fibres that particularly feed your ‘good’ gut bacteria, are called prebiotic fibres.
Fibre helps how you feel right now…
Eating plenty of fibre helps to:
Have more energy for longer: fibre slows down the release of sugar into your bloodstream, that your body uses as energy
Promotes digestion: fibre helps to keep food moving through your gut, with regular bowel movements
Keep you feeling full for longer: fibre helps you feel satisfied after meals as it physically stretches your stomach, and encourages the release of gut fullness hormones
Healthy gut microbiome: feeds your gut microbes so that they produce healthy molecules that impact how you feel and your health
Fibre helps the future you too…
In 2015, the UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) found that for every 7g more of fibre eaten a day, is linked to a lower risk of:
Cardiovascular disease by 9%
Stroke by 7%
Colorectal cancer by 8%
Rectal cancer by 9%
Type II diabetes by 6%
How can you eat more fibre?
Choose the high-fibre heroes like beans, whole grains, and nuts and seeds (read more here)
Keep the skin on your fruits and vegetables (if edible!), such as kiwi fruit, potatoes, parsnips, and carrots.
Choose a fibre-rich sweet snack. We all crave something sweet now and then, and that's OK. Dark chocolate is surprisingly high in fibre, especially when paired with a small handful of dried fruit and nuts.
Add nuts and seeds to both sweet and savoury dishes—think breakfast bowls or as a crunchy topping for salads and avocado toast. Chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, wheat bran, and oat bran are particularly rich in fibre.
Chat soon, Emily xx
We can’t be reminded enough about this. I just went off and checked mine (on my food diary app - nutracheck) over the past few days - around 23g per day- and I eat healthy - mostly veggie or vegan - keeping skins on stuff, wholewheat pasta, etc but I struggle to get near 30g unless I’m focused on it. I don’t want to eat too many nuts because of the calories and saturated fats. Tonight I’ll be adding a portion of peas to my meal. Thank you