We’ve all heard about the benefits of a high fibre diet including feeling fuller for longer, improving digestive health, reducing cholesterol levels and even reducing the risk of bowel cancer. So what is fibre exactly?
Fibre comes from plant materials, therefore animal products, like meat, dairy and eggs, do not contain any fibre. It is a material that our bodies cannot breakdown or absorb. Most people do not consume enough fibre in their diets as it is recommended we consume about 30g of fibre daily to keep our bodies, and digestive system especially, working properly. This doesn’t necessarily mean we all need to start the day with a huge bowl of All Bran! A balanced diet will provide you with plenty of fibre to keep your body happy. Below is a list of fibre sources so you can reach this recommended amount each day:
Fibre in Food (in grams)
1 bowl of porridge made with water = 3.1
50g red kidney beans = 3.2
2 slices white bread = 2.1
2 slices dark rye bread = 6.3
100g white pasta = 3.5
100g wholemeal pasta = 13
1 large apple (with skin) = 5.1
50g dried apricots = 3.7
1 medium baked potato with skin = 3.8
1 cup steamed broccoli, snow peas, carrot, and green beans = 6.3
1 45g serving of Bran Plus = 20.4
3 weetbix = 5.4
1 cup Fibre Plus cereal = 6.1
50g chick peas = 3.8
Other things you can do to increase your fibre intake is to always leave the skin on fruits and vegetables, to incorporate fruit or vegetables at every meal and to have a couple of vegetarian dinners a week. Not only will this increase your fibre intake, but also leave your feeling much healthier and lighter.
A diet rich in wholegrains, fresh fruits and vegetables will allow you to reach this recommended daily amount quite easily. Incorporating 2 cups of steamed mixed vegetables into your dinner will provide you with over a third of the daily amount. From the table of foods listed, you can see that fibre is also quite abundant in breakfast cereals, which is why breakfast is so important!
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