The Amazing Stuff That Is FIBRE

I am passionate about gut health - in fact, I am an absolute gut nut! Once you start looking into the impact your gut and the bacteria (and all the other micro organisms) that live there have on your overall health and wellbeing (and I am talking both physical and mental health), you will understand why.

Let me in on a little secret: the single most important thing that the majority of us can do is…drumroll…introduce more fibre into our diet. That simple? Yep - it is!

First off, what exactly is fibre?

Dietary fibre is the edible parts of plants which cannot be broken down by digestion or absorbed in the small intestine. Instead, it moves along to the large intestine where it is completely or partially broken down by bacteria. In fact, fibre is the food our gut bacteria (the friendly critters) thrive on. It is also called “prebiotic” - you may have come across this term before.

The problem is that in the UK (and most of the Western world), the average fibre intake for adults is far too low. In the UK it is around 18g when it should be at least 30g. Check out one of the native tribes, the Hadza, in Tanzania where the daily intake is 100g and many of our Western chronic diseases are almost unheard of. Food for thought indeed.

Where to find fibre? The short answer is: plants! I always go on about plant diversity in our diet and this is exactly why. Plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, herbs, spices…they all provide their own unique mix of fibre.

Before you start shovelling fibre by the sack-load, remember to increase your intake slowly to avoid bloating and gas and allow your gut to adjust to the higher intake. If your colonies of fibre-munching bacteria are small, it will take them a while to get bigger. You may even be lacking certain species. This is why some people react more to certain types of food and prefer eating a diet low in those triggers. An example of this is a low FODMAP diet and I will write about this in more detail another time.

So, you need to establish a good colony of friendly critters who have the enzymes to break down the fibre. Enzymes are proteins which help break down elements in the body by starting chemical reactions - think of them as scissors that help chop things up. Humans only have 20 enzymes for this job, but the estimated number of enzymes our gut bacteria has runs into the tens of thousands. So, start slowly! You can also help things along by keeping hydrated.

When you make your next meal, have a look at how you can add more plants to your plate. A side salad? A portion of beans? Don't try to be perfect - just add helpings of vegetables, fruits, pulses, nuts and seeds as often as you can and your body will thank you for it.

PLEASE NOTE: if you suffer with IBD/colitis or related conditions, please seek the advice of your health care professional before changing your diet as a high fibre diet may be detrimental to your condition

#guthealth #fibre #fiber #microbiome #plantdiversity