The importance of a Fibre-rich diet…
Updated: Feb 7, 2021
Research suggests that adding fibre to your diet can reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer (link). Fibre helps keeps a healthy digestive system and prevents the dreaded constipation.
What is Fibre and which foods can it be found in
Fibre is a plant-based carbohydrate that can’t be digested, which also means it has no calories and provides no nutrients or energy (link). Fibre ends up in the colon and helps produce friendly bacteria, which produces a lot of health benefits (see my article on cancer and the food we eat).
There is no fibre in meat, fish or animal products including dairy. Fibre can be found in lots of foods, such as Chia Seeds (34.4g of fibre per 100g), Popcorn (14.5g of fibre per 100g), Almonds (12.5g of fibre per 100g) Artichoke (8.6 g of fibre per 100g), Oats (10.6g of fibre per 100g). Surprisingly bananas offer very little in terms of fibre, with their 2.6g of fibre per 100g (link).
How much fibre should you eat
The recommended daily intake of fibre is 30g per day (link), so whilst you might get more bang for your buck with Chia seeds, it might be a bit much to eat 100g of chia seeds a day, so I suggest you mix and match with some of the food referenced above.