What do these 3 things have in common?

Hermione Granger; a comfy top you can wear at work and on the couch; fibre.

They are unsung heroines and the stuff of magic. ✨

"Beg your pardon? Fibre? Magic?"

Your skepticism is totally understandable. You probably associate fibre with...private alone time on the porcelain throne. 🙈

But we promise after reading this article, you'll think differently.

This article is here to lay it all out for ya. The magical benefits of fibre. How much fibre you need. A list of high fibre foods. And hot tips to get more fibre into your busy day. 🌶 

 

Quick Skim

1. WHAT IS FIBRE 

Fibre comes from plants. It's that rough, grainy part of the plant you can't digest. There are two types. And it's basically magic. ✨

What is fibre anyway?

Fibre is a complex carbohydrate. There are two types, insoluble and soluble fibre. And our bodies alone aren't equipped to digest either.

Hold up a minute: Were you aware that we don’t actually digest fibre❓❓

Why is everyone all high and mighty about a macronutrient you can't even break down? 🤷‍♀️

Because a large body of cohort studies have shown clear ties between eating fibre and reduced risks heart diseases, diabetes, and cancers of the digestive tract.

Not to mention it improves digestion, nourishes your gut, and is all kinds of wonderful for your lifespan, hair, skin, and nails.

Soluble Fibre vs. Insoluble Fibre

Soluble fibre breaks down into a gel-like substance in your digestive system. And it serves as a yummy treat for the good bacteria in your large intestines.

Insoluble fibre stays pretty much the same. With a grainy, rough texture all the way through you.

While our bodies can't digest either, the microbes in our guts do. 

In a true display of symbiotic camaraderie, our teeny pals break down the complex carbohydrates from soluble fibres (known as prebiotics) into simple sugars fit for humans!

Thanks microbial friends!  🙏🙏🙏

As you may have deduced, soluble and insoluble fibre serve different roles in your body, but some overlapping ones too. Here are their benefits at a glance:   

"Oh great, now I don't need to just worry about getting enough fibre, but enough of two sources??" 😱

We have good news. 

See, you don't really need to worry about getting enough of one or the other as long as your prioritize plants and variation in your diet.

Almost all edible plants have both types of fibre. But in varying proportions. For example:

Avocados are approx. 60/40 insoluble to soluble 🥑

Apples are approx. 70/30 insoluble to soluble 🍎

Oats are approx. 50/50 insoluble to soluble. 🌾

You can find a fairly extensive list here.

 

2. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FIBRE?

The benefits of fibre fall into 4 main buckets: keeping you ‘regular’; gut health; disease prevention; and a catch-all 'miracle pill' bucket.

Imagine we told you about a pill that would improve your gut health, keep your bowel in check, lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, regulate your bowel movements, give you healthy hair and nails, and increase your life span to boot? 💊

How much would you pay for my miracle pill? 💰 

$30?

$80?

$250??

Guess what, there’s no pill. 🙅‍♀️

And while it isn't ‘free’ it’s pretty easy to get. For all these benefits (and then some!) you just need to eat enough fibre!

No pills necessary.

i. Keeping You Regular

Dietary fibre makes your bowels healthy and happy. Because it brings the contents of your digestive tract together and firms/softens them up for smooth digestive sailing.

Imagine eating a sponge. 🧽

This sponge pulls together the formerly yummy food you ate, residing in your digestive tract. So that it passes through your bowels smooth and easy.

Oversimplification? Maybe.. But that's basically what eating enough fibre will do for you. 🌈

Fibre solidifies and softens stool as it moves through your lengthy set of digestive tubes. This process promotes regular and effortless bowel movements and reduces the time stool spends in your bowels. Amazing. ✨

Why is this so great? 🤔

Because pulling together and softening up the waste in your digestive tract significantly reduces your chances of constipation, hemorrhoids, gallstones, kidney stones, IBS, and inflammation in your intestine.

If you’ve never experienced one of these gastrointestinal disorders, then congrats, you are #blessed. If you want to keep it that way, then make sure you eat enough fibre! 😇

ii. Gut Health:

If you want a happy gut, then you need to give it what it wants: lots of fibre.

A frequently overlooked benefit of fibre is the wonders it does for your gut health. 

You may be wondering:

🤔🤔🤔

"What do you mean? Didn’t you just talk about 'gut health'?” 

Yes, and no. This section is about the benefits for your gut microbiome.

Your tummy’s microflora. 🦠

The teeny tiny bacteria in your belly that help you break down food and extract nutrients.

There are literally trillions of them living in your gut. All together, they can weigh 3-5lbs. And essentially act like another organ. ❤️

These microbial pals are essential for proper digestion. And, as it happens, fibre is the main fuel source for your teensy tummy friends.

You may remember from earlier, that bacteria chow down on prebiotics. They thrive on the stuff. And when these little pals thrive, you thrive.

So basically, imagine fertilizer for a garden. Where your dietary fibre is the fertilizer, and your gut microbiome is the garden. 🌷🌷🌷

Gut health is a topic for another day, but if you would like to learn more, make sure to check out some of these great resources:

Gut Microbiota for Health by ESNM

JustineDowdPhD

iii. Disease Prevention:

Arguably the greatest benefit to our fibrous pal. Fibre has been shown to decrease your risk of diabetes, certain cancers , and heart disease. 

Diabetes: 

Fibre and diabetes aren't friends. 🙅‍♀️

There have been a host of studies that show a statistically significant, causal relationship between diets high in fibre—especially unprocessed cereal—and the prevention of diabetes. 

While the 'how' isn't 100% agreed upon, it is thought that eating foods high in fibre slows the absorption of sugar and reduces spikes in blood sugar levels. Basically, it helps regulate your blood sugar levels.

Cancers:

Fibre reduces your chances of colon cancer. And there's research that shows dietary fibre might reduce your risk of breast, ovary, endometrial, and gastrointestinal cancer.

Again, the exact mechanisms for how fibre fights off cancers isn't 100%.

But at least part of the reason makes sense when you think about it. 🤔

Foods high in dietary fibre tend to be pretty healthy and loaded with vitamins and minerals. Generally these food sources have a lot more to offer than just fibre. 🥑

Heart Disease:

Remember cereal commercials way back when?

They were always about a middle-age fellow who was just told he needed to lower his cholesterol. And then a helpful cartoon bee would help him out with a bowl of magic cereal that would do just that. 🐝

But how could a bowl of cereal do such a thing??

Most folks agree, it's because of fibre. 

Which attaches to cholesterol particles and helps take them out of the body. Fibre also leaves you feeling fuller, longer. Which makes you less likely to overeat.

Both decrease your risk of heart disease. ❤️ 

iv. Miracle Pill Benefits

Want vibrant skin? healthy hair and nails? help with weight management? and long life?

This is the part of the article where you're converted into a believer.

Skin, Hair, and Nails

Healthy skin, hair, and nails are essentially happy byproducts of some of the other benefits fibre.

As we know, fibre promotes digestive and gut health. It allows your body to flush out toxins, and your gut microbiota to thrive. Which in turn helps you metabolize essential nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants.

Nutrients including lycopene, biotin, lutein, and vitamin C—the building blocks of structural proteins in your skin, hair, and nails (i.e. collagen).

And again, lots of foods rich in fibre are rich in nutrients and minerals needed for healthful skin, hair, and nails.

Weight Management

Fibre's role in weight control isn't hard to piece together. 

Foods high in fibre leave you feeling fuller, longer. Which, as you might imagine, reduces the amount of food you eat overall.

Not to mention fibre is a cool 0-4 cals per gram.

Or fibre!

 

Long Life

Studies show that you reduce your chances of mortality by 10% for every 10grams of fibre consumed per day. 🙌

Obviously there are diminishing returns to that equation. So please don't try to eat 100g of fibre per day to get to 100% reduction in mortality. 

Again, there are valid grounds for believing fibre is magic. But how it prolongs your lifespan is pretty intuitive when you think about it. Just reflect on what you've read so far. 🤔

Fibre improves digestive health, your gut microbiome, and reduces the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. And foods high in fibre tend to be really good for you too. So it's not exactly a great mystery as to why you might live longer if you eat enough of it.

Now please excuse us whilst we pig out on a whole bag of raw spinach. 🍃  

3. HOW MUCH FIBRE DO I NEED?

Between 25g to 38g. But, as with all things to do with nutrition, it depends.

Your age, gender, genetics, and whether you're pregnant or breastfeeding all play a hand in how much fibre you need.

That said, here is a handy chart with baseline targets. 👍

How Old Are You?	Guys	Gals	Non-Binary Pals
1 - 3	19g	19g	19g
4 - 8	25g	25g	25g
9 - 13	31g	26g	26g - 31g
14 - 18	38g	26g	26g - 38g
19 - 50	38g	26g	26g - 38g
51 - 70+	30g	21g	21g - 30g
*Pregnant	/	28g	0 - 28g
*Breast Feeding	/	28g	0 - 28g

Data Source: HealthlinkBC

 

4. CAN I EAT TOO MUCH FIBRE?

Yes. But you probably don't have to worry about that.

This is type of problem that you (probably) don't need to worry about.

Less than 5% of Americans get enough fibre.

And a much, much smaller amount get too much fibre.

There are two ways you might find yourself eating “too much fibre”. 

Too Much Fibre, Too Quick

This is a common pitfall for many well-intending individuals who make the leap to a plant based diet. 🌱

Meat is a pretty large source of calories for most people. So when you remove it from your diet, you're likely to substitute it with a small forest of fruits and vegetables (or bread...).

Loading your gut with two or three times as much fibre as you're used to is a recipe for gas and bloating. 🎈

If you happen to be making the transition to a plant based diet. Just remember to ease into it and get lots of water to help flush out the pipes. 😉

Way Too Much Fibre

This threshold varies from person to person (and expert to expert). But it apparently begins somewhere between 70-100g of fibre.

FYI you’d need to eat 50-60 large carrots in a day to get to “too much”.

Or 5-6 bags of Eve’s Crackers. I mean, our crackers are good but...good luck! 🙋‍♀️

5. HIGH FIBRE FOODS

Now that you’re convinced fibre is the bees knees I’ll bet you’re wondering where you can get some. 🐝

**Eve's Crackers**

Oh sorry! Finger slipped on a rogue spinach leaf on the keyboard...🍃

Here is a list of foods with good fibre content:

HIGH FIBRE FOODS	Portion	Fibre (grams
All bran cereals (any kind)	30 g	11
Black beans, cooked or canned baked beans	175 g	9 to 10
Hummus	175 g	7 to 11
Kidney beans, dark red, cooked	175 g	9
Soy nuts, roasted	175 g	7
Edamame/green soy beans, cooked and shelled	175 g	6
Lentils, cooked	175 g	6
Chickpeas, cooked	175 g	6
Pear, with skin	1 medium	5
Almonds, roasted	60 g	4
Apple with skin	1 medium	4
Green peas, cooked	125 g	4
Potato, with skin	1 medium	4
Split peas, cooked	175 g	4
Sunflower seed kernels, dried, hulled	60 g	4
Blackberries or raspberries	125 g	4
Blackberries or raspberries	125 g	4
Eve’s Crackers 🤎	25 g	3 to 4
Bread, sprouted grain	35 g (1 slice)	3 to 4
Oat Bran, prepared	175 g	3 to 4
Oatmeal (large oats), prepared	175 g	3 to 4
Bread, sprouted grain	35 g (1 slice)	3 to 5
Brussels sprouts	4 sprouts	3
Corn, carrot, or broccoli, cooked	125 g	2
Kiwi fruit	1 large	3
Peanut butter, natural	30 g	3
Peanuts, dry, roasted	60 g	3
Mango	1 fruit	3
Dates, dried	3 dates	2
Banana	1 medium	2
Flax seeds, ground	15 g	2
Whole wheat spaghetti, cooked	125 g	2
Whole wheat bread, commercial	35g (1 slice)	2

 Data Sourced from: HealthlinkBC

You may be looking at the list above, thinking:

"That's great for people who aren't keto, and eating gluten..."

So just for you, we've prepared a list of fibre rich foods that are more accessible for your dietary needs. 

GLUTEN FREE/ KETO FOODS RICH IN FIBRE	Portion	Fibre (grams)
Avocado	100 g	7
Artichoke	100 g	5
Almonds, roasted	60 g	4
Walnuts	60 g	4
Eve’s Crackers	25 g	3 - 4
Broccoli	100 g	2.6
Chia Seeds	7 g	2.5
Hemp Seeds	7 g	2.3
Flax Seeds	7 g	2
Tomato	175 g	2
Kale	100 g	2
Lettuce	100 g	1

It's not that tough to get these foods into your diet because many of them can be eaten alone. But, if you're looking to throw together a yummy fibre rich snack check out some of these recipes from our fav bloggers:

Chia Pudding 

Trail Mix

Green Smoothie

Guac 🥑

Curry Lentils

Power Packed Salad 

6. HOW TO GET ENOUGH FIBRE [10 Hot Tips]

1. Real food nutrition always trumps supplements. Fibre supplements lack the nutrients, vitamins, minerals and, variation in fibre of whole food options. 🥕

2. Skip the juice, go straight to the source. The fibre content might be next to nothing depending on the juice brand. 🍎

3. If you do opt for juice, make sure it still has that pulp. 🧃

4. Dark chocolate. Did you know a bar of high quality 70-85% dark chocolate can contain 11g of fibre? Who's been keeping this secret from us?? 🍫 

5. Prepare a readymade seed blend. Mix chia, flax, and hemp seeds together in a jar. You can add others, but these are a great start. Add to smoothies, salads, desserts, etc. for an extra dose of fibre, protein, and omegas! 🌱

6. Avoid processed foods. If it’s heavily processed, chances are most or all of the fibre content is gone. So swap white bread for whole grain. White rice for brown rice. 🍞

7. Avocados. A single avocado can pack 10-13g of fibre. We love them so much. 😭

8. Try to snack on raw veggies once a day. Ok, this tip isn't that hot. But you can get a third of your daily fibre intake in a cup or two of veggies. 🐰

9. Peels, please. The peel usually has most of the fibre content. Now, before you go munching down oranges and onions like they're apples, please consider this next hot tip. 🧅

10. Eve’s Crackers. The hottest tip of all! You didn’t think we’d write 2000 words without mentioning our own crackers? C’mon. Unlike banana peels, Eve’s Crackers are versatile, accessible for most diets, and delicious. And, dare we say...magic? ✨

7. The Finale

"I'm a believer!" 🙌

Is what we imagine you're thinking right about now.

It really makes you wonder though...why do only 5% of people get enough of this magical macro?? 🤔

C'mon people! Digestive health. Reduced risk of diseases. Gut health. Lower risk of cancers. Great skin, hair, and nails. Happy, healthy life. Literally.

Is there anything more you could want from one easily acquirable nutrient?

At any rate, we truly hope you learned something today and that you get enough fibre. Because it will help you live your best life. 🙌

Do you know someone in the 95% who needs to get more fibre? Feel free to share this article with them so they too can reap the rewards of fibre.