If you’re Australian, chances are you’ve got a fibre problem.
83% of us aren’t getting enough of it. According to CSIRO we’re consistently missing the daily target of 25-30g of fibre per day.
It’s not hard to see why. After all, a cup of carrots equals seven grams of fibre and far too many of us aren’t coming close to the five servings of fruit and veg we should be getting everyday.
Your eyes may glaze over when people talk about fibre. We’ve been hearing about how we should eat more of it for years, but there’s a good reason you should pay attention. Fibre plays a huge role in helping to slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream and this means that you can stabilise your blood sugar levels protecting you from diabetes and metabolic disease. Get enough fibre and you’ll notice your food cravings will diminish and even disappear.
There are two main types of fibre: soluble and insoluble.
Soluble provides food for our gut bugs, regulates blood glucose and cholesterol, and also regulates food transit time. Insoluble fibre will help you to feel fuller for longer and eliminate toxins and waste. All plant-based foods contain both soluble and insoluble fibre.
And that’s where fruit and veggies come in. They’re amazing sources of fibre inside and out. In fact, it’s the outside where you’ll find the most of this good stuff. The skin of fruits and vegetables is where you’ll find fibre in abundance. Be sure to wash them, but do yourself a favour and keep the skin on. Unsure about which fruits and veggies you can do this with? Don’t worry. The answer is most. For veggies our go-to's are potatoes, carrots, zucchini, cucumber and beetroot. For fruit, give Kiwifruit, apples and pears a try.
Unsure whether you’re getting enough fibre? Here are some signs that you need to level up your intake;
- You get hungry soon after finishing a meal or snack
- You crave sweet and sugary foods
- You experience regular dips in your energy levels throughout the day
- Your bathroom habits range from too often (more than 3x per day), to not often enough (less than once per day)
- You wake up hungry at night
Here are six simple ways to vastly increase your daily fibre:
- Add lentils to mince dishes. Not only will this give you a fibre boost, it will add a delicious new texture to your food.
- Grate veggies into omelettes & scrambled eggs.
- Add veggies to smoothies. This one is bound to surprise you because much of the time you won’t even notice the taste. Cauliflower, zucchini and cucumber are some favourite smoothie veg for us.
- Cover half of your plate with vegetables at main meals. At first, this might seem difficult if you haven’t don’t it already, but pretty quickly you’ll find yourself missing those vegetables when you don’t do this.
- Snack on fruit. Concerned about fibre for you and your whole family. Keep a bowl of fruit within easy reach.
- Make yoghurt the ultimate fibre delivery device. Concerned you didn’t get enough fibre during the day, no sweat. Top yoghurt with fruit as a night time support.
