2 minute read
Health
Focus on fibre
Your lifestyle and your choice of foods can affect the way your body digests what you eat. We hear a lot about the health benefits of protein — but all too often, the pros of eating fibre go overlooked. Dr Marissa Kellaher explains how fibre can help boost your digestive health.
Crucial to gut health is our gut microbiome - the bacteria, yeasts, and viruses that live in our large intestine. Over 30,000 different species have been found in humans so far.
And the diversity of these is key - studies looking at our gut microbiome consistently show that the more different bacteria we have in our gut, the better our health is likely to be. Which leads us to fibre - which is the main food source for our ‘good’ gut bacteria. Research shows that the more different types of fibre we eat in our diet, the better our gut microbiome diversity becomes. Fibre isn’t just important for diversity - it also helps our gut bugs produce compounds called short chain fatty acids (SCFA). SCFA are incredibly beneficial, they: Help grow more healthy bacteria Suppress the growth of bad bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter Improve digestion and reduce pain Feed our gut cells, keeping them healthy and protecting them Reduce inflammation and help our immune system Improve metabolism, blood sugars, weight, and cholesterol
Reduce food cravings Protect our heart and brain
Reduce the risk of allergies Improve mental health Fibre is only found in whole plant foods. So, the more whole plant foods you eat, the better your gut health will be.
Eating more than 30 different types of plant foods each week is proven to create the healthiest gut microbiome and optimise SCFA production. This is where the 30+ rule you may have heard about comes from - trying to include 30 different plants in your diet each week.
The amount of fibre we eat is also important, try to aim for at least 30g of fibre each day. If you struggle with fibre, it’s often because you don’t have the gut bacteria needed to digest it, which causes bloating and gas. And as people often reduce fibre to try to improve gut symptoms it can lead to a vicious cycle - by restricting fibre we can wipe out healthy gut bugs in as little as two weeks.
To avoid this, start low and go slow to let your microbiome adjust. Start with high fibre veges and easy to digest whole grains like brown rice or quinoa, and seeds like chia and ground linseed Gradually increase how much you eat, and add in more diversity Legumes are often the hardest, start with small amounts occasionally and slowly build up Include fermented foods to help boost your gut microbiome
Probiotics may help in some cases, in particular with Irritable Bowel Syndrome Be aware that stress and lack of exercise can make bloating worse. And remember, like with most things change takes time, and small steady steps are the best way to achieve lasting success!
