Fibre is one of the most overlooked nutrients, with many people focusing on protein, calories, fats and vitamins, which are all important too. But fibre plays a huge role in digestion, energy, heart health, blood sugar and weight management. And it doesn’t boast about it enough.
Fibre is so important, and yet most adults do not eat enough fibre every day. Modern diets contain so many processed foods and not enough fresh fruit and veg and whole grains. Adding more fibrous fruits into your diet is an easy and enjoyable way to improve your overall health without making dramatic or restrictive dietary changes.
Fruit is the easiest way to incorporate fibre. It’s sweet, easy to prepare, portable, and packed with many other nutrients.
Fibre is a type of carbohydrate found in plant foods. And funny enough, your body can not fully digest it!
Unlike starch and sugar, fibre just passes through your digestive system mostly intact. This may sound insignificant, but as fibre moves through the digestive tract, it helps to feed healthy gut bacteria, control blood sugar and support bowel health.
Soluble fibre dissolves in water and forms a gel substance in your gut.
Fruits high in soluble fibre include…
Doesn’t dissolve in water, but adds bulk to stool and helps food move through the digestive system.
Fruits high in insoluble fibre include…
Fibre helps to:
Fruit is particularly useful as it combines fibre with water, which helps digestion work smoothly.
Foods that are higher in fibre take much longer to digest. This means fibre can help reduce your hunger and keep you less hungry between meals. This means less snacking!
For example, eating an apple with peanut butter is FAR more filling than, say, a bag of crisps or a biscuit.
Fibre is amazing. It helps slow the absorbtion of sugar into your bloodstream. This helps with those rapid sugar spikes and crashes, giving you a more sustainable energy source and reducing fatigue. This is especially important for those with type 2diabetes or insulin resistance.
As mentioned prior, fibre increases your body’s feeling of fullness, meaning it may help people manage their calorie intake more naturally.
High fibre fruits are usually lower in calories yet help you stay fuller. They can help replace processed food snacks that don’t keep you satisfied.
| Group | Recommended Daily Fibre Intake |
|---|---|
| Adult women | Around 25g |
| Adult men | Around 30g to 38g |
| Children | Lower amounts depending on age |
Unfortunately, adults usually do not meet these goals.
Some people only consume 10-15g per day, especially if they eat a lot of processed foods.
| Fruit | Serving size | Fibre | Amount | Level |
|---|
Whole fruit contains the most fibre. This is because the fruit remains mostly intact, meaning digestion is slowed and the fibre remains in its insoluble state.
Fruit juice often contains little or no fibre.
It is also easier to consume large amounts of sugar quickly. For example, drinking orange juice may use several oranges, but you lose much of the fibre that would normally slow sugar absorption. Whole fruit is almost always the better choice for fibre.
| Time | Snack | Quantity | Approximate Fibre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Raspberries with oats | 1 cup raspberries | 8g |
| Mid-morning | Apple with skin | 1 medium | 4.5g |
| Lunch side | Kiwi fruit | 2 kiwi | 4g |
| Afternoon snack | Pear with skin | 1 medium | 5.5g |
| Evening snack | Blackberries and yoghurt | 1 cup blackberries | 7.5g |
| Dessert | 2 dates | Small serving | 3g |
A diet rich in fibre can support long term health while still being enjoyable and easy to maintain.
Start small and build your way up. Even a small change can make a difference.
