Fibre Facts

Today’s blog post follows up from the latest blog post, talking about carbohydrates. If you missed the information from the last post, you can find it here. Today we are talking all about fibre.

Fibre is a type of carbohydrate that our bodies cannot digest. Fibre can be found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods such as whole grain breads or cereals, oats, barley, nuts and seeds, and beans, peas, and lentils.

Although we can’t digest fibre and get energy from it when we eat it, it plays an important role in our health. These health benefits include keeping bowel movements regular, helping us to feel full after meals, regulating our blood sugar, and can help to lower cholesterol levels. Research indicates that eating a fibre rich diet can decrease the risk for colorectal cancers.

There are two main types of fibre in our diets, soluble fibre, and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre helps draw water in and can slow down digestion. This slowing of digestion helps to keep us more full and can prevent sugars from being absorbed in our bodies to regulate blood sugar. Soluble fibres may also bind to some fats before they are absorbed and help lower cholesterol in the body.

Insoluble fibres help to bulk stool and move waste products through the body. Insoluble fibre helps prevent constipation and other digestive issues that may also be seen with constipation such as hemorrhoids and diverticula (small pouches that can form in the intestines and become inflamed in a condition called diverticulitis). Chronic constipation can impact colon cancer risk so preventing constipation may be beneficial.

Health Canada recommends consuming between 25-38g of fibre daily. It’s recommended to have sources of both soluble and insoluble fibres. Most Canadians are only meeting about half of these fibre recommendations. 

Here is the breakdown of fibre in the same example of meals from our carbohydrate blog

Breakfast: 1 cup cooked oatmeal (5g), 1 medium apple (4g), 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp almond butter (2g), cinnamon, 1 cup milk or soy milk (0.5g) 

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich with 2 slices whole grain bread (4g), 5 slices turkey deli meat, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, mayonnaise, 1 medium pear (5.5g), ¾ cup yogurt, 1 granola bar (1g) 

Supper: 1 cup cooked pasta (5g), ½ cup tomato pasta sauce (2g), 4 meatballs (1.5g), ½ cup garden salad (1g) with 1 tbsp salad dressing, ½ cup ice cream 

Snack: 1 cup blueberries (4g), ¼ cup trail mix (2.5g) 

This would give us a total of 38g of fibre throughout the day fitting with Health Canada’s recommendations. To meet needs, I would recommend aiming for 10g of fibre per meal and adding in some high fibre snacks. See the list below for some higher fibre foods that you can add into your day.

Other examples of fibre containing foods to add to your day:

Chia seeds: 1 tbsp = 4g of fibre

Flax seeds: 1 tbsp, ground = 2g fibre

Chickpeas: ½ cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed: 5g fibre

Black beans: ½ cup = 8g fibre

Lentils: ½ cup = 4.5g fibre

Raspberries: 1 cup = 8g fibre

Avocados: ½ avocado = 4.5g fibre

Potatoes: 1 medium baked russet potato = 4g fibre

Barley: ½ cup cooked barley = 2g fibre

If you are looking for more individualized information on how to add more fibre into your day, schedule an appointment with me here.