“It still feeds a part of our body – it feeds our microbes and our large intestines,” she says.
“Soluble fibre will pull water into your digestive tract to help create that softening and more movable bowel movement. Insoluble fibre doesn’t necessarily draw water in, but creates the bulk.
“What we’re trying to feed is our gut bacteria. It’s so important, and we’re learning more and more about how much having a healthy balance of gut bacteria feeds into cardiovascular health, weight management, mental health.
“It’s also so important to actually move things through our body.”
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. Registered nutritionist and founder of Elo Wellbeing Emma Wylie. Photo / Supplied
Men and women have slightly different requirements when it comes to fibre intake, Wylie says.
“For females, about 25g is the minimum that we want to have per day, and for men, it’s about 30g, so a little bit more. For children, about 14g is the starting point.”
You can start introducing fibre to children’s diets from the time they start solids.
“In pregnancy, it’s still around the same – 25 to 30g, and for elderly [people], about 20 to 30g.”
Where to get fibre
Any plant-based food will have some fibre, as long as it hasn’t been overly processed, Wylie says.
“If you think about biting into an apple, that peel is a fibre layer, and when you bite into it, that’s roughage – that’s the piece we can’t break down and digest.
“When we chew an apple, we release the juice and the energy and all of those sorts of things. The fibre never actually gets absorbed, but we still eat it.”
Naturally fibrous foods include fruits and vegetables, oats, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, which can be incorporated into each meal of the day.
“Fibre-rich foods at breakfast that might be common or thoughtful to add in would be spinach or tomato if you’re having eggs, or spinach in a smoothie,” Wylie suggests.
Adding fruit, nuts and seeds to porridge can help boost its fibre content. Photo / 123rf
“Fruit is a really easy one; berries in a smoothie, banana, oats. If you’re having muesli or porridge, seeds like chia seeds and hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds, nuts, peanut butter.”
The way you prepare or process plant foods matters when it comes to their fibre content.
“If we think about a smoothie, you’re going to have all of those fruit skins in there, and nothing leaves the smoothie blender. But if you have a juicer, what you’re stripping away is the fibre, so you’re losing all of that. That’s why smoothies often will keep you feeling fuller for longer – they’ve got that little bit more fibre, and are super helpful for the gut.”
To boost your fibre intake at lunch or dinner, Wylie suggests adding some salad vegetables, vegetable sticks or a piece of fruit to your meal.
“We’re pretty good at having veggies at dinner – stir-fries, salads, roasted. It doesn’t just have to be boiled. Adding nuts and seeds to main meals can help as well.”
Too much fibre – or not enough
“If we are not having regular bowel movements, that’s a very good sign that something might be up with our fibre intake,” Wylie says.
If you’re not having a bowel movement at least once a day, it could mean you’re having too much or too little fibre.
Too much fibre can result in bloating, gut issues or digestive tract blocking long-term.
“There is a point where too much fibre just means that we’re going to fill up on not enough nutrient-rich foods, essentially,” Wylie says.
“Fibre typically comes from plant foods… if we are leaning to more of those sorts of foods, it might mean that there isn’t enough room in the diet for protein or fats.”
To overdo it, you’d have to be eating too many vegetables and other fibre-rich foods and not enough other food groups.
“As long as you’re having anywhere from one to four serves of veggies in each meal, that’s amazing – a serve being half a cup.
“And as long as you’re drinking enough water during the day, that should be plenty to help keep things moving.”