How well do you know your fibre types?

I’m here to tell you there are 3 different types and they all help us in some interesting ways?

The first of our fibres is insoluble fibre – it attracts water softening the contents of our bowels to help keep them moving, it assists also in keeping us full and supporting our gut bugs. Insoluble fibre is found in: whole grains, the skin of fruit and vegetables and nuts/seeds.

Soluble fibre works to slow our rate of digestion (in this case this is a good thing!), keeping us feeling fuller for longer, lowering cholesterol and stabilising our blood sugar levels. Soluble fibre is found in oats, barley, legumes, fruit and vegetables.

Finally resistant starch, which is not actually digested – it is resistant to digestion! Instead it acts as fuel for our good gut bugs in the large intestine. Resistant starch is found in all starchy foods, however some good sources are legumes, under ripe bananas and interestingly cooked and cooled pasta, rice and potatoes. 

The daily fibre recommendations for healthy males 19+ is 30g/day and for females 19+ is 25g/day, it’s a good idea to include a variety of the fibres listed above to take on all the benefits!