Dietary fibre is the indigestible part of food from plants. Instead of the body digesting it, it passes through the stomach, small intestine, and colon helping to remove toxins and other waste from the body.

Approximately 25g of fibre per day is recommended daily in Ireland, however, it is suggested around 80% of Irish adults do not achieve this.

The Key Benefits

Fibre has many benefits for our overall health, and here are some of the key benefits and reasons to include fibre in the diet.

• It helps keep you fuller for longer.
• It helps with constipation.
• It helps lowers LDL cholesterol levels.
• It helps regulate blood sugar levels.
• It helps reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease and certain cancers.

Sources of Fibre

• Fruit and vegetables (most within the skin)
• Wholegrain bread and cereal
• Wholegrain pasta and rice
• Nuts and seeds
• Beans and lentils

Remember to Drink Water

Make sure to drink water as fibre soaks up liquid in your bowel to make everything soft and easy to pass. The recommended intake of water is 6-8 glasses of water per day.

You can also drink noncaffeinated herbal teas if you find it hard to drink the recommended water intake.

Ways to Increase your Fibre Intake

• Choose high-fibre breakfast options such as Weetabix, oats or All-Bran.
• Add chia seeds, flaxseeds, or other fibre-rich seeds to your breakfast, smoothies, or yoghurt.
• Opt for fibre-rich carbohydrates such as brown bread, wholegrain pasta, and wholegrain rice.
• Add extra vegetables to your meals.
• Opt for potatoes with their skin on and other vegetables where possible.
• Add beans and lentils to meals such as curries, soups, and salads.
• Choose fibre-rich snacks such as fruit, veggie sticks, wholegrain crackers, or unsalted nuts.

Slowly Increase Fibre Intake

If your diet is normally quite low in fibre, make sure to slowly increase your intake over a few weeks, as it may cause abdominal pain if there is a rapid increase.

How can GourmetFuel Help?

All our meals contain fibre-rich sources such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and fibre-rich carbohydrates, helping you achieve your recommended fibre intake.

You can view the fibre content of all our meals by clicking on the image, followed by ‘Macro Nutritional Values’.

Here are some of our higher-fibre meal options to check out; Beef Burger, Sweet Root Veg & Pepper Sauce, Cottage Pie, Hearty Beef Stew, and our Turkey Ragu with Broccoli & Brown Pasta.

References

‘The Benefits of Fibre’ HSE https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/2/primarycare/pcteams/dublinsouthpcts/dunlaoghaireglasthulepct/phew/phewmar15.pdf

‘How to get more fibre into your diet’ NHS https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/digestive-health/how-to-get-more-fibre-into-your-diet/

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