All you need to know about fibre

Dietary fibre consists of indigestible plant material which travels through the gastrointestinal tract. It absorbs water, provides nutrients for beneficial bacteria and assists in the elimination of wastes. Fibre comes in 2 forms which include:

Soluble Fibre

Soluble fibre forms a gel in water and takes longer to travel through the gastrointestinal tract. 

Food Sources include: oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, flax seed & soy products 

Insoluble Fibre

Insoluble Fibre doesn’t dissolve in water, instead it absorbs water and helps speed up the elimination of waste products, and therefore improves bowel regularity. 

Food Sources include: wheat bran, corn bran, rice bran, fruit & vegetable skins, nuts, seeds & dried beans

Increasing Fibre

Recent evidence shows that we are not getting enough fibre in our diet. The NHMRC recommends 25g/day for females and 30g/day for males. Some simple solutions to increase daily fibre intake include:

• Add nuts & seeds to salads, smoothies or as a snack
• Switch your breads to wholemeal
• Increase fruit & vegetable intake
• Choose breakfast cereals that contain whole grains like rice bran or oat bran
• Add superfoods like chia seeds and psyllium husks to meals

Morlife has a variety of delicious foods that are a great source of fibre. These include Tropical Digest Muesli, the Quinoa Risotto Range, Fibre Klenz Powder and Fibre Klenz Bar. These tasty and satisfying options all have the benefit of also being gluten free.