Why Adding More of the F Word (Fibre) to Your Life is Good for Your Health

When people talk about nutrition, they often focus on reducing fat, carbs, and calories and adding more vitamins and minerals to their diet. One beneficial nutrient that doesn’t get enough attention is fibre – the other F word.

Registered Dietician Erika Wong, MS, RD, explains, "Fibre is one of THE most important nutrients for optimal health - yet nearly all Americans are falling short.” Many people don’t prioritize fibre because they don’t understand its importance.

5 Benefits of Adding More Fibre to Your Diet

Here are five reasons to add more fibre to your diet.

1. Fibre improves gut health

All that good gut bacteria living in your gastrointestinal tract loves eating fibre. As Wong says, “Fibre is the best food (or prebiotics) to feed our good/beneficial gut bacteria (probiotics).”

When they eat fibre, gut bacteria create short-chain fatty acids. These can lower inflammation, which is correlated with most chronic health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

2. Fibre helps your bowel movements

Eating enough fibre ensures that food moves through your GI tract smoothly, making stools easier to pass. If you have constipation frequently, adding more fibre to your diet can help you feel better in no time. Conversely, if you typically have watery stools, fibre can add bulk to the stools to help solidify them.

3. Help with weight loss

If you want to lose weight, focus on adding fibre to your diet instead of cutting calories. Fibre-rich foods tend to be dense, meaning you’ll feel full fast and eat less overall. They also take longer to eat, providing you with more energy for fewer calories.

4. Control blood sugar levels

Soluble fibre can slow down sugar absorption, improving blood sugar levels. This can help people who have diabetes or reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

5. Reduce the risk of some cancers

Eating fibre doesn’t guarantee that you won’t get cancer. However, research suggests that it can lower your risk of getting certain digestive-related cancers such as colon cancer.

How to Get More Fibre

Fibre is found in plant foods - fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, seeds, legumes, and whole grains.

Need to Up Your Fibre?

Try adding nuts to your morning oatmeal or topping plain yogurt with berries and a fibre-rich cereal. For lunch, pick a bean - any bean! Add chickpeas to your salad, toss kidney beans in chili, put black beans in a taco, or add white beans to a veggie soup. For dinner, aim to fill half of your plate with vegetables. They can be cooked, raw, frozen, fresh, in a soup or salad – it doesn’t matter! Just eat vegetables with every dinner to ensure you’re getting enough fibre during your last meal of the day. 

To get more ideas on how to add fibre and other essential nutrients to your diet, sign up for a culinary experience with a registered dietician at The Center for Health & Wellbeing at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village.