Good question, while we are all individuals, and all have individual requirements by Australian standards, we should consume between 25 to 30 grams per day. Hmm, are you getting enough fibre? 

Let’s start with the why? 

Obviously, having adequate fibre in your daily diet will improve your bowel motions, but equally important is the role fibre has in reducing the risk of some chronic diseases such as heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. 

Fibre has been shown to have a positive influence on;

• reducing blood cholesterol
• modulating blood glucose levels
• improve weight control
• hormone regulation 

And it doesn’t stop there. Fibre is a prebiotic, meaning it supports the microbiome by feeding short-chain fatty acids. This, in turn, helps to grow friendly bacteria supporting gut health and immune defences. 

Fibre diversity… because fibre is not just fibre!

So, we understand the importance of fibre, but we also need to understand the many types of fibre, their actions and roles within the bowel, and most importantly, the best ways to obtain those 25 to 30 grams/day.

It’s not about X grams per day but rather what best suits you. 

Questions you should be asking yourself; 

• Are my bowels moving daily, and are they formed? 
• Do I experience pain, urgency, or discomfort?
• Am I experiencing excessive flatulence that clears the room? 

Note - a degree of non-offensive flatulence is normal and a sign of a healthy gut, letting you know that fermentation is going on! This is healthy because some fibre foods (soluble) are fermentable, which supports a healthy microbiome.

Other questions to consider; 

• Am I at a healthy weight?
• Do I have high cholesterol or diabetes?
• Do I have a high-sugar diet/sugar addiction?
• Am I getting adequate daily servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes? 

Soluble fibre

• Dissolves in water and breaks down into a gel-like substance in the colon.
• Slows gastric emptying by increasing bowel transit time. This helps to improve stool quality if you tend to be on the loose side (type 5 to 6 on the bristle stool chart).
• Improves glycemic index (glucose metabolism).
• A lot of soluble fibre is fermentable. 
• Sources of soluble fibre include linseeds, chia seeds, oat bran, barley and psyllium. It is also found in legumes such as black beans, kidney beans, lime beans, lentils, peas, nuts and seeds, oats and some fruits and vegetables.  

Note - if you experience diarrhoea on a regular basis, this could indicate that something else is going on and, therefore, may require investigation. Regular urgency or explosive diarrhoea is not normal and could be associated with things like inflammation/inflammatory bowel disease, food allergies/intolerances, coeliac disease, SIBO, or dysbiosis.

Insoluble fibre 

• Are less digestible and less likely to be fermentable.
• They speed up bowel transit time, encouraging regular bowel motions.
• You could think of them as the broom, sweeping through the colon, cleaning up! (If you’re not moving daily and sit around type 1-3 on the bristle stool chart, this is for you).
• Insoluble fibres include wheat bran, rice bran, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, some vegetables and whole grains.  

Quantity 

In practice, I always recommend slow & steady. Increasing fibre can cause discomfort if you address it aggressively, which may then discourage you from continuing to get to your optimal daily requirement.  This is because you are making changes within the colon and microbiome.  

My recommendation would be to start with teaspoons and work your way up to tablespoons of mixed soluble and insoluble fibres, depending on your current health, bowel habits, and tolerability. 

Remember to eat a rainbow of plant-based foods for fibre diversity and optimal beneficial polyphenols (super antioxidants that help protect your body from chronic diseases and inflammation). It’s true what they say: good health starts within the gut.  

Please reach out if you would like to know more on fibre or ways to improve your gut health.

Love your gut.

Written by Karen Mason BHSc (Nat)