Everything you need to know about fibre…and why we ALL need it.

This post is in collaboration with Genius, who I have blogged about many times of the years (see here and here) As part of their ‘What’s Your Gut Feeling’ campaign; which is all about doing what’s right for YOUR gut. I’ll be sharing a recipe later in the month. But today, they’ve asked me to share my own gut feeling: my tips, experiences and insight into fibre-to help you make an educated decision about what is right for your gut too! Which is what A Balanced Belly is all about!

Now, usually when I see fibre being talked about in relation to those of us with digestive conditions, it tends to focus on two trains of thought…

a) We all need to be eating lots and lots of fibre so get those bran flakes out and dice up your salad pronto.

b) If you’re struggling with symptoms (in particular diarrhea or bloating), fibre is the enemy. Chuck it out of your cupboards and replace with mashed potato pronto!

Actually, neither is correct! We do all need fibre-even those with IBD like me where low residue diets are sometimes advised ( read more on why this can be a problem here).

But today, I wanted to blog about understanding the different types of fibre and why balancing it is the key to a happy, healthy gut.

Doesn’t fibre just make us go to the loo?

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you’ll know I am happy to chat about all things poo! But there’s a bit of a myth that fibre is good for one thing: it makes us go to the loo! Which is why some of you with IBD or IBS-D might be reading this and thinking ‘err, no thanks!’  I’ll be honest and admit I used to avoid it too when I first was diagnosed with IBD.

But actually, it’s way more complicated than that! There are several types of fibre. Insoluble fibre (which you’ll find in things like bran, wholewheat and celery) is quite tough: it doesn’t breakdown properly in our gut (which makes sense-have you tried chewing celery until it’s mush!) and it helps increase the transit time in our gut. In other words: it gets things moving in your gut quicker.

Insoluble fibre has its place-but it can also be a bit abrasive on a sensitive gut if we eat it in large quantities. I will always keep an eye on the amount of this I eat: for example in small quantities (say spinach blended in a smoothie) I’ll be fine; but in larger quantities (like a huge salad!) my gut feeling is not happy!

Other types of fibre include soluble fibre (found in things like Psyllium Husk, chickpea, banana). These types of fibre are your friend whatever your condition. Since they’re much more gentle than insoluble fibre-and I’ve found my gut really respond to them!

Soluble fibre actually swells with liquid; so it forms a nice smooth, soothing paste that gently moves through our guts. What’s more, this liquid helps ‘bulk’ out your poo because it absorbs water. So for those who stools are on the looser side, soluble fibre makes it more solid.

It’s not just about poo either: soluble fibre can also help with things like lowering our cholesterol or even reducing our risk of a heart attack. There are some types of fibre-like inulin-who act as a prebiotic; helping feed the bacteria in our gut! And in fact, a study even found those eating a higher fibre diet reported an improvement in depression symptoms.

How to get more fibre in your diet without annoying your gut

So we’ve discovered that fibre is important for your #gutfeeling-but how can you introduce it?

Firstly, make sure you understand the types of fibre-and source your fibre through food where possible. Even if you are constipated, crude fibre supplements (e.g. bran) are not great for your gut. It’s important to eat the right types of fibre. For example, Genius’ new Fibre Fest wraps contain over 5g of fibre per wrap (that’s a 1/6 of the daily allowance).

But whilst that’s impressive-it’s the types and sources that are more exciting. Many products that say this just contain added Bran or crude fibre powders.

However, these wraps contain Psyllium Husk (if you try one type of fibre it needs to be this one-it’s incredibly soothing and gentle on the gut) , chicory root fibre (actually a type of prebiotic which will help feed the good bacteria) and sources of soluble fibre like chickpea and millet. Whilst Genius fibre fest pasta contains fibre from chickpea and brown rice.

By eating fibre from lots of different sources, we get a much more varied diet too!

More Top Tips on Boosting Your Fibre

—Start Slow: A sudden increase in fibre can be a shock to our guts! My top tip is to gently introduce it into your diet. For example, swap your regular gluten-free pasta for Fibre Fest Fusilli, or even use 1/2 servings at first. That way you are getting the benefit of the ingredients whilst keeping your gut happy.

-Psyllium is your friend: There have been lots of studies to show the benefits of psyllium-especially around IBS. You can supplement a teaspoon a day (found in health shops-simply add it to a glass of water) or tuck into Genius’ Fibre Fest Wraps that contain it.

-Cooking and blending can help: This is particularly the case with insoluble fibre. Blending and cooking it can make it much easier to digest. So don’t fill your fibre fest wraps with raw salad: try cooked squash or meat instead. Make a yummy pasta sauce from blended, cooked tomatoes to complement your fibre fest fusilli rather than going too crazy with kale!

I hope you have found this post useful-and are a bit closer to figuring out #whatsyourgutfeeling! Remember, everyone’s bellies are different-but hopefully this has helped you get to grips with fibre and find products which might work for you! Look out for my recipe using Genius’ Fibre Fest wraps next week!T