ROUGHAGE & READY

Why you should be eating fibre on a low-carb diet, and 10 fibre-filled foods to include in your LCHF dietary plan.

How to incorporate fibrefilled foods in your LCHF eating plan ... and more importantly, why you should!

For decades, we’ve been told to ‘eat more fibre’. But what exactly is fibre, and is it really essential for optimal health? Dietary fibre is found mainly in whole fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and legumes, and is probably best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation (and that in itself is good enough reason to eat it) – but that’s not all it can do. Eating fibre-rich foods is said to assist in weight loss as well as lower your risk of diabetes, heart disease and even certain types of cancer.

Also known as roughage, dietary fibre includes the parts of plant-based foods that the body is unable to digest or absorb. Unlike macronutrients – fats, proteins and carbohydrates, which the body breaks down and absorbs – fibre isn’t digested at all. Instead, it travels relatively intact through the stomach, small intestine and colon before exiting the body.

There are two types:

• SOLUBLE FIBRE dissolves in water to form a gel-like material and is said to aid in lowering blood cholesterol and glucose levels. It can be found in oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley and psyllium.

• INSOLUBLE FIBRE doesn’t dissolve in water. It promotes the movement of material through the digestive system and increases stool bulk – it can therefore benefit those who struggle with constipation. Vegetables such as cauliflower, green beans and potatoes are common sources, as well as wholewheat flour, wheat bran and nuts.

Fibre isn’t found in animal source foods such as meat and cheese, and many highfibre foods are loaded with carbs – which may appear to be a problem if you’re following an LCHF or paleo dietary plan. But there are plenty of high-fibre foods that you can eat. Before we look more closely at those foods, you first need to understand exactly why you should be including them in your diet.