Western Daily Press (Saturday)
During ‘Fibre February’ are you getting enough fibre in your diet?
Fibre is key to maintaining overall health and preventing chronic diseases, says
If there was a competition for the best named day or week or month dedicated to a particular kind of food or drink, there’d be plenty of contenders. There seems to be a special period of time dedicated to extolling the virtues of almost everything edible nowadays.
This month’s title, Fibre February, might stand a good chance of winning a prize.
I didn’t know Fibre February was a “thing” and wonder how many of us do?
But it is a good idea because we’re told that the majority of folk in the western world need more fibre in our diets.
Nutritionists and health experts have been banging on about it for years, but somehow fibre-rich food often remains stuck in the realm of those worthy wholefood shops where what is good for you seems to have more prominence than what is delicious.
Having said that, you never hear anyone denying that fibre has a role to play when it comes to our health – and it is a fact that many of us are not consuming enough of it.
Which is a pity, because the importance of fibre extends far beyond just aiding digestion; it is a key player in maintaining overall health and preventing chronic diseases.
It can, for example, help to lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. It acts like a sponge, absorbing potentially harmful compounds like cholesterol and sugar before they can be absorbed by the body.
This helps in reducing the risk of heart disease.
Moreover, fibre-rich foods take longer to eat and are less “energy-dense”, which means they have fewer calories for the same volume of food – and in that way they can be helpful when it comes to managing a person’s weight. By increasing the feeling of fullness, fibre can reduce overall calorie intake, which is important in a world where obesity is a growing concern.
Matthews Cotswold Flour, Britain’s leading speciality flour producer, is certainly keen on the concept of fibre in food and the company is marking Fibre February by encouraging everyone to eat more fibre and sharing easy ways to do it.
Bertie Matthews, managing director, explains: “Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is a challenge in our busy lives and an estimated 90% of adults do not hit their 30g daily fibre target.
“Fibre is important for keeping our gut healthy and may help to reduce our risk of heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.”
“The Fibre February campaign was designed to encourage everyone to boost their fibre intake and using high fibre flours, like malted rye, in your baking is a quick and tasty way to do that.
“So we’ve created a fantastic Rye Sandwich Loaf recipe to celebrate Fibre February and get you on your way to more fibre in your diet.”
Healthy Humans Need Healthy Soils
Matthews Cotswold Flour has also been involved with another project which could help improve the health, not only of human consumers, but also the vital element without which so few foodstuffs would exist.
The company is supporting the Six Inches of Soil initiative which has been set up to promote regenerative farming methods that turn the tide on the degradation of soil health.
Bertie said: “Six Inches of Soil is a feature film which documents the inspiring story of young British farmers pioneering regenerative agriculture from the ground up and transforming the way they produce food in order to heal the soil, benefit our health and provide for local communities.
“Current farming practices have proven to have long-term damage to our soils. We need to balance food availability and price with farming practices that regenerate soil fertility, not just sustain it.
“We want to do everything that we can to ensure our business is helping to preserve the fertility of the soil for future generations.
“This is why we set up the Cotswold Grain Partnership, to guarantee a fair price for local farmers who are prepared to adopt regenerative farming methods.
“Regenerative farming practices promote healthier soils, provide healthier food, restore biodiversity and sequester carbon,” Bertie told us.
“We have already produced two wholly regeneratively farmed flours and our aim is that within the next 10 years all our flours will be produced from grains that have been regeneratively farmed.
“As producers we want to provide consumers with affordable, healthy food that is better for the planet.”
There is emerging evidence to show that crops grown in healthy soils provide foods which are richer in trace elements and other properties beneficial to our
long-ignored gut “biome”.
I am no scientist, but simple logic would seem to suggest this would be the case, in the same way that logic would decree that more fibre in our diets is probably a very good thing.
Last month was known by some as “Regenuary” – now we’re in Fibre February.
It seems like we may be in for a very healthy year if those dedicated days, weeks and months are anything to go by!