We upgraded our health with fibre!

“My menopause symptoms cleared up” Sara Jubb (55), is from London

“My diet previously was pretty good, but I didn’t really think about the fibre content. I had some health issues – I was overweight, had low energy, some joint pain, bloating and menopausal symptoms (insomnia, hot flushes, foggy headedness). “Following an appendicectomy a few years ago I had a colonoscopy that showed I had signs of diverticular disease, which can be caused and exacerbated by not eating enough fibre. Then about year ago I developed symptoms typical of a flare-up of diverticulitis (excruciating pain and fever), confirmed by my GP, so I decided to take some action.

“I read Tim Spector’s book The Diet Myth, which really showed me the importance of the microbiome in all aspects of health, so I took the decision to make increasing fibre the cornerstone of my diet.

“I set myself a target of ten different fruits or vegetables every day. I also try to eat some form of pulses every day – beans, chickpeas, etc. I swapped white rice and pasta for brown, red and black rice, and I swapped regular gluten-free bread for buckwheat bread. I make my own high-fibre granola and crackers with lots of seeds, such as flaxseeds and sesame seeds. “I would say the diverticular symptoms cleared up after about a week and I haven’t had another flare up. Plus, there have been other benefits: my menopause symptoms have almost completely disappeared, I have almost no bloating now and my energy levels have mostly improved. I also lost some weight in the first two months and feel like my skin is a bit better.

“I actually really like eating this way. It makes it easy to plan meals when you know you have to include ten different vegetables and some pulses.”