We Need To Talk About Fibre

Think fibre has all the sex appeal of thermals and Crocs? You’d be right. But with benefits that prove this F-word is a health powerhouse, it’s certainly getting experts hot and bothered..

- Emma Pritchard

Foods can possess a certain, well, sexiness. Some have it in spades (chocolate, berries... Oh, avocado, you fox), while others are forever destined to sit on a spare plate just outside the Instagram shot.

Roughage. Bulk. Fibre is many things, but culinary porn it is not. Perhaps that’s why, despite the relative ease of doing so, the vast majority of us fall short of getting our fill. But, despite fibre’s bland rep, this classic’s getting a makeover.

“Fibre is number one on the radar of nutrition professionals right now,” says registered nutritionist Jennie Gough. “Many women don’t realise the importance of including more fibre in their diet. This is concerning because [fibre] has significant benefits for health and wellbeing.”

It’s estimated that the average person is eating around 20g a day, despite the Dietitians Association of Australia recommending 25–30g. That said, nutrition evangelists are going nuts for the stuff. Scientists are travelling the world to research the effects of fibre on the body, while 2017 research by Nutrition Research Australia suggests if we all added just one serve of high fibre grain food to our diets daily, it could help prevent 64,000 cases of cardiovascular disease and 126,000 cases of type 2 diabetes a year.

Think you’ve got fibre sussed? Doubtful – it’s a complex little number with more layers than a serving of Viennetta. “The term ‘fibre’ describes the nondigestible plant-based carbs in your diet,” says consultant colorectal surgeon Simon Bach. “There are different forms of carbs – starch, which is long chains of glucose; and non-starch polysaccharides, which are long chains of other sugars (non-glucose). It is these non-starch polysaccharides that make up the fibre in your diet.”