Enough fibre will leave you with a healthy gut
Fibre is just another essential part of our diet, but research shows that 8 out 10 Brits have no idea how they need to eat every day.
The survey of 5,000 respondents showed that 79% of us do not know that we should aim to eat 25g fibre every day. The fibre survey, commissioned by Kingsmill, also highlights that while 86% of Brits strive for a healthy, balanced lifestyle and 90% know fibre can improve their digestive health, only half of us actually believe we are eating the correct amount on a daily basis.
Compare fibre intakes across Europe and it becomes clear that the UK is lagging behind with an average intake of 19.2g for men and 16.6g for women. While the highest intakes were found in The Netherlands, none of the countries reviewed is achieving 25g fibre a day and the UK’s fibre intake levels have remained static for several years now.
"The lack of knowledge is alarming because fibre is a key part of a healthy diet," said nutritionist Fiona Hunter, who is supporting the campaign. "The gulf between those who think they live healthily and those who actually do is massive at the moment and we must close it.
"Getting enough fibre is just as important as getting your five a day of fruit and vegetables and drinking enough water, yet we seem to be fairly ignorant as a nation as to how much we need every day. Fibre is essential to keep our digestive systems healthy and a low fibre intake is a major cause of digestive discomfort.”
Fibre is essential to our diet as it can help ease constipation, help reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood and it will also help you feel fuller for longer – ideal if you’re trying to lose weight.
The study discovered that the main reasons consumers are not meeting the recommended level of fibre on a daily basis are that they don’t understand how much they should be consuming, which foods contain fibre or they are too busy to find foods that contain fibre. The lack of understanding was greatest in the 18 to 24-year-old age group with 86% ignorant about the amount of fibre needed each day.
Foods that contain fibre that you should be eating include root vegetables like carrots and potatoes, bananas and apples, wholemeal bread and nuts and seeds. Kingsmill Great White is a soft and tasty white loaf with the same about of fibre as a wholemeal loaf so you won’t need to compromise on taste to get the recommended daily amount of fibre (25g).
Tagged in Nutrition Diet Healthy eating