Move Over Veganuary, it’s Fibre’s Turn
According to a recent study by the Food and Drink Federation, only 9% of adults in the UK consume the recommended 30g of daily fibre. To help combat this in 2017 the UK Flour Millers launched Fibre February aiming to increase the UK population’s intake of fibre.
What is Fibre?
Fibre is a key part of our diets – helping with intestinal functions and keeping things all moving in the right direction if you know what we mean. It can be found in a variety of plant-based sources including fresh fruit and veg, pulses and grains, in comes quinoa, and also nuts.
Benefits of a High Fibre Diet:
- Fibre makes you feel fuller for longer – it often needs chewing for longer too which also helps you feel fuller and eat a bit less
- It lowers your risk of heart disease
- Helps maintain bowel health and movement
- It’s even been shown to help you live longer!
The need for a change and increased fibre in our diets is clear. The Food and Drink Federation conducted a UK-wide survey exploring public knowledge surrounding fibre. The results showed how little people know: only one in three knew the recommended daily amount of fibre for adults is 30g, and around 70% of people polled were unaware if they were meeting the recommendation.
Action on Fibre
More than 100 brands have teamed up with the Food and Drink Federation’s Action on Fibre Campaign to pledge to increase the amount of fibre in their products. This aims to help the population eat more fibre without having to change their shopping habits. One great way to integrate fibre into your diet is to make simple substitutions for more fibre rich products. For example, the average serving of white rice contains on 1.4g of fibre compared to around 7.5g for white quinoa!
Sources:
https://www.fdf.org.uk/fdf/what-we-do/diet-and-health/action-on-fibre/