Carbohydrates can be broken down into three categories: sugar, starch, and fibre. Of these, sugars are the easiest for the body to use for fuel, starch takes a little work but can also be broken down and used for fuel, but fibre is not broken down by the body or used as fuel. So why is it so important for our health?
Fibre is what keeps our digestion moving.
Regular bowel movements are essential for the elimination of toxins from the body. We should be having at least one fully evacuated, easy-to-pass bowel movement daily.
Insoluble fibre is also important for keeping us full after eating because it takes up space in the digestive system. It curbs cravings and promotes feelings of satiety to help us maintain a healthy weight1.
Part of the problem is a misconception of which foods contain the most fibre. The biggest misconceptions are with veggies and fruits: they are part of a healthy diet, but they don’t have as much fibre as we think they do! For example, one cup of spinach has 0.7g of fibre, and one apple has 3g of fibre. There is much more fibre found in seeds and skins of foods, for example 1 Tbsp of chia seeds has a whopping 5.5g of fibre.
Fibre is an integral part of a healthy diet, but it can be challenging to get enough from the diet alone.
