Embrace Fibre

Hopefully you are well into your Equitox detox and are feeling the benefits. We wanted to take a moment to highlight the benefits of fibre to support your natural detox process.

Patricia Clarke Dip. Nat. Nut.and
Angela MacRitchie Dip. Nat. Nut.

Simply put, fibre makes our digestive pipes work better. As toxins tend to stick around your intestines and colon, fibre can help them move along and safely eliminate them from your body. Eating plenty of fibre will help those toxins be deposited where they belong – in the toilet bowel - and that is good news for detoxing.

There are actually two different categories of fibre and both appear to support skin and heart health, digestion, blood sugar control, weight management and disease prevention, but they work quite differently in the body.

Soluble fibre: attracts water, creates a gel like substance, helps to slow down our digestion and keeps us feeling fuller for longer. The bacteria we have in our gut feeds on this type of fibre and breaks it down. Foods such as cucumber, blueberries, beans and nuts are high in soluble fibre.

Insoluble fibre: does not dissolve in water and helps food move through our digestive tract more quickly. It travels through our intestines intact and bulks our stool. Foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, green beans, celery and carrots are high in insoluble fibre.

Our microbiota consists of the bacteria, viruses and toxins which live in our digestive tract. It is our microbiome (our microbiota and their genes) which appear to influence our health, mood and weight. We humans can’t actually digest fibre; the bacteria we have in our gut feeds on soluble fibre and breaks it down. Soluble fibre is a type of food called prebiotic food: food for the bacteria in our gut.

Sometimes, increasing the amount of fibre you eat can actually leave you feeling worse. Soluble fibre feeds all types of bacteria in your digestive tract. If your gut is dominated by ‘good’ bacteria, then it is this bacteria that will multiple. If your gut is dominated by ‘bad’ bacteria, then this type of bacteria will proliferate and potentially cause digestive issues. If this is the case for you, or if you have chronic digestive symptoms like diarrhoea, flatulence, stomach pains, reflux, food allergies, or intolerance you should consult a registered nutritional therapist and develop a personalised programme to slowly increase the ‘good’ bacteria in your gut using the right types of food.

The recommended intake of fibre is between 28g and 38g per day. Many foods contain good levels of both soluble and insoluble fibre, including the following:

Chia seeds

Root vegetables

Green beans

Flaxseeds

Onions

Peas

Psyllium husks

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Almonds

Brussel sprouts

Berries

 

So, give the good guys in your gut a fighting chance and feed them with whole fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts.

Angela MacRitchie