Fibre is often associated with gut health, preventing heart disease and lowering cholesterol, but there are many external beauty benefits that come with a diet rich in fibre as well.
It helps the body to curb hunger, control weight, regulate cholesterol and blood sugar levels and promote regular bowel movements.
It can also be effective fighting off long-term illness including stroke, diabetes, and heart disease, as well as reducing your risk of obesity. Dietary fibre is a non-digestible carbohydrate found in food and is split into two categories - soluble fibre, and insoluble fibre.
Soluble fibre is said to be the healthiest and consuming enough is vital to achieve the healthiest version of yourself. Fibre protects the body from inflammation, constipation and helps the friendly bacteria in your gut to thrive. As for the benefits fibre has on the skin, it prevents clogged pores, acne and dry skin and has anti-ageing and skin hydration qualities.
It’s super easy to incorporate fibre into your diet. Foods such as apples, avocado and papaya have antioxidant properties that protect skin from sun damage and enhance your overall skin tone and texture. Vegetables such as broccoli and tomatoes are also rich in fibre and increase the skin’s hydration, leading to glowing skin!
• Superfoods full of fibre
There are a number of fibre rich foods to choose from to help lower your blood sugar, improve skin and reduce signs of ageing. From fruits and vegetables to legumes and grains, here’s our top 10 foods full of fibre:
Pears
Getting your fibre is made easier with foods you can eat on the go - like pears. This nutritious, tasty fruit contains 3.1 grams of fibre per 100 grams.
Chia Seeds
The ideal addition to any smoothie, chia seeds are one of the richest sources of omega fatty acids that help encourage healthy skin and collagen production. 100 grams of chia seeds contains 34.4 grams of fibre.
Strawberries
Perfect for summer, strawberries are sweet, scrumptious sources of fibre that can be enjoyed in fruit salads, with a scoop of ice-cream or just as they are. Strawberries contain 2 grams of fibre per 100 grams.
Oats
Porridge and overnight oats are a sure way to get your daily fibre fix in the first meal of your day, as well as being high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants too. 100 grams of oats contains 10.1 grams of fibre.
Sweet Potatoes
This increasingly popular and yummy vegetable is packed full of fibre and is extremely versatile. Create your own sweet potato fries, make a soup, or use as a replacement for your usual baked jacket potato! Sweet potato contains high levels of Vitamin A, which helps to reduce oily skin. 100 grams of this vegetable contains 2.5 grams of fibre.
Avocado
High in vitamins C, E and B, avocadoes have numerous health benefits including providing the building blocks for healthy skin cell function. In 100 grams of avocado, you can get 6.7 grams of fibre.
Spinach
We all know leafy greens are packed full of vitamins and antioxidants for better health. Spinach improves blood circulation, helps prevent acne breakouts and contains 2.2 grams of fibre.
Artichokes
Artichokes contain antioxidants that protect the liver and clear blemish-prone skin. 100 grams contains 5.4 grams of fibre.
Quinoa
With high levels of riboflavin, which helps with your skin’s elasticity and production of connective tissues, Quinoa is a must have in the kitchen not only for the health benefits, but to reduce the signs of ageing too. 100 grams of quinoa contains two grams of fibre.
Dark Chocolate
Great news, you can still enjoy a sweet treat and get the fibre your body needs! Dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or higher includes 10.9 grams of fibre per 100 grams.
• How to get more fibre into your diet
25g-30g of fibre is the recommended daily intake for adults to maintain a balanced, healthy diet. Getting enough fibre can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and other chronic conditions, as well as aiding in anti-ageing, and healthier, glowing skin.
Some simple ways to increase your fibre intake is to choose wholemeal bread over white bread, switch your cornflakes for porridge or all-bran and add pulses to your meals, such as lentils and chickpeas.
If you’re struggling to get enough fibre on a day-to-day basis, supplements can help too.
That’s where Lily & Loaf can help. Our natural, nutritional adult supplements can provide a perfect way of complimenting your diet to ensure you get the right amount of fibre you need every day to ensure your digestive system functions as it should.
Our fibre supplements can be used as part of a healthy lifestyle plan to meet your everyday dietary requirements, support your wellness goals and help improve your overall general health. The range includes great-tasting drinks, powders and shakes which boost the amount of fibre, protein and other nutrients your body needs.
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