Are you working out your bowel muscles?

So you go to the gym or keep active for your health. What about keeping your bowels healthy and fit.

Why is it Important?

Dietary fibre is important for good health. It plays an important part in bowel health assisting in:

• keeping your bowel habits regular
• shown to reduce the risk of bowel cancer
• helps lower blood cholesterol
• regulate blood glucose levels and
• helps with weight control

Those following a gluten free diet

A diet that is GF can possibly become low in fibre as high fibre grains like wheat, rye, barley and oats are no longer allowed. Fortunately with a little bit of planning and preparation you can meet your dietary fibre requirements on a GF diet.

What is Dietary Fibre?

Dietary fibre also referred to as roughage is the segment of plants that can not be broken down. There are three main types:

• Soluble Fibre
• Insoluble Fibre and
• Resistant Starch

Where is it Found?

Fibre is found in a range of foods including fruits, vegetables, bran or husk of cereal grains, nuts and seeds, legumes and lentils, skins of fruit and vegetables.

Table 1: Types of dietary fibre

Type of Fibre	Description	GF Sources
Soluble	Forms gel solution in gut Short chain fatty acids and gas produced By-products may help: relieve constipation and decrease any pressure in large intestine, possibly resulting in a reduction in abdominal pain Lowers blood cholesterol and blood glucose levels	Legumes (peas, soybeans, lentils, chickpeas, baked beans) Some fruits (prunes, plums, berries, bananas, apples, pears) Vegetables (broccoli, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, sweet potatos, onions) Psyllium husks, chia, rice bran, soy flour and soy grits
Insoluble	Undergoes minimal change in gut Helps regulate bowel function forming larger bulkier stools.	Outer husk of cereal grains – wholegrain gluten free breads and cereals, brown rice Fruit (avocado, bananas, skin of tomato) Vegetables (green beans, cauliflower, zucchini, celery, potato skin) Nuts and seeds Corn bran
Resistant Starch	Starch and starch products that escape digestion Helps increase stool mass and promote intestinal health.	Seeds, legumes Cornflakes Raw potatoes Firm banana Brown rice, wild rice Peas, corn Grains High amylose maize called High-maize® is one of the richest sources. Cooked and cooled potato, rice and pasta.

 

Table 2: How much dietary fibre should you get?

Gender	Age (yrs)	Dietary Fibre Amount (g/day)
Boys & Girls	1-3	14
Boys & Girls	4-8	18
Boys	9-13	24
Boys	14-18	28
Girls	9-13	20
Girls	14-18	22
Males	19>	30
Females	19>	25

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) Nutrient Reference values for Australian and New Zealand. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Services 2005.

Table 3: Dietary fibre of some foods

Foods	Serve Size	Dietary Fibre (g)
Bread
Zehnder™ GF Farmer’s Bread	1 slice	1.0
Zehnder™ Multiseed Bread	1 slice	1.4
Zehnder™ Multiseed Rolls	1 roll	1.9
Schar™ Ciabattina Grain Rolls	1 roll	4.5
Gluten Free Fruit Bread	1 slice	1-2
Gluten Free Plain Bread	1 slice	1-2
Tortilla, corn flour	1 medium	1.2
Taco, corn	1 regular	1
Breakfast Cereals
Cornflakes	1 cup	1
Cornflakes with psyllium e.g. Freedom Foods™	1 cup	2.6
GF Muesli e.g. Freedom Foods™, Nu-Vit™, Abundant Earth™, Brookfarm™ Macademia Muesli, Carman’s™ Deluxe Fruit Muesli	1/3 cup	3-4
Mixed flake and fruit e.g. Basco Apricot and Apple, Freedom Foods™ Berry Good Morning	1 cup	2-4
Rice porridge with dried fruit e.g. Lowan’s™	50g	4
Puffed rice	1 cup	0.3
Rice flakes with psyllium e.g. Freedom Foods	1 cup	2
Orgran™ Multigrain O’s with Quinoa	25g	2.5
Other Grains
Buckwheat kernels, boiled	100g	5
Millet, cooked	1cup	2.5
Polenta, cooked	1cup	2.3
Quinoa, boiled	100g	6
Other Grains
Soy grits	3 tbsp	6.6
Chickpea flour (Besan)	1 cup	9.8
Quinoa, flour	1 cup	8
Soy flour	1 cup	7
Amaranth flour
Buckwheat flour
Gluten Free Pasta and Rice
GF Pasta, cooked	1 cup	3.0
Orgran Multigrain Pasta with Quinoa, cooked	1 cup	3.8
Foods	Serve Size	Dietary Fibre (g)
Pasta, cooked e.g. Bi-Aglut™	1 cup	4.3
Rice brown, cooked	1 cup	3.0
Rice white, cooked	1 cup	0.8
Rice, wild, cooked	1 cup	2.5
Rice Noodles, boiled	1 cup	1.1
Buckwheat Noodles (Soba), boiled	1 cup	2.8
Gluten Free Crackers
Rice cake	2	0.8
Corn Crispbread	2 slice	0.3
Rice Crackers	~15 crackers	0.6
Fruit
Apple raw, unpeeled	1 medium	4
Avocado	1	6.8
Banana raw, peeled	1 medium	2.3
Blackberry	1 cup	12.0
Blueberry	1 cup	2.5
Canned fruit, drained	1 cup	4.8
Date, dried	4	1.9
Dried mixed fruit	1Tb	0.8
Grapes	1 cup	4.4
Kiwi fruit, peeled	1 medium	3
Nashi Pears, unpeeled	1	3.9
Orange, peeled	1 medium	3
Passionfruit	1 medium	2.5
Pear, unpeeled	1 medium	4.2
Prunes, dried	5	3
Rockmelon	1 cup	2.0
Strawberries	1 punnet	5.3
Sultana, dried	1/2 cup	3
Vegetables
Artichoke, globe, raw	1	10.7
Beans, green, cooked	1 cup	3.5
Beetroot, canned	5 slices	4
Foods	Serve Size	Dietary Fibre (g)
Vegetables
Broccoli, boiled	2 florets	3.9
Brussel Sprouts, cooked	4	3.9
Cabbage, cooked	1 cup	4.2
Capsicum, red, raw	0.5 cup	1.1
Carrot, boiled	½ cup	2.4
Cauliflower, boiled	4 florets (108g)	3.0
Celery, raw	1 med stalk	0.6
Foods	Serve Size	Dietary Fibre (g)
Corn on cob	1 medium	3
Cucumber, common, unpeeled	1 medium	3.7
Eggplant, raw	2 slices	2.3
Fennel, bulb, raw	1	3.9
Green bean, boiled	100g	2.5
Vegetables
Lettuce, iceberg, raw	1 cup	0.9
Mushrooms, common, raw	0.5 cup	0.6
Mixed vegetables, frozen, boiled	1 cup	6
Parsnip, peeled, boiled	½ cup	2
Peas Green, boiled	1 cup	10.5
Potato, unpeeled	1 average	3.3
Potato, peeled	1 average	2.3
Pumpkin, peeled, boiled	½ cup	1
Spinach, English, raw	1 cup	0.6
Swede, peeled, boiled	1 small	4.3
Side salad	1 cup	1-2
Tomato, raw	1 medium	1.5
Vegetable Soup	1 cup	5.2
Zucchini, unpeeled, boiled	1 medium	1.4
Nuts and Seeds
Almond, raw	2 Tb, 20	2.1
Cashew, raw	2 Tb, 15	1.3
Peanut, raw	2 Tb	1.4
Chia seeds	1 Tb	5.4
Linseed (Flaxseed)	1 Tb	3
Pumpkin seeds	1 Tb	1
Sesame seeds	1 Tb	1.5
Sunflower seeds	1 Tb	1.5
Peanut butter	1 Tb	2
Tahini	1 Tb	2.7
Fibre Supplements
Psyllium Husks	1 Tb	4.8
LSA Mix	1 Tb	1.9
Rice bran	1Tb	2
Legumes and Lentils
Baked beans, canned in tom sauce	1 small can	5.8
Four Bean Mix, canned, drained	1 cup	12.4
Refried Beans, canned	100g	5.3
Chickpea, canned, drained	100g	4.7
Lentil, dried, boiled	1/2 cup (100g)	3.7
Red Kidney Beans, canned, drained	1 cup	12.3
Tofu, firm, cooked	1 cup	26.4
Foods	Serve Size	Dietary Fibre (g)
Tofu, silken/soft, cooked	1 cup	5.8
Hummus	1 Tb	1.5
Gluten Free Snacks
Popcorn	25g (3 cups)	3.7
Corn Chips	1 small pkt	1.3
GF Muesli Bar	1 bar	2.9
GF Fruit filled baked bar e.g. Leda™	1 bar	3.0
Sesame Snap	1 bar, 40g	2.2

Sources: Figures adapted from FoodWorks Professional Edition, Version 6, © 2009 (Xyris Software, Brisbane, Australia) and manufacturer’s analyses

10 Tips on how to Boost your Dietary Fibre Intake on a Gluten Free Diet

Tip 1: Read food labels and choose foods that contain fibre.

Table 4: Food Claims and Definitions

Food Claims	Definition
Very high in fibre  / excellent source of fibre	At least 6 g / serve
High fibre  / good source of fibre	At least 3 g / serve
Provides fibre  / source of fibre	At least 1.5 g / serve

Tip 2: Select high fibre options such as multigrain or fruit bread, wholegrain pasta, brown rice

Tip 3: Leave edible skin on fruit and vegetables

Tip 4: Add legumes and lentils to your soups and casseroles

Tip 5: Add seeds, nuts, other fibre options like rice bran, psyllium, dried fruit to your homemade breads, breakfast cereals, yoghurt, biscuits, cakes etc.

Tip 6: Choose fibre rich cereals for breakfast such as muesli, puffed brown rice and other high-fibre  breakfast cereals

Tip 7: Choose whole fruits instead of juice

Tip 8: Snack on dried fruit, vegetable sticks, nuts and seeds

Tip 9: If cooking/baking gluten free using soy flour, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour and cornmeal (polenta) will help boost the fibre content

Tip 10: Include legumes and lentils in your diet e.g. baked beans on toast, beans on corn chips, chickpeas in salad, hummus on crackers

Table 5: Low fibre versus high fibre nutrition sample menu

Low Fibre Menu Plan	Fibre (g)	High Fibre Menu Plan	Fibre (g)
Breakfast Scrambled Eggs &  Bacon 2 x White Bread 250 mL Fruit Juice	0 1.6 0	Breakfast Poached eggs &  ham 2 x Wholegrain Bread 1 Orange	0 2.8 3.0
Snack Chocolate Muffin	1.6	Snack Banana Muffin with bran and nuts 1 glass low fat milk	4.0   0
Lunch White Bread S/wich Cheese & Turkey Cranberry Sauce	1.6 0 0	Lunch 1 cup Brown rice Tuna 0.5 cup Corn Side Salad	3.0 0 2.0 2.0
Snack 1 row Rice Crackers	0.6	Snack Vegetable Sticks with Hummus	4.2
Dinner 1 cup cooked White Pasta Tomato Based Pasta Sauce Cheese	3.0 1.7   0	Dinner 1 cup cooked Multigrain Pasta Tomato Based Sauce 0.5 cup Vegetables Cheese	3.8   1.7 3.0
Supper Yoghurt	0	Supper Yoghurt	0
Total	10.1		29.5

 

Don’t forget

• Increase your fibre intake gradually, your body needs time to adapt. If you increase your intake too quickly it can cause bloating and a lot of wind!
• Don’t go overboard! A high fibre diet is good for health, but going over the top e.g. >40 g/day can reduce your body’s absorption of important minerals such as iron, zinc and calcium from your food.
• You need to consume adequate fluid in order to help the fibre work best in your digestive system. There is no one specific guideline for fluid as it is individual however a good aim is approximately 6-8 glasses a day.

Try our Untoasted Muesli Recipe to boost your fibre at brekky!