| Dietary
Fibre
Fibre plays an important role in our dietary health. Modern food
refining has greatly reduced the natural fibre content in our food.
The average Australian diet has about 18 grams a day of dietary
fibre. It is recommended that 30 grams daily is a reasonable average
to aim for.
| Without adequate fibre our bodies cannot function
properly and we can suffer various digestive disorders. Dietary
fibre occurs only in plant food (grains, cereals, breads, fruit,
vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds). Fibre is not found in
meat and dairy products. |
|
For good health you need to eat a variety of fibre containing foods
- however not everything that you eat needs to be high in fibre.
A healthy diet should include:
- Eating mostly - fruit, vegetables, wholegrain and wholemeal
breads and cereals, seeds, nuts and legumes.
- Eating in moderation - chicken, fish, lean meats, dairy products
and eggs.
- Eating less - fatty, salty and sugary foods.
Dietary fibre absorbs water so it is important to drink plenty
of fluids each day eg. water, tea, and fruit juices. Dietary fibre
should be gradually increased in the diet over a few months. An
excessive amount too soon will often cause wind pain, bloating and
flatulence.
"Windy" foods which may cause problems for some are:
unprocessed bran, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, lactose
in milk, cheese and some yoghurts.
You can easily change a diet that is low in fibre to one which
is rich in dietary fibre. Have a look at our food list below.
|
Food Source
|
|
Dietary Fibre
Content (gms)
|
|
BREADS AND GRAINS
Bread; average slice
|
White
Toast Thickness
Highfibre White
Multigrain
Wholemeal
Rye
Fruit Loaf
Wholemeal Fruit Loaf
|
0.5
0.9
1.8
2.0
2.5
1.5
1.0
3.0
|
|
Bread Roll
|
white
wholemeal
|
2.0
5.0
|
|
Pita Bread
|
white
wholemeal
|
2.0
6.0
|
|
Rye Crispbread
|
2
|
2.0
|
|
Crackerbread
|
2 (wholemeal)
|
1.2
|
|
Muffin
|
half
wholemeal
|
1.0
1.0
|
|
BREAKFAST CEREALS
|
|
|
|
Allbran
|
half cup
|
9.5
|
|
Bran Flakes
|
1 cup
|
7.0
|
|
Cat Flakes
|
1 cup
|
4.0
|
|
Porridge
|
|
5.0
|
|
Rice Bran
|
4 tbsp
|
8.0
|
|
Museli
|
half cup
toasted
|
8.1
4.8
|
|
Museli Flakes
|
|
3.6
|
|
Weetbix
|
2
|
3.2
|
|
Mini Wheats
|
|
3.6
|
|
Weaties
|
1 cup
|
3.5
|
|
Cornflakes
|
1 cup
|
0.6
|
|
Special K
|
|
0.6
|
|
Just Right
|
1 cup
|
3.0
|
|
Rice Bubbles
|
|
0.4
|
|
Nutrigrain
|
|
0.4
|
|
Wheat Germ
|
1 tbsp
|
2.0
|
|
Unprocessed Bran
|
|
3.0
|
|
VEGETABLES
|
(average serve)
|
|
|
Artichoke
|
|
6.0
|
|
Asparagus
|
|
1.5
|
|
Beans
|
green
kidney, soy
baked beans
|
3.0
10.0
10.0
|
|
Bean Sprouts
|
|
0.5
|
|
Beetroot
|
|
2.0
|
|
Broccoli
|
|
4.0
|
|
Brussel Sprouts
|
|
4.0
|
|
Cabbage
|
|
2.0
|
|
Carrots
|
|
4.0
|
|
Cauliflower
|
|
3.0
|
|
Celery
|
|
1.0
|
|
Corn
|
1 large cob
|
7.0
|
|
Cucumber
|
|
0.5
|
|
Lentils
|
|
0.8
|
|
Eggplant
|
|
2.0
|
|
Lettuce
|
|
1.0
|
|
Leeks
|
|
2.5
|
|
Mushrooms
|
|
2.0
|
|
Onions
|
|
1.5
|
|
Parsnips
|
|
3.0
|
|
Peas
|
|
5.0
|
|
Potato
|
with skin
peeled
|
3.0
2.0
|
|
Pumpkin
|
|
2.5
|
|
Spinach
|
|
2.0
|
|
Sweet Potato
|
|
2.0
|
|
Tomato
|
|
2.5
|
|
Zucchini
|
|
2.0
|
|
FRUITS
|
|
|
|
Apples
|
1 with skin
|
3.0
|
|
Apricots
|
3 small
dried 50 gms
|
3.0
12.0
|
|
Avacado
|
half
|
2.0
|
|
Banana
|
1
|
4.0
|
|
Black Berries
|
1 cup
|
9.0
|
|
Cherries
|
150g
|
2.5
|
|
Figs
|
fresh 1
dried 50g
|
2.5
9.0
|
|
Grapes
|
200gm
|
5.0
|
|
Grapefruit
|
half
|
2.5
|
|
Kiwifruit
|
1
|
2.5
|
|
Mango
|
1
|
3.5
|
|
Melon
|
200gm
|
2.0
|
|
Nectarine
|
1 large
|
2.5
|
|
Orange
|
1
|
3.0
|
|
Passionfruit
|
2
|
7.0
|
|
Pawpaw
|
150gm
|
3.5
|
|
Peach
|
1
|
2.0
|
|
Pear
|
1
|
4.5
|
|
Pineapple
|
slice
|
2.5
|
|
Plum
|
2
|
3.0
|
|
Prunes
|
6
|
8.0
|
|
Sultanas, Rasins
|
50gms
|
3.5
|
|
Rasberries
|
1 cup
|
9.5
|
|
Rhubarb
|
cooked
|
4.0
|
|
Strawberries
|
half punnet
|
2.0
|
|
NUTS AND SEEDS
|
(30grams)
|
|
|
Almonds
|
|
4.5
|
|
Brazil
|
|
3.0
|
|
Cashews
|
|
2.5
|
|
Coconut
|
fresh 75gm
dried 15gm
|
10.0
3.5
|
|
Hazelnut
|
|
2.0
|
|
Peanuts
|
|
2.5
|
|
Macadamia
|
|
2.0
|
|
