High fibre foods form an important part of healthy living. Dietary fibre is the bulk that keeps things moving through our bodies. One of the highest sources of fibre comes from WHOLE hemp seeds, with a whopping 35% fibre!
We all know we should eat plenty of fibre because, erm, it keeps us regular. But what does that really mean? I regularly have a coffee at breakfast and a glass of wine at dinner but I don’t think that has much to do with the fibre in either meal!
Fibre keeps digestion running smoothly. It’s the bulk that keeps things moving through the 7.5 metres of intestines crammed into our bodies.
Think of Indiana Jones running through a tunnel from a boulder in the Raiders of the Lost Ark. That boulder is your fibre chasing the rest of your food through your digestive tract.
More formally, dietary fibre is the non-digestible carbohydrate and lignin found in plants. For those on weight loss diets, please don’t freak out at the work carbohydrate! Non-digestible means your body can’t absorb it. So it’s actually the carbohydrate you WANT to eat.
Benefits of eating high fibre foods
Feel full longer - this also helps avoid mood peaks and lows associated with high calorie snacking and helps to regulate blood sugar levels.
Less constipation - ah, so that’s what they mean by regular!
Burn extra calories - your body can’t digest fibre, but it tries too! This burns calories at no extra effort on your part.
Immune boost - fibre is a prebiotic, meaning it feeds your gut flora and helps decrease inflammation in the body.
Healthier skin and lowered cholesterol - fibre soaks up toxins and cholesterol and removes them from your body, giving your skin a healthy glow.
How much fibre should I eat each day?
Most of us are only consuming about 9 - 11 grams of fibre per day, however according the American Heart Foundation we should be eating 28-38 grams daily. So we need to TRIPLE the amount of fibre in our daily diets!
Examples of fibre rich foods
Here are some high fibre foods to help you keep your insides healthy (the % total fibre is included):
Oats (10.6%)
Almonds (12.5%)
Pear (3.1%)
Avocado (6.7%)
Lentils (7.9%)
Popcorn (14.5)
Whole hemp seeds (35%)
Whole hemp seeds are the king of fibre
Hopefully you noticed that hemp seed is king of the list with a whopping 35% fibre! But not all hemp seed is this rich in fibre.
The key is to use the WHOLE hemp seeds. Hulled hemp seed (hemp hearts) has had the outer coat of the seed removed, and this is all that lovely insoluble fibre that keeps things moving through your digestive tract.
In most countries, including Australia, it is not legal to sell raw, whole hemp seeds due to necessary licensing restrictions. Imagine cannabis seedlings popping up all over the place!
Luckily, Vasse Valley has figure out a way to overcome this. Our Roasted Hemp Seed range use the whole seed, but without any risk of germinating hemp seedlings!
So if you’re looking for a really easy, tasty way to get some more fibre into your diet grab one of our award-winning products today. We like to think of our products as a body scrub for your insides.
Good luck on your quest to regularity! Next blog I’ll talk about healthy fats and how hemp oil can boost your omega intake and overall health.
