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Healthy d-baking with guest Joan Bailey

September 8, 2014 by Sally Leave a Comment

One of our wonderful Diabetes Counselling Online volunteers, Joan Bailey, has type 2 diabetes. She also has two young daughters who both have coeliac disease. Joan loves to bake them yummy, homemade meals and treats for their lunchboxes. She also works hard to control her blood glucose levels and remain fit so that she’ll be healthy to look after her family in years to come. And she also enjoys the food that she creates for the rest of the family. This means that she needs to consider all the diabetes factors in recipes as well as making them gluten free and delicious.

In today’s blog Joan demonstrates how she does this and explains that often these healthier options are even more delicious than the original recipes. If you’re not gluten free, don’t worry as Joan has included gluten containing options too in her tips for healthier swaps

Over to you Joan:

Thanks Sally. I hope this blog highlights that for those of us who enjoy baking that it is still possible!

Today many low glycemic index (GI) recipes are available but sometimes a family favourite is hard to give up and obviously we still want to enjoy them at the end of the day.

So the only option is to identify the potentially high GI, high fat and high sodium elements within the recipe and swap them for diabetes friendly ingredients.

I personally think that taste-wise the healthier versions can taste even nicer and be more filling and satisfying!

Making the conversion

As we’ve learned through listening to Sally and other dietitians, when converting a recipe for diabetes the main components that should be addressed are the carbohydrate components (the sugars and the flours) as well as the total and saturated fat levels and the salt (sodium) content.

Once you get the proportions correct and the correct substitutions it is easy to do.

It does take a bit of trial and error, so it’s a top idea to write things down as you go. And just like anything you do, the more practice you get, the better you’ll be at making your original ‘guesstimations’ for the substitutions.

Beginning with a Brownie recipe

Let’s start with a basic brownie recipe and look at converting each component. This table shows what a difference the changes can make!

Original recipe	Amount of Nutrient	Substituted with	Amount of nutrient	% Difference
1.5 cups self-raising flour (337g)	Carb = 246g	1.5 cups chickpea (besan flour) plus a teaspoon of baking powder (225g)	Carb = 104.4g	-57.6%
½ cup sugar (225g)	Carb = 224.5g	½ cup Stevia	Carb = 0g	-100%
1 cup water		1 cup water
¼ cup cacao		¼ cup cacao
1 tblspn vinegar		1 tblspn vinegar
60mL full cream milk	Per 100gFat Total = 4.4gSaturated = 2.9	60 mL low fat milk	Per 100gFat Total – 1.2gSaturated 0.8	-73%-72%
1 tsp vanilla essence		1 tsp vanilla essence
6 tblspns sunflower oil	Per 100gFat Total = 100gSaturated = 11g	6 tblspns low fat yogurt	Per 100gFat Total = 0.3gSaturated 0.2g	-99.7%-98%

Now, this table took me a little while to put together, but I think it’s quite an eye opener as to the enormous differences we can make to help our health and wellbeing, just by making a few minor changes to the original recipe. Still looks and tastes as good as the original!

And just to further make the point, I put both recipes through the FSANZ Nutritional Panel calculator (following the directions in a past blog that Sally posted for Diabetes Counselling Online).

First is the original brownie recipe

And here’s my healthier version

Which would you rather have, especially when you know that this one tastes just as good as the original??

Are you amazed at the differences these changes have made?

And the taste also lived up to expections! My girls certainly enjoyed them – they didn’t last long!

Some other helpful ideas for your recipe conversions

Instead of icing sugar try low fat Philadelphia cream cheese thinned out with milk and sweetened with Stevia (cocoa – optional)
For pizza bases/pancakes/crumpets/muffins try swapping the plain white flour with chickpea flour, quinoa flour, buckwheat flour and spelt flour (for those who aren’t gluten intolerant). Coconut flour is also low carb, but I find its flavour spoils the flavour of the finished product.
Use low fat yoghurt! It makes a great alternative for mayonnaise, sourcream, ordinary cream and can directly replace oil in baking. Here is the link to an article that talks more about it.
Rolled outs and ground seeds also make an excellent substitution for flours. The calorie content does needs to be considered when using ground nuts and seeds. If one cannot have oats rolled quinoa could also be used. Love this Teresa Cutter recipe for Oatmeal Scones for when a special treat is in order.
I have not found a good replacement for syrups. I have tried dissolving Stevia in hot water and letting it cool down. (2tsp stevia to 1 cup water) this can be used in baking but the texture is not the same as syrup.
Sushi can be made with cauliflower rice or even quinoa if you wanted the low GI carbs
Quinoa can be substituted for cous cous to provide a lower carb amount (due more protein in the grain).

And now back to our Diabetes Counselling Online social media dietitian, Sally!

Wow Joan! Thanks so much for making such an effort to demonstrate just what a difference a little bit of thinking in your cooking can achieve. Those girls of yours are certainly fortunate to have a Mum who looks after them with good food for their wellbeing too!

Please add your comments below if you have other suggestions/tips that you’ve discovered that might interest some of our readers.

Sally

Sally is the Social Media Dietitian with Diabetes Counselling Online, owner of her private practice (Marchini Nutrition), and has had type 1 diabetes for close to 40 years and coeliac disease for many years too. You can access a list of all Sally’s Diabetes Counselling Online blogs here.

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Saucy tips to improve d-health

August 4, 2014 by Sally 2 Comments

Earlier this month we shared a thread in Diabetes and Food – let’s celebrate it! on what people’s favourite sauces were. There were some awesome ideas presented by our members on how to swap some of the more processed sauces for lower sodium/fat/sugar varieties and some great ideas for fresh, homemade options. I thought we’d look at some of these today, and how we could modify some recipes to make our own that would be kinder to our d-health.

Some of the sauces mentioned were Satay sauce, Bernaise sauce, salsa, curry sauces, tomato/bbq sauce, salad dressings, Worcestershire sauce, sweet chilli sauce, mustard pickles, and pestos.

It’s important that we remember that it’s okay to have small amounts of what we like if we really want them, but is better if we can find fresher, healthier alternatives or modify what we like to make the most of it while still considering our health.

Reminder on our targets

Primarily for heart health reasons, we need to look for less than 2g/100g saturated fat, less than 400mg/100g sodium, and we should minimise added sugars which may throw our BGL readings out of range.

Ideas for alternatives

When you consider the main reason we enjoy sauces with our food is to add flavour, then herbs (fresh and dried), spices, garlic, chilli, ginger, lemongrass, lemon/lime juice/zest and other fresh flavours can really lift your meal to a new level of enjoyment.

Sometimes thinking of alternatives to what you might normally use can prove inspirational and help you to enjoy the food even more knowing that you’re doing your insides a favour too!

One of our members who enjoys pickles and fruit chutney (high in sodium and added sugars) on her sandwiches and a store bought barbeque sauce (high in sodium, sugar and fat) or sweet chilli sauce (oh the sugar!) on her chicken or salmon suggested she would swap to “avocado on sandwiches and lemon juice on my chicken or salmon”. Such a simple idea and yet so delicious!

This website gives some great examples of various spices and what foods they go with to help you with some ideas, as well as how to best store them for freshness.

Another idea that emerged in our Facebook chat was that an easy alternative to lemon pepper (high in sodium) would be to grate and dry some lemon zest and mix it with freshly ground peppercorns. Wowser! and so easy

Salsas

Salsas are a mix of chopped fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, fruit, avocadoes, fresh herbs, garlic are so versatile that you can make up varieties depending on which fresh herbs you have available and what you’re adding it too.

Here are some recipe ideas for a tomato based salsa, a mango and capsicum salsa, an avocado salsa, and a spicy salsa, and there are plenty more where they came from! Don’t they look amazing!?!

Salad dressings

Store bought salad dressings can be a nightmare for heart health, and yet they’re such an easy thing to make yourself! At home we just use one third quality vinegar (white balsamic is my current favourite) or freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice to two thirds extra virgin olive oil. You can choose various oils (preferably those higher in monounsaturated fats) for variations on flavours. Sometimes a dash of sesame oil or other stronger flavoured oils can transform your salads.

And if you prefer the creamier salad dressings, just try some based on low-fat yogurt. This Australian Good Taste recipe sounds wonderful. As discussed further down too, if you *really love* your current processed creamy dressing, just mix it with half low-fat yogurt to make it a better option.

Here’s a link to some more awesome salad dressing recipes from Taste.com.au.

Pestos

It’s great to see that some of you have started experimenting with pestos as they’re so versatile and can really transform a boring meal into something very special. They can be used in pasta dishes, as a coating on meats, as a filling or stuffing in vegetables, and tossed through roasted vegetables make them irresistible, plus a whole lot more.

You just need a big bunch of soft-leafed herb (such as basil, coriander or parsley), a handful of nuts of your choice (pinenuts, walnuts and pecans work well), some quality extra virgin olive oil and extra flavours if you want them such as a quality parmesan cheese or fresh garlic. And if you have more than you need they freeze well for future use.

Here’s a link to some pesto recipes from Taste.com.au, remembering that you can control the sodium levels to suit your own health needs.

Modifying recipes

An awesome way to have the sauces you love but without the heart health issues is to make your own. We make our own barbeque sauce at home (and our own satay sauce) from recipes that we’ve found online and then modified to suit our heart healthy preferences.

For example in most recipes you can easily cut the ingredients that might be adding the salt and sugar in half quantities, and swap any saturated fats for monounsaturated fats.

Break it down

For our satay sauce we buy the Ayam brand of satay spices (which has a massive amount of sodium) and then break it down using low salt/sugar peanut butter and low-fat coconut flavoured Carnation milk to make it to our liking. It’s rather delicious too!

And if you fancy mayonnaise, try mixing 1 tablespoon mayo to 3 tablespoons low-fat natural yogurt which gives you the taste of mayo with less fat and more nutrients.

Add more goodness

Actually choosing your favourite sauce and ‘watering it down’ with other vegetables, herbs and liquids can also be a good option to retain the flavour you love while minimising the damage. A good example of this provided by a member of the ‘Diabetes and Food – let’s celebrate it!’ group was that of Patak’s curry sauces. She said, “I always add tons of stuff to them”. Some examples of good ‘stuff’ to add would be tinned tomatoes or passata for tomatoey ones, low-fat Carnation evaporated milk to creamy ones, or even low-sodium stock, as well as lots of extra fresh vegetables.

Healthier brands?

There are a few companies starting to offer better heart health choices in their sauces and spreads. Always remember to read the label and check for the less than 2g/100g saturated fat, less than 400mg/100g sodium and added sugars, but some good options might include the Walden Farms range of sauces (suggested by a member of the group, although I couldn’t see a nutrition information panel on their website to check the numbers) and the Fountain ‘No Added Sugar Smart’ sauces: Tomato and BBQ.

In summary, it’s okay to have small amounts of what we like if we really want them, but is better if we can find fresher, healthier alternatives or modify what we like to make the most of it while still considering our health. Hoping you found these ideas helpful.

We’d love you to share your own ideas below in the comments section to help others find healthier options for favourite sauces, dressings and the like. Thank You! Sally

Sally is the Social Media Dietitian with Diabetes Counselling Online, owner of her private practice (Marchini Nutrition), and has had type 1 diabetes for close to 40 years and coeliac disease for many years too. You can access a list of all Sally’s Diabetes Counselling Online blogs here.

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Blog 2 on Fats – which are the best types for us to enjoy?

July 21, 2014 by Sally 4 Comments

In today’s blog we’ll focus on which fats we should include in our diets, why this is so, and how much we should be having. Last week in the introduction to fats and d-health blog we talked about how it’s important for us, especially as people with or at risk of diabetes, to understand about the different types of fats, or fatty acids, and choosing the right fats in the right amounts can benefit our wellbeing in many ways. We explored what the different types of fats are and where they’re found, as well as how much the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommends for people with diabetes.

I need to keep this explanation relatively simple as fats and their pathways is actually quite a complex topic that, even with indepth study is tricky to explain in a short blog. I recommend that if you would like more detailed information that you go see your Accredited Practising Dietitian for personalised advice and further explanation. I also encourage you to remember that the Australian Dietary Guidelines Foundation Diet provides an excellent balance of nutrients for our wellbeing so is an excellent point of reference to know what we should be consuming for our wellbeing.

Off we go! The Mediterranean diet is currently being discussed as a very healthy way of eating, and research continues to back this up. If we just look at the fat types within that diet you’ll see a focus on monounsaturated fatty acids (being the predominant fatty acids in olive oil, canola oil, avocado and nuts) and the long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated acids (as found in deep sea fish and some plants). The research in this area is ongoing but at this stage it mostly indicates that diets higher in these types of fats help with weight maintenance as well as improving the quality of blood fats and longer term studies also showing reduced all cause mortality including cardiovascular disease.

There is also emerging evidence that demonstrates the importance of the ratio of saturated fats to anti-inflammatory fats that, being out of balance, is potentially a big cause for our Australian population’s high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Why is this important?

Recently released data through Australia’s Health 2014 that looks at the whole population and indicated that cardiovascular disease costs $7.7 billion or 10% of total expenditure and was also the leading cause of death. We also know that people with diabetes are 3 to 4 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (including heart attack and stroke) than those who do not have diabetes. In addition, around 75% of all people with diabetes die from cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, and people with diabetes are up to six times more likely to suffer from atherosclerosis than people without diabetes.

The National Diabetes Services Scheme website also reminds us that “People with type 2 diabetes often have ‘abnormal’ levels of blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides). Not only are the blood fat levels different to those of a person without diabetes, the cholesterol also tends to ‘behave’ differently.” All the more reason to heed the advice provided by the Australian Heart Foundation and backed up by the Dietitians Association of Australia to avoid those saturated and trans fats.

Although I have type 1 diabetes, I’m not willing to take chances of developing heart conditions (as the rest of our healthy population should consider too) so choose foods higher in monounsaturated fats and omega 3 polyunsaturated fats whenever I can, along with the low-GI carbs which are also known to help reduce blood fats compared with high-GI carbs.

Why those particular fats?

When we look at the reason (without going into miniscule detail) that we’re advised to choose monounsaturated and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats wherever possible, it is because monounsaturated fats are shown to follow non-inflammatory pathways and omega-3s (particular from deep-sea fish) promote anti-inflammatory reactions in our bodies. Compare that with saturated fats which are recognised as being pro-inflammatory (they cause inflammation, which causes detriment to our health in several ways).

There is also some evidence that the other main type of polyunsaturated fats, omega-6s, may be seen to take the inflammatory route and compete with the omega-3s. The jury is still out on this, and the potential inflammatory effect of omega 6 can be seen as merely an “interesting theory” at this stage. Accredited Practising Dietitian Sonia Navidi recently wrote about this issue in her blog (Nourish Me Simply), and it seems at this point in time to be a sensible view towards omega-6 fatty acids. Sonia writes:

“Interesting theory, but does it play out?

Actually, no, at least as far as the latest evidence is concerned. A Science Advisory from the American Heart Association, published in the prestigious journal Circulation in 2009, gives an excellent review of the evidence. They note that while Omega-6 acts as a precursor to compounds that promote inflammation in the body, it actually also acts as a precursor to compounds that are either anti-inflammatory, or help our arteries in other ways. They note that, while the theory of Omega-6 being pro-inflammatory has been around for a while, there is no solid evidence to support it.

They also state that:

“On the basis of the intakes of omega-6 [polyunsaturated fatty acids] used in the randomized trials, metabolic studies, and nonhuman primate studies discussed below, reductions in [coronary heart disease] risk might be expected with omega-6 [polyunsaturated fatty acid] intakes of 10% to 21% of energy compared with lower intakes, with no clinical evidence for adverse events.”

* Brackets inserted where the original source gave an acronym.”

So at this point in time the main fats to avoid are saturated and trans fats found in animal products as well as palm and coconut fats. Also, trying to ensure that we have plenty of omega 3s and monounsaturated fats in our diets.

If you’re interested in reading more about coconut oil being in this ‘avoidance’ group when it seems to be claimed as healthy by some on the internet, please read this explanation by the Dietitians Association of Australia.

How do I get more healthy fats in my life?

The Australian Heart Foundation has this very handy Omega-3 meal planner to help you reach the recommended 500mg/day for the general population. People with diabetes need more than this, but you should seek individualised advice from your health professionals/Accredited Practising Dietitians to know what’s right for you.

Let’s finish up today’s blog with some recipes containing healthy fats, remembering that the quality of the carbohydrate is also important.

Atlantic salmon has the highest amount of naturally occurring omega 3s of our Australian fish. This Salmon and White Bean Mash recipe will give you the omega 3s along with the nutritious and low-GI carbs of the white beans, and only 2 carb exchanges per serve.

As a vegetarian option how about these Cashew and Brazil Nut Burgers? You can read more about nuts in my blog, but generally speaking nuts are high in monounsaturated fats. You could swap the cous cous for quinoa to make it gluten free if you need to, and of course hummous is made on olive oil – also high in monounsaturated. This one has 2.5 carb exchanges per serve of nutritious low-GI carbs.

This Avocado and Four Bean pasta recipe looks and sounds delicious with only 1.5 carbohydrate exchanges per serve. The monounsaturated fats in the avocado will help to ensure a low glycemic index and will keep your hunger satisfied for longer too.

And there are lots more where these came from. To find these ones I went to some of my favourite recipe sites including Taste.com.au, Nuts for Life and Australian Healthy Food Guide and searched terms such as ‘salmon’, ‘healthy fats’, olive oil and then looked for ones with the qualities of good fats and low-GI nutritious carbs that are so important to us with diabetes.

In Summary

The take-home message is that we should be choosing more monounsaturated fats (good sources include olive and canola oil, avocadoes and nuts) and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats (good sources include deep sea fish, walnuts, linseeds and soy products), while reducing our intake of saturated fats (from animal based products, coconut and palm oil) and trans fats (found in many processed foods).

Please share any questions you have about this blog, let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to know about fats, and of course we’d love you to share your favourite recipes that you enjoy for good health.

Sally

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Rave about the glycemic index

June 23, 2014 by Sally 1 Comment

Recently I’ve been hearing a few people raving about the benefits of including low-GI carbs regularly in our food intake, and you may have realised by now that I am a HUGE fan of them and include low-GI carbs in every meal that I eat (wherever possible) as I personally see the results in minimised fluctuations in my blood glucose levels, in my weight maintenance and in my cholesterol tests. So I thought it might be a good time for a ‘reminder’ blog for those less experienced in the glycemic index Hopefully others of you may get a ‘light-bulb’ moment by a new idea too!

For those of us taking insulin, I also like to raise consideration of the action time of the insulin that we dose for the carb that we choose, bearing in mind that most of the fast acting insulins remain active for about three hours. So if you can match the action of the carbs as closely as possible to the action of the insulin then it makes sense that your BGLs remain more stable, and low-GI carbs help make this possible.

I’ll start with a summary of some previous blogs on the topic, and demonstrate using real life examples from our Diabetes Counselling Online closed Facebook group Diabetes and Food – let’s celebrate it!

My first blog on the topic of the glycemic index, back in November last year (one of three) was called ‘How low can you go? Benefits of low-GI carbohydrate sources’. In it I explain what the glycemic index means and how it affects our blood glucose levels, as well as listing several other benefits that have been demonstrated with over 30 years of research into the topic:

Help to fill you up and keep you feeling satisfied for longer, helping you to avoid over eating or too much snacking
Lower your required insulin levels which makes fat easier to burn and less likely to be stored
Help you to lose body fat and maintain lean muscle tissue
Reduce your triglycerides, total and ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol
Increase your levels of ‘good’ (HDL) cholesterol
Reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, or for us with type 1, slow down the chance of insulin resistance or ‘double diabetes’ (not a technical term).
Help to manage your blood glucose levels and reduce your risk of developing diabetes complications
Reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease
Reduce your risk of developing some cancers
Reduce your risk of developing certain eye diseases
Improve your skin
Sustain your energy levels longer, improving both mental and physical performance

In the second blog in the series, called ‘Choosing to go low – making the change to low-glycemic index carbs’, I explain that the great thing about making the change to low-GI is that it’s not a diet but more a way of eating. It’s not restrictive, and if you can learn to recognise when foods are likely to have a lower glycemic index, then you’ll be able to make better choices. It doesn’t cut out any major food groups so we’re still following the Australian Dietary Guidelines. I talk you through the five major food groups and how to include the low-GI carbs from them in your meals and snacks, as well as how to manipulate the glycemic index of your meal. It’s a really helpful blog

The third in the series, called ‘Closing the GI loop – quality + quantity of carbohydrates’, reminds us that for our blood glucose control we need to manage not only the quality of our carbohydrates by choosing low-GI and nutritious carb sources, but also the amount we’re having. It explains how the glycemic load works.

Then a few months later I attended a lecture by Dr Alan Barclay of the Glycemic Index Foundation and wrote an update blog, called ‘An update on glycemic index and glycemic load’, which referred to recent research on the topic as well as including further explanations such as that the glycemic index compares equal quantities of available carbohydrate in foods, is a measure of their effect on blood glucose levels in 10+ healthy people over a 2 hour period, and is expressed as a percentage.

The GI Ranking of individual foods is:

55 or less = Low GI
56-69 = Moderate GI
70+ = High

We talked further in this blog about glycemic load (GL) and that it’s important to remember that the higher the GL, the greater the elevation in blood glucose AND insulin levels, so it’s worth keeping an eye on. It also talks about the requirements for companies to use the low-GI symbol on packaging and has a link to subscribe to the free e-newsletter published by the Glycemic Index Foundation, GI News, that I would encourage you all to subscribe to.

If you’re looking for low-GI food ideas, the GI Foundation website not only has a special section for diabetes, but also some great recipes and many other hints and tips including a SWAP calculator to help you find a lower-GI alternative to your favourites AND this awesome shopping list.

How do you keep your BGL’s stable?

To finish up, last week in the ‘Diabetes and Food – let’s celebrate it?’ closed Facebook group I asked people to comment on ‘which foods you include every day for the reason that you know they help keep your blood sugars more stable’. Not surprisingly all the foods that people spoke of were low-GI. Some examples that people spoke of were:

Natural foods – lots of fresh veggies, fruits and oats. I also find that sour dough rye bread is really good for me – doesn’t affect my levels too much
I have found too that rye bread is good for keeping my sugars in check. One thing lately has been oats for breakfast. Keeps me full and I don’t get that spike in my levels
Oats, dairy and fruit for breakfast – a good start for the day!
Vegetables, as many as I can fit into my diet
Porridge for breakfast, Soup for lunch, Apple orange and nuts during the day and muesli cookies with my late night cuppa
Bananas
Thanks for the suggestion of sour dough rye! I love my oats for breakfast and in winter soup for lunch
Almonds as snacks, Greek yoghurt in my breakfast, things in my salad like kidney beans and chick peas, sweet potato by the bagful
That with an apple for morning tea is my 2 serves of fruit plus extra fibre
Porridge for breakfast, salad sandwich on raisin bread for lunch, fruit for snack and soup for dinner most days anyway
We like to have porridge which is great for our child’s readings
Nuts and avocados

Thanks for such great ideas team! Isn’t it great how everyone is understanding that the low-GI carbs helped to keep their blood glucose levels more stable? How do you do it?

Sally Marchini is the Social Media Dietitian with Diabetes Counselling Online, owner of her private practice (Marchini Nutrition), has had type 1 diabetes for close to 40 years and coeliac disease for many years too.

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Fibre is our d-friend

June 16, 2014 by Sally Leave a Comment

I’m sure you’ve all heard about the importance of including good levels of fibre for good digestive health, so I thought it worthwhile to talk through the different types of fibres and how they benefit us as well as what the evidence says about fibre in relation to diabetes and how much we need topped off with some ideas of how you can increase the fibre in your diet for your improved wellbeing. Many of my previous Diabetes Counselling Online blogs have referred to fibre, so I’ll remind you of those along the way and you might like to bookmark them for a re-read.

It’s important to remember from the start that when following a high fibre diet that you drink plenty of fluids (preferably water) and are physically active to help you gain the greatest benefits.

Fibre and Diabetes

Starting with the glycemic index, we should know that including foods higher in fibre will contribute to lowering the glycemic index of the carbohydrates in the meal. You can read more about this topic here and here.

There’s also lots of evidence that you can read about in the Australian Dietary Guidelines about how fibre reduces fat absorption and reduces risk of cardiovascular disease and bowel cancers. All of these are important issues for us with diabetes to consider.

And, of course, if you’re watching your weight, fibre has a lower energy density as it resists digestion so will keep you feeling satisfied for longer too.

Types of Fibre and their roles

Dr Alan Barclay of the Glycemic Index Foundation explains that “dietary fibres come mostly (but not exclusively) from plants and that they are the poorly digested portions that pass through into the large intestine (bowel) and provide much of the bulk in our stools (along with water and bacteria, amongst a few other things).”

There are three main types of dietary fibre: soluble, insoluble and resistant starch. We need a combination of these for good health as they play separate roles.

Soluble fibres attract water and are totally broken down in the large intestine (colon) by good bacteria. They include foods such as whole grains, legumes, psyllium, some fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. You can read more here.

Insoluble fibres are the ‘bulking’ fibres that aid regular bowel movements. They are also found in similar foods as the soluble fibres, but wheat bran is also a contributor.

Resistant starch is like fibre in that it is starch that resists digestion in the small intestine and travels through to feed the good bacteria in the colon. Research is indicating how beneficial it is for colon health! It’s found primarily in legumes, pearl barley and brown rice as well as cooked and cooled starches (the process forms a crystalline structure around the starches, causing them to resist digestion) such as potato, pasta and rice. The CSIRO has developed a type of this starch which can be found in some specially formulated breads and cereals (including the BarleyMax range by Goodness Superfoods).

How much do we need?

I usually advise clients to read labels (most labels in Australia include fibre these days) and look for the highest fibre level when you’re comparing products. You can read more about label reading in a previous blog here.

As a guide, breads should be greater than 5g/100g at a minimum.

In total we’re aiming for 28g per day for women and 38g per day for men.

How do we get it?

If you aim to include fibre-rich foods such as wholegrains, legumes, nuts, vegetables and fruit in each of your main meals, and follow the Australian Dietary Guidelines, especially in those 3 food groups, you should easily reach your target. Leaving the edible skins on your fruit and vegetables is also an awesome idea.

I couldn’t do better than share this table from the Grains & Legumes Council website with you to demonstrate how to include more fibre…

(Just click on the picture to enlarge it if it’s too small for you to see clearly)

High fibre recipe ideas

The most basic idea is to modify existing recipes by adding products like legumes and whole grains and nuts and seeds, but here are some high-fibre recipe links that might inspire you to increase your fibre intake.

Cinnamon Chicken with Bean Salad

Apple and Bran Muffins

Mushroom and Lentil Burger

There’s loads more this like this on the Taste.com.au website, as well as my other favourite internet recipe sites including Allrecipes.com.au, the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council website and the Nuts For Life website.

Some other helpful links for more info on fibre

Dietitians Association of Australia

Grains & Legumes Council

The Better Health Channel, Victoria

Catherine Saxelby’s Foodwatch website

The Australian Healthy Food Guide by dietitian Caitlin Reid

Hoping that’s given you inspiration, understanding and some helpful ideas to include more fibre in you day.

We’d love to hear how you personally get enough in your day, so please share in the comments below.

Wishing you a great day! Sally

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