Based on all the research I’ve done, the books I’ve written and the clients I’ve trained, I believe that the only 3 nutritional factors that are important to an overall healthy life are (in no particular order):

  • Calories
  • Protein
  • Fibre

Fibre

Original source: here.

Yes, it’s as simple as that for the maintenance of good health (other factors do come into play when it comes to chronic conditions, like high blood pressure, fatty liver, high cholesterol/dyslipidemia). All the “other stuff” is just noise. The “other stuff” is things like:

  • Intermittent fasting
  • Whether you should have 2 big meals per day or 5 small meals per day
  • The best diet – is it keto, Mediterranean, paleo, Atkins, anti-inflammatory, etc.
  • Meal timing: should you eat before bed or avoid it?

These are things that in the grand scheme of things play a negligible role in overall health.

Again, my belief is that the only 3 things that make a big difference are calories, protein and fibre.

In the past, I’ve written extensively about calories/weight loss here, here, here and here. I’ve also written an article about 8 easy ways to get more protein in your day.

Maybe you know from some of my other articles that I like to eat but hate to cook. I like simplicity. Some people love the culinary arts. They love reading recipe books, watching recipe videos, and using their kitchen like a lab. God bless ‘em. But that’s not me. I like simplicity, deliciousness and speed. If you tell me that something will take more than 2 minutes to prepare, you’ve lost me.

I also happen to hate vegetables. I know, I know – heresy for a fitness/nutrition author. Let me clarify – I hate the taste of vegetables, but I like their effects. I eat them because, you know… they’re good for you. But I eat them without any pleasure.

Basically, I have the taste buds of a picky toddler and the kitchen enthusiasm of a raccoon with a microwave—and yet I’m still healthier than most people.

So for me personally to stick to something, it needs to meet 3 criteria:

  1. It needs to be tasty.
  2. It needs to be easy.
  3. It needs to be fast.

So in this article, I’ll cover 5 easy and tasty ways to get more fibre in your day.

But first…

What’s Fibre Good For?

A better question is what fibre isn’t good for. It’s one of the few things mentioned in almost all of my books. Everyone knows that fibre is good for staying regular, but what’s less well-known is that fibre is good for:

  • Type 2 diabetes reversal. Yes, reversal. In my book, Type 2 Diabetes Reversal Secrets, I show the research that optimizing fibre intake reduces fasting blood glucose as much as 2.5 mmol/l. And that’s without any weight loss.
  • High cholesterol reversal. In my book, High Cholesterol Reversal Secrets, I show the research that the right amount of fibre reduces total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
  • Fatty liver reversal. In my book, Fatty Liver Reversal Secrets, I explain how optimizing your fibre intake reduces liver fat by 17% in people with fatty liver.
  • Sneak peak: in my soon-to-be-published book, Chronic Inflammation Reversal Secrets, I explain how fibre by itself reduces inflammation without weight loss.

 

How Much Fibre Do You Need?

Non-diabetics need 14 grams of fibre per 1,000 calories. Diabetics need 17-20 grams of fibre per 1,000 calories.

Given that most people are atrocious at knowing/estimating how many calories they’re eating (most people underestimate by anywhere from 25-70% – including registered dietitians), another way to go about it is based on your ideal bodyweight. Divide your ideal bodyweight (in pounds) by 5, and that’s approximately how much fibre you need.

 

Strategy #1: Choose High-Fibre Starches

Fibre doesn’t mean eating only salads. In fact, vegetables are actually pretty low in fibre (don’t believe me? Plug in a bunch of different vegetables into this nutrient database and try to find a single vegetable that’s high in fibre. But look for high in fibre per serving – not per 100 grams or 100 calories).

For lots of people, a chunk of their meal is the “big 4” starches:

  • Pasta
  • Rice
  • Bread (in all its forms – buns, bagels, croissants, baguettes, etc.)
  • Potatoes

All of them have really low fibre content. Instead, try having these high-fibre starches:

  • Beans (all beans are good – red kidney beans, white kidney beans, garbanzo, pinto, etc. The king though is black beans)
  • Lentils
  • Chickpeas
  • Peas
  • Quinoa
  • Buckwheat
  • Whole grain pasta
  • Whole grain bread

 

Of course, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. There’s no reason why one meal can’t have pasta, and the next meal can’t have chickpeas.

You can also do both in the same meal. Instead of having half of your plate made up of rice, maybe have a quarter of your plate made up of rice and another quarter made up of beans (and the remaining half might be meat/fish and veggies).

 

Strategy #2: Choose High-Fibre Fruits

All fruits are good. But not all fruits are high in fibre. The fruits with the most fibre (excluding dried fruits) are blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, guava and passionfruit.

If you include dried fruits, you also have dates, prunes and figs. They just tend to be higher in calories as well.

 

Strategy #3: Sprinkle Seeds

Eating yogurt, porridge, cereal or making a protein shake? Add in 1-2 tablespoons of flax seeds, chia seeds or hemp seeds. They add a substantial amount of fibre with minimal effort or time.

 

Strategy #4: Chia Jam

You like jam? You want something sweet, without the guilt that you’re eating nearly pure sugar? Chia jam to the rescue. It’s a jam made almost entirely out of chia seeds. It has 4 grams of fibre per 25 calories. That’s a ridiculous fibre-to-calorie ratio. That’s better than berries, beans, lentils, etc.

It tastes so good, you wouldn’t even know you’re eating something healthy.

 

Strategy #5: Choose High Fibre Bars

Nowadays, there are plenty of snack bars on the market, many of which are super high in fibre (more than 5 grams per bar). Unlike the bars of yesteryear (like 12-15 years ago), that tasted like cardboard, these are indistinguishable from their less healthy counterparts. My favourites are:

  • Fibre 1 bars: 4 grams per 90-calorie square (I usually have 2). They have flavours like chocolate fudge brownie (tastes almost as good as a real brownie), cinnamon bun and lemon.
  • Snack trax: 5 grams of fibre per 70 calories. They have flavours like cookie dough and chocolate.
  • No sugar peanut butter cups: it tastes just like Reese’s peanut butter cup, but way healthier. One chocolate bomb has 4 grams of fibre per 70 calories.

 

…and there’s plenty of others at both Walmart and Costco.

 

A Warning

I hope I’ve shown you how easy (and delicious) it can be to get an adequate fibre intake. I hope you’re excited to start adding more fibre to your diet. But if you’re like the average North American, you’re currently getting around 15-19 grams, which is about 40-60% below the required amount.

Don’t just suddenly start eating the right intake in 1 day… unless you work from home, and you’re really close to a toilet at every hour. You know what I’m saying?

Increase your fibre intake by about 3-5 grams every 3-4 days until you get to the right amount for you.

You’ve been warned.