Protein, protein, protein… fibre?

These days, protein is ALL the buzz.

You see protein boosted products everywhere. Nut bars, hummus, crackers, breads, wraps. Even Milo powder now has got a protein version!

Protein sure is important for a whole lot of reasons. Aside from being required for muscle growth and maintenance, it is also needed to make your hormones, repair your wounds, and at a cellular level, it is required for all your little enzymes (or the ‘doers’ of your body) to be made. So yeah, super important.

Research has always indicated that humans only need 0.8g/kg body weight of protein to survive. For context, for an 80kg person, that would be 64g of protein. 100g of raw chicken breast has 22g and 2 slices of bread has around 8-10g. So a chicken sandwich would get you most of the way there.

Although you can get away with 0.8g/kg body weight of protein, it isn’t optimal for most people. Hence why a lot of people, particularly those that are aging or gym goers, are trying to get as much protein as they can.

But in the pursuit of getting those gains in muscle, are we neglecting another important nutrient?

Since when did fibre take a back seat?

A lot of people claim that you don’t need fibre. Which is technically true. You don’t need it. But just because you don’t need something, doesn’t mean it isn’t helpful.

Kind of like you don’t need dairy to get your calcium. But it is helpful to prevent osteoporosis.

Fibre is useful for your gut – to help form your stool and feed your gut microbiome. Which scientists are still figuring out, but more and more research is pointing to how important a healthy gut microbiome is in overall health.

Fibre is also important for:

·         Bowel cancer prevention

·         Heart disease prevention

·         Diabetes prevention

·         Diverticular disease prevention

·         Haemorrhoid prevention

·         Mental health improvement

So yes, you could focus on protein and feel fine. But try to also get your fibre in. Here are dietitian Nadia’s top 5 tips to getting more fibre in:

1.      Raspberries and chia seeds mixed into yoghurt as an after dinner snack

2.      Add an afternoon tea of veggie sticks and mixed nuts into your routine

3.      Don’t peel your fruits and veggies – just wash them well and keep the skin on

4.      Add some oats into your week – overnight oats are great in the warmer weather

5.      Look for products with added fibre if you are struggling with increasing fruits and veggies. Products like some bread brands, or Arnotts Snack Right biscuits if you’re wanting a sweet, have got added fibre.

Make sure you keep your water up if you’re going to increase your fibre!

If you would like help understanding how you can get more fibre into your diet, please don’t hesitate to contact admin@wardnutrition.health or call 6362 9806, or head to the portal link on our website to make a booking.