Why do you need Fibre?

Fibre is a complex, long chain carbohydrate that, unlike other carbohydrates, cannot be digested and turned into glucose by the human body.

Fibre helps to keep your digestive system healthy and helps to prevent constipation. It bulks up stools, makes them softer and easier to pass and makes waste move through your digestive tract more quickly.

Adults should aim to consume at least 30g of fibre per day.

Because of this, we wanted to ensure that Ultra Nutrition products contained fibre from good, natural sources. The fibre contents for some of our products are:

Ultra Complete – 7.4grams per serving
Ultra Daily – 3.4grams per serving
Ultra Protein plant-based – 3.4grams per serving

Soluble and insoluble fibre
Soluble fibre including pectin’s and beta glucans which is found in foods like fruit and oats and insoluble fibre including cellulose which is found in wholegrains and nuts. Most fibre-rich foods typically contain both types of fibre.

Fibre rich foods:

• Fruit and vegetables.
• Peas, beans and pulses.
• Wholegrain breakfast cereals, wholewheat pasta, wholegrain bread and oats, barley and rye.
• Nuts and seeds.
• Potatoes with skin.

Here are some benefits of eating a high fibre diet:

Can help weight loss
Even if increasing your fibre intake is the only dietary change you make, you should lose weight. Fibre-rich foods will fill up your plates for very few calories which in turn will make you feel fuller for longer.

Can help you maintain a healthy weight
Eating high fibre foods will generally mean they are nutritious foods. This means you body will work efficiently as they will provide you with health bacteria, vitamins and minerals and the bulk of the food will keep you feeling fuller for longer. High fibre foods are also associated with blunting insulin response which will help maintain feelings of fullness.

Reduces your risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Consuming 30 grams of fibre ever day reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers believe that keeping blood sugar levels steady and keeping you at a healthy weight that may help reduce the risk of diabetes.

Lower Your risk of Heart Disease
Fibre can mop up excess cholesterol in your system and remove it before it can clog your arteries as well as keep you at a healthy weight with steady blood sugar levels.

Improves Healthy Gut Bacteria
Good bacteria in your digestive system feed off fibre and flourish. As your gut bacteria consume fibre, they produce short-chain fatty acids that have many health benefits-including lowering systemic inflammation. This has been linked to obesity and nearly every major chronic health problem. Incredibly, you will start to see the changes in gut bacteria within just a few days of increasing your fibre intake.

You must ensure you consistently get enough fibre every day to keep getting the benefits. Skimping on fibre shifts bacteria populations in a way that increases inflammation in the body.

Can reduce Your Risk of Certain Cancers
Consistently eating a high fibre diet can reduce risk of colorectal cancer as well as breast cancer. In addition to the anti-cancer effects of fibre, high fibre foods like fruit and vegetables are also rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals that could further reduce your risk of some cancers.

Live Longer
Many studies have demonstrated that those who follow high fibre diets live longer than people with lower fibre diets.

Stop constipation
Constipation is one of the most common G.I. complaints. Fibre makes your stools softer and bulkier-both of which speed its passage from your body.

Detox
Fibre naturally promotes the elimination of toxins from your G.I. tract. Fibre soaks up potentially harmful compounds, such as excess oestrogen and unhealthy fats before they can be absorbed by your body. Insoluble fibre also makes things move along more quickly, it limits the amount of time that chemicals like BPA, mercury and pesticides stay in your system. The faster they go through you, the less chance they can cause harm.

Healthier Bones
Some types of soluble fibre known as “prebiotics” and found in asparagus, leeks, soybeans, wheat and oats increase the bioavailability of minerals like calcium in the foods you eat, which may help maintain bone density.