Everyone says to eat more fibre. Easy to say but hard to do? The talk may be everywhere, but why is it so?

The risk of chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease can be reduced by maintaining a high fibre diet (approximately 30-40g per day). It is also a great way to help feel full quicker and lose weight.

Fibre comes from plant foods: whole grain cereals, vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts and seeds, and is necessary for the gut to function properly. However, it is important to drink plenty of fluids in order for the fibre to swell and act as a sponge and regulate gut movement.

Fibre acts like a sponge and soaks up sugar in the foods eaten, and releases it slowly, helping control blood sugar levels. It also reduces cholesterol absorption and excretion, therefore reducing blood cholesterol and risk of heart disease.

That’s not all. Foods that are high in fibre expand in the stomach and intestine like a sponge to help the feeling being full, and these foods tend to be those low in energy. These foods are said to have low energy density. If compared to a bag of lollies, there is no fibre in lollies and they are very high in energy, and they don’t act like a sponge and expand in the stomach to help the feeling of being full, thus preventing more eating.

Eating acai berries means eating less energy for the same weight of food and therefore helping to prevent weight gain and risk of obesity.

There is a relatively high fiber content in organic freeze dried acai of 1.4g (per 5g serve) compared with an apple (1.8g) or a weetbix (1.8g). In an Acai smoothie with 3 scoops of organic freeze dried Aa powder, there is around 4g of dietary fibre! The new recommended intake for Australia and New Zealand suggest we consume 30g of fibre per day.