I tracked my fibre intake for a month and the results were life-changing

It was the day of the two packet sandwiches and the Higgidy Pie that brought me to my knees. Shamefaced, I typed my meals into nutrition company Zoe’s new personalised nutrition app, and the response was blunt.

The pie contained just 3.2g of fibre. “The pastry is digested quickly due to the refined filo dough and lower-quality fats,” Ziggie, my artificial intelligence (AI) nutrition guide, warned.

Rude! I’d hoped the feta and spinach would cancel out the pastry.

Meanwhile, the so-called healthy sandwiches I’d eaten at train stations that day (egg and cress; tuna and salad) had only 3.8g of fibre each. Yes, brown bread has more fibre than white, but it’s still high in processed carbohydrates, the app informed me.

So my daily fibre total was: 10.8g. When government guidelines say we need to eat 30g of fibre a day (minimum) and 30 different plants a week.

There were mitigating circumstances. I was interviewing all day. No chance to cook from scratch. But like 96 per cent of the country, my fibre intake seemed woefully low. Tim Spector would be horrified.

So when my editor asked me to monitor my intake for a month – and incorporate more of this unsung hero into my diet – it seemed the chance to make amends.

Fibre is the new protein

Fibre went under the radar for years (the forgotten macronutrient), but now, you can’t move for people urging us to eat more of it.

Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are spearheading a new campaign urging Britons to eat more fibre to combat cancer (“Bang in Some Beans”). There are three new books on fibre coming out next year by leading nutritionists. Meanwhile, over on TikTok, they’re obsessed with “fibremaxxing”, raving about adding chia seeds and raspberries to their yogurt bowls, and mashing beans into soups, salads and stews.

The health benefits

Fibre has a rather unsexy reputation of keeping us “regular” – but actually it can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer (we’re seeing a big upsurge in the number of young people diagnosed, and one of the driving factors is probably low fibre intake). It can boost the health of our gut microbiome, and there’s evidence that it can have an impact on brain functioning, mood and cognition.

Soluble fibre (oats, beans, barley, psyllium husks) helps bind cholesterol and carry it out of the body, so many people see improvements in low-density lipoprotein with a consistent high-fibre approach. It also makes us less susceptible to depression. “It’s about basic maintenance of our nutritional needs, so I think fibre is a far more needed trend than protein ever was,” says Dr Federica Amati, Zoe’s head nutritionist.

As nutritionist Emma Bardwell, the author of The Fibre Effect (Pavilion, out on 19 February), explains: “Not only is fibre key to health – for every 5g, you reduce your overall risk of dying by 14 per cent.” She cites a 2014 study published in Nature that saw people following a strict carnivore diet (i.e.eating only animal products and little to no fibre) showed an increase in gut bacteria associated with inflammatory bowel disease and much lower levels of short-chain fatty acids than those people following a more plant-based (i.e. high-fibre) diet. This was after just five days. Short-chain fatty acids provide energy for colon cells, strengthen gut lining and regulate immune function and metabolism.

“Scientists have basically identified which dietary components cause the most death and disease,” explains Dr Amati. “So you think: ‘Oh, wow, a diet high in processed meat would be the highest contributor. Or a diet high in ultra-processed foods.’ But actually, diets low in whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, low in fibre, they’re the thing that actually drive the most disease.”

Doing the fibre maths

For many of us it’s an almighty faff weighing out dessert spoons of porridge and counting individual chickpeas. So how do we make small, accessible tweaks to reach our 30g of fibre a day?

This is where the new Zoe app comes in. It allows you to snap any ingredient and understand what is in it – and its impact on your body. Using AI, the app analyses your meal and its ingredients, giving a nutrition score out of 100. Ziggie, the in-app nutritionist (actually an avatar for Prof Tim Spector and chief scientist Prof Sarah Berry), pops up with suggestions on how to make your meal healthier. “We want to help people understand how important it is to feed your gut microbiome with the correct food,” says Dr Amati.

You fill in a short profile, and then when you make an entry, it tots up the fibre, carbs, fat and protein for a meal, plus calories, and gives you an overall score – 90 is very good (“eat freely”); 33 is “enjoy in moderation” (I can almost hear Ziggie saying, “You sad loser,” as I confess to a chocolate brownie).

You can also scan supermarket labels and barcodes but the database still isn’t complete, so I found it easier to “describe” most meals in words.

Over the week, it logs your plant diversity and cheers every fibre win. It can even work out which recipe you’re cooking, just from the ingredients you photograph. It’s a bit like having an over-excitable alsatian in your pocket. But it works. I start eating better simply because I can’t bear to disappoint it.

Breakfast: the first shock

I’ve been eating porridge with honey and berries for a while now. Smugly I type in my meal. But it’s a lowish nutrition score – 58 out of 100 (only 5.8g of fibre). Oats are good but to get enough fibre I need to add seeds, which are loaded with nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids (excellent for heart health and can reduce triglyceride levels). And the fibre police (aka Ziggie) predicts an energy crash later.

Even when I add sourdough toast and scrambled eggs (supposedly an admirable source of protein, healthy fat, fibre and complex carbs), it scores only 45 out of 100 – “low in plants and gut-friendly fibre.”

Jeez Louise. I feel like a spurned lover. I can see I’m going to have to work harder to pimp up my breakfast. Overnight, I soak oats with linseed, chia seed, pumpkin and sunflower seed, and in the morning add berries and Greek yogurt. Bingo: the meal score is a much-improved 90 and already I’ve managed 11.7g of fibre. To my great surprise I look forward to it every morning.

“If you can get your breakfast right, it contributes to about 20 per cent of your energy intake for the day. So it’s a big chunk of your diet,” says Dr Amati.

Getting lunch right

Another setback. Ziggie’s not thrilled by my tinned tomato soup and cheese/salad sandwich (granary bread, people!). The Heinz soup scores only 17 out of 100 for nutrition (low in fibre, high in carbs). And the whole meal gets only an overall score of 35 with 5.3g of fibre (“enjoy in moderation”). So the next day, I buy a soup maker and spend a morning chopping. My homemade tomato and carrot soup, plus avocado on rye toast and seeds, is a hit (score 91, 19.6g of fibre).

Supper swaps

My wild mushroom pasta with penne and three varieties of mushrooms doesn’t entirely impress Ziggie either (food score 55; fibre 9.3g). “Penne pasta digests fast, which can impact sugar balance and energy levels,” she admonishes. So over the week, I make vegetable curries, stews and fish dishes and serve them with chickpeas, red kidney beans and borlotti beans instead of rice. I’m rewarded with 87-90 scores (around 12g of fibre).

The fibre-centric movement will be proud of me. I’ve become a beans aficionado – treating myself to jars of Bold Bean Co. I even order a bag of Zero Store beans (£3, bred by experts at Warwick University). They need soaking but are deliciously nutty and filling.

“Three servings of beans a week has been linked to a 38 per cent lower risk of cognitive decline,” Bardwell tells me, “so beans aren’t just good for your heart, they’re great for your brain too.”

I sprinkle seeds on everything. If I’m still hungry, I finish with whole grain crackers and peanut butter or cheese. It turns out my old friend dark-rye Ryvita is absolutely fine with a posh vintage cheddar from Clawson Farms.

On-the-go snacks

I’m delighted I’ve got my high-fibre breakfast nailed. But if I’m out for the day, it really slips. London’s coffee shops and galleries are a fibre desert. I eat too many nuts already but Bardwell recommends taking roasted chickpeas with me, or a pear/apple with a mini sachet of nut butter. “Sandwiches often contain surprisingly little fibre. Look for whole grain (pittas or wraps) or seeded bread, and add fillings like hummus and falafels. Buy bags of mixed leaves and avocado/cucumber to add to your shop-bought sandwich to bump up the greens and good stuff. Just half an avocado gives you 5g of fibre.” Dr Amati’s top tip is a couple of boiled eggs in Tupperware (“leave them in the shell and they don’t stink”) or cubed cheddar cheese with celery and grapes.

A month on: improved skin and digestion

After a month, I’m eating an average of 12.5g of fibre a meal (to be fair, my pimped-up breakfast accounts for nearly half of my daily score) and 29 out of 30 plants. My digestion is vastly improved, my skin clearer. In my terrifying new weights class, I definitely feel stronger. And although it’s the worst point in the calendar (freezing November), I feel oddly hopeful about the future. There are clear interlinks between the gut microbiota and the brain, even influencing our mood and appetite regulation.

“Fibre isn’t a cure for depression, but it is a powerful and very accessible tool in a holistic mental health approach,” says Bardwell. She explains that our gut microbes also support “happy hormones” such as serotonin, dopamine and Gaba (the “calming’” neurotransmitter). “The famous Smiles trial conducted by Dr Felice Jacka saw mild to moderately depressed people were four times more likely to be in remission after 12 weeks of following a Mediterranean diet [rich in fibre, vitamins and healthy fats] than those who didn’t have any dietary intervention. They also reported a reduction in anxiety.”

I’m now a total fibre bore

OK, so now I’m obsessed. The Zoe nutrition app has become more than just a food tracker. It’s my favourite life tool, along with Trainline and theatre app TodayTix. I’m never off the damn thing. And I’ve become a total fibre bore. I can whizz through a menu and fire off accurate fibre readings. When a friend boasts about his “healthy” main of roast chicken, rice and veg, I have to hold myself back from informing him: “Mate, it scores only 47.” No doubt I’ll calm down soon. But it genuinely feels life-changing.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]