Nutrition expert reveals 5 high-fibre foods to eat every day

Small pile of de-shelled pistachios — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Protein was the big topic of nutritional conversation for years - how women need more of it, especially when exercising regularly, especially in menopause. Fibre is the next dietary essential to come under the spotlight.

Dr Amy Shah is a leading expert in the role that nutrition plays in health, longevity, and hormone regulation, and is a double board-certified doctor. Speaking to Mel Robbins on her podcast, Dr Shah revealed that the average American only gets about 10g out of her recommended 30g per day. Only 5% of people in the United States eat enough fibre every day. According to Guts UK, those of us in the UK only reach about 16g per day. It's a problem.

"We have organisms that live in our gut. Their main source of food is fibre. By not eating enough fibre, we are starving that entire ecosystem. It's so bad that generation to generation, we have lost so much of our gut bacteria. We have lost 50% of what our ancestors had because of our modern diet," explains the doctor. "[This bacteria] moderates how much of a hormone we have in our system. When we don't have enough healthy and functioning bacteria, we get all kinds of hormonal imbalances and GI issues. Our gut is constantly talking to our brain, so feeding that bacteria is important."

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What does 30g of fibre look like in a day?

1. Pears

1 pear = 6 to 7g fibre

Pears are among the foods richest in fibre, with six to seven grams of fibre per fruit, which is double that of an apple, says the doctor. "Eat the whole thing like you would eat an apple. It's just a powerhouse of fibre," she says.

2. Berries

Per serving (150g approx) of raspberries = 8g fibre

If you're trying to get more fibre in your diet, berries are another great place to start. "Blueberries are amazing because they have tonnes of polyphenols, but raspberries are the real fibre powerhouse. They have eight grams per serving. They are one of the highest fibre foods you can have," she says.

"And these are so easy to add to a yoghurt or a cottage cheese," she adds.

Provided you're not juicing the berries, you'll be able to eat or drink the berries in any way you like and still absorb the nutrients, she adds.

3. Chia seeds

1 tablespoon = 5g fibre

One tablespoon offers 5g of fibre, explains the doctor. "You add a tablespoon, two tablespoons to your yoghurt, and there you have 10g of fibre, 10% increase in longevity just from a little seed."

4. Kiwi

1 whole fruit with skin = 4g fibre

If you eat all of the kiwi, including the skin, you'll increase the fibre content by 50%, compared to just eating the green fruit inside.

"Bite it like an apple, and you're getting fibre, but you're also getting all the phytonutrients the fruit has," she says. "It's like a superfood."

5. Pistachios

Quarter cup (about 30g) pistachios = 13g fibre

These small nuts offer 13g of fibre per serving (quarter cup), making them the richest in fibre on the list.

"Take the yoghurt, berries, pistachios, chia seeds, and make up a parfait, you've got yourself 30g of fibre," says the doctor.

Pistachios (and most other kinds of nuts) are also high-protein foods. When we combine protein and fibre, "the gut bacteria get super happy", Dr Shah says. "They produce these things called short-chain fatty acids. These are the magical, anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory compounds that go all over our body, including our brain, and lower inflammation," she says.

Grace Walsh is woman&home's Health Channel Editor, working across the areas of fitness, nutrition, sleep, mental health, relationships, and sex. She is also a qualified fitness instructor.

A digital journalist with over seven years experience as a writer and editor for UK publications, Grace has covered (almost) everything in the world of health and wellbeing with bylines in Cosmopolitan, Red, The i Paper, GoodtoKnow, and more.

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