Prof Tim Spector named some of the best fibre-rich snacks out there (Image: Getty)
A nutrition expert has shared a surprising fibre-rich snack that could help slash your risk of heart disease and other serious health issues. Professor Tim Spector named a number of foods you should consider adding to your diet in order to meet your daily fibre needs.
In a video posted to his Instagram, Prof Spector – an epidemiologist and founder of Zoe Health, warned that most of us are not getting enough fibre in our diets. Dietary fibre, which is sometimes known as roughage, is the indigestible portion of plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes).
These pass relatively intact through the stomach, small intestine, and colon, and are known to help aid digestion, promote bowel health, and manage blood sugar levels. Prof Spector said: “Are you getting enough fibre?
“Over 90% of adults in the US and UK aren’t getting enough fibre and it’s leading to a substantial depletion of the human gut microbiome.
« Fibre is not only crucial for supporting your gut health, but it also reduces your risk of diseases including diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
“A new meta-analysis of over 8,000 adults found that increasing your fibre intake by only five grams per day could decrease your risk of heart disease by around 14%. Reaching the recommended 30 grams of fibre a day is easier than you think, especially when you include the high fibre foods in this video.”
In a caption accompanying the video, he revealed some high-fibre foods to add to your diet. The professor then asked his readers: « Did any of these surprise you? » The snack packing the most fibre on his list was popcorn.
According to Prof Spector, this provides an impressive 14.5 grams of fibre per 100g. This is supported by information from the American Heart Association, which says that lightly-seasoned popcorn could be considered a healthy snack.
It notes on its website: “When it’s air-popped and lightly seasoned, popcorn is an efficiently healthy snack. That’s because it is a whole grain, and high-fibre whole grains have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and other health problems.”
This means avoiding popcorn that comes with lots of added sugar or a buttery topping.
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Other foods listed by Prof Spector for their fibre content include:
- Avocados: 3.4g/100g
- Kidney Beans: 9.6g/100g
- Artichoke hearts: 3.6g/100g
- Mushy peas: 3.9g/100g
- Raspberries: 5.2g/100g
- Wholewheat pasta: 3.8g/100g
One of the studies referenced by Prof Spector was published in BMC Medicine in 2022. It found that high fibre diets reduced “all-cause mortality” and was associated with lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels.
The study authors wrote: “These findings emphasise the likely benefits of promoting greater dietary fibre intakes for patients with cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Further trials and cohort analyses in this area would increase confidence in these results.”
The NHS website states that eating plenty of fibre is associated with a “lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer”. It also recommends that adults eat at least 30g of fibre per day but that most of us are only eating about 20g.
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