I have spent more time lately thinking about fibre than I’d care to admit, but it is not entirely my fault. Because almost as a natural progression to the endorsement of anything gut-related, fibre is the buzzword of the moment. At least among health influencers, nutrition gurus and pretty much anyone with a healthy opinion. It’s as if health experts worldwide hadn’t been recommending eating a high fibre diet for the past 50 years. After all, the evidence has been crystal clear. Eating a diet high in fibre reduces the risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. It also aids digestion, promotes good gut health, helps to manage your weight, lower your cholesterol and keeps your blood sugar stable. So while adults have long been advised to get at least 30g fibre each day, it is suddenly being hailed as the secret to wellness. Better late than never, I guess.
And the race to get fully fibred among new recruits has made Fibremaxxing more than just a persistent social media trend. The renewed interest in fibre has even threatened to overtake protein’s long held dominance. However, as seen with protein, simply adding fibre to a food will not somehow magic it healthy. Though manufacturers are undeterred, as the sheer number of foods now being marketed by their fibre content only keeps growing. Clearly, fibre means big business. Which is why it is hardly surprising that even basic supermarket staples are trying to outdo each other in the fibre stakes.
Take breakfast cereals, one of the most commonly found staples in households nationwide. There are some breakfast cereals that are practically synonymous with fibre. Because everybody knows what they need to fill their bowl with when they are massively constipated and their gut is on strike. If you don’t have a box of All Bran somewhere in the back of your cupboard, then your parents or grandparents almost certainly will. But despite this familiarity, its manufacturers have had to highlight their blatantly obvious high fibre credentials even further. All Bran has changed their recipe and has been rebranded as new All Bran Fibre Plus. And to avoid any doubt, their boxes say that its fibre fuels a healthy gut. The fact that the new reformulated cereal actually contains less fibre than their original product isn’t mentioned anywhere. Which makes me wonder, what is actually in the Plus?
Though, most bog standard breakfast cereals you find on supermarket shelves and in people’s kitchens aren’t eaten for their fibre content. Most people are not even aware of the amount of fibre in their bowl. Unless, of course, they had been listening to some nutrition advice of, say, the last 50 years. Even cereals that are eaten because they are healthy rather than for being tasty generally don’t say very much in their marketing about their fibre content. Perhaps mentioning something about their cereal aiding your intestinal transit doesn’t really sell. Nevertheless, things are changing in these Fibremaxxing times.
Original Shredded Wheat, containing 100% wholewheat, sells itself as being one of the healthiest cereals around. However, promoting their one simple ingredient message with ‘It simply does it’ is no longer enough. In order to spell out that the one ingredient, by definition, contains fibrous bran, a large HIGH IN FIBRE is now boldly stamped across each box. The wholewheat biscuit’s rival, Weetabix, has also had to follow suit. Marketing themselves as ‘the original superfood’ while trying to take up space for being the tastier, fortified alternative to Shredded Wheat is no longer going to cut it with the fibre hunters. Their boxes now carry a bright green badge like a green traffic light to wellness, to show that they are packed with fibre.
Other breakfast cereals who have attempted to jump on the fibre bandwagon include some unhealthy boxes that are high in sugar, salt and fat. But rather than reformulating to make their products more nutritious and naturally full of fibre, they have done it by simply adding extra fibre to their products. Because why change your recipe when fibre can be sprinkled on in a sort of healthy disguise. Step forward Special K High Fibre Crunchy Golden Clusters. Each box comes with an unmissable Trump-like HIGH FIBRE banner plastered across it. So much fibre has been added to the Golden Clusters that they contain more fibre/100g than Weetabix and they are almost head to head with Shredded Wheat. However, a quick scan of the ingredients label on the back of the box reveals that 18g of sugar come with the fibrous golden clusters.
However, the shrewdest cereal manufacturers have decided to hedge their bets with the Fibremaxxing trend by promoting their fibre and protein contents together in the ultimate flex. I don’t know if this is pure genius or just slightly confusing. But the real question is whether anyone is fooled. Do you believe that FUEL10K’s Chocolate Chunks Granola Breakfast Cereal is nutritious because it is ‘protein boosted’ and ‘high fibre’? It may sell and even be tasty but I cannot imagine that anyone will mistake it for being a healthy choice to start the day.
Ultimately, it is good to see that the importance of eating a high fibre diet to stay healthy and feel well is finally getting the attention it deserves. However, there is no one nutrient that can work as a magic bullet and make up for an unhealthy diet. The key is to include rich sources of fibre within a healthy balanced diet. Such as wholewheat starchy carbohydrates and wholegrains, fruits and vegetables, beans and pulses, and nuts. In other words, eating a nutritious diet should not be a trend but just a part of a healthy and active lifestyle. It may not be new advice but the benefits will outlast Fibremaxxing and whatever comes along next. In the meantime, enjoy another healthy recipe. These Stuffed aubergines are super tasty but also happen to full of fibre and other essential nutrients.
