8 High Fibre Strategies for Good Mood

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As part of a healthy balanced diet, our detary fibre intake should be about 30g a day. Fibre is protective against heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer.

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How is dietary fibre connected to mental health?

The nerves in our gut are connected directly to our brain via the vagus nerve. Our brain is the main engine of the body, and it needs to eat! And the brain needs to eat right.

Digestive issues are common among people with gut microbiota imbalance.

Recently, scientists have discovered a link between the gut microbiome and mental health. Specifically, how a high-fibre diet could alter our intestinal microbiota and subsequently improve our depressive symptoms.

Dietary fibre is neither absorbed nor digested in our gut. They resist hydrolysis by our digestive enzymes. Instead, our gut bacteria ferments dietary fibre. This fermentation step changes the composition of our gut microbiota and increases our gut microbial diversity. Bacterial fermentation products such as short chain fatty acids (SCFA) have been demonstrated to be protective against leaky gut, colorectal cancer, and improve symptoms of depression. Low fibre diet on the other hand, depletes the human gut microbiota and increase the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Bacterial fermentation produce short chain fatty acids (SCFA)

SCFA has been demonstrated to be protective against leaky gut, colorectal cancer, and improve symptoms of depression. Low fibre diet on the other hand, depletes the human gut microbiota and increase the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

How long does it take to see an effect on your mood?

It is difficult to know exactly when you can see changes in your moods after initiating dietary changes. However, keep in mind that your microbiome composition is highly acute to what you eat. Changes in the microbiome composition can be seen within 24 hours of starting a high fibre diet. That is pretty quick! All these findings hold promise in improving depressive symptoms across many population.

The exact mechanism underlying dietary changes and mental health is still being investigated. Some likely pathways may be related to inflammation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. These pathways are often dysregulated in people with mental health issues. As more scientific investigations are underway, we may be closer to answering this question!

How do I add more fibre in my diet?

Too much fibre too quickly can cause bloating, flatulence and cramping. These discomfort can be easily relieved by gradually adding fibre to your diet. This should be done over a few weeks to let your body adjust to the change. Secondly, fibre acts like a sponge as it moves through the digestive tract and absorbs water in our body. For this reason, drink plenty of fluids throughout the day to avoid getting constipated. Consider drinking 35 to 45 ml for every kg of your body weight daily, depending on your physical activity and heat.

Take a look at our high fibre recipes if you are feeling inspired.

These tips can help you add more fibre to your diet and make you feel your best:

Load up on fruits and vegetables

  • Keep vegetables in the fridge, washed and cut, so it’s always handy for snacks.
  • Keep fruits where you can easily see them.
  • Replace after-meal desserts with fruits and top with some frozen vanilla yogurt.

Fill up on whole grains

  • Swap starches in main meals with whole grains eg. brown or wild rice, barley, bulgur, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, or whole wheat wraps.
  • Tip for baking – substitute a third to half of plain flour with whole grain flour.
  • Make your own oat flour by blending oat in a food processor or high-speed blender until it turns to fine flour.

Bulk up your meals

  • Bulk up pasta sauce, soup, stews or beans with frozen peas, broccoli, carrots, oatmeal or nuts.
  • Eat the peels of potatoes, eggplants, zucchinis, apples, guavas, plums and pears. The peelings have substantial amount of fibre!
  • Choose baked goods with fruits, seeds, nuts or are wholegrains.

Bump up your legumes

  • Legumes are also high in plant protein and B vitamins
  • Add chickpeas, peas, lentils, cannellini beans, red kidney beans, adzuki beans, black-eyed beans and soybeans to soups or stews as it is, or pureed to make a thick, creamy and filling soup.
  • Make wholegrain wraps with lentils, beans, raisins, nuts, or olives.

Gear up for the day with fibre

  • Choose high fibre cereal or oat with plain yogurt, fresh or frozen fruits.
  • Make a breakfast smoothie with banana, whole fruits but don’t remove the pulp!
  • Here is an excellent breakfast idea to make the night before: overnight oats.

Eating out pointers

  • Choose healthier sides eg. beans, nuts or baked potatoes with chili instead of fries.
  • Try out their vegan options. You might be surprised at how good a vegan burger taste!
  • Many restaurant chains offer oatmeal bowls for breakfast for a healthy boost of fibre.
  • Have cut fruits or vegetables as sides to your fast food meal.
  • Choose sandwiches with whole wheat buns.

Make your snacks high fibre

  • Almonds, walnuts, cashews, and pistachios can be a good source of protein and a convenient snack to carry.           
  • Have cut fruits with some plain vanilla yogurt. Go an extra mile and top it with nuts or oatmeal!
  • Opt for popcorn or nuts during your movie nights. If you fancy cooking, here is a yummy recipe for crunchy chickpeas
  • If you do have crisps with dips, swap sour cream or cheese dips with hummus, guacamole or salsa instead.

Fibre supplements

Getting fibre from natural sources means you are also getting the naturally occurring vitamins, mineral and antioxidants in that food. However, if you need extra help in increasing fibre in your diet due to preferences or other issues, you can try fibre supplements. It is a convenient and quick way to boost your fibre intake. Examples include:

  • Inulin – Prebiotic fibre that also adds to the good bacteria in your gut
  • Psyllium – Also iImprove satiety and slows digestion
  • Wheat dextrin – Soluble fibre that helps with digestion and blood sugar regulation

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2 thoughts on “8 High Fibre Strategies for Good Mood”

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