Our gut microbes are powerful. They’re linked to pretty much whatever your health goal is – and when it comes to chronic disease, taking control of your gut health has been shown to not only help manage but prevent type two diabetes and more!
How? Let’s start with FIBRE.
Studies show eating a high-fibre diet can lead to better control of blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels too. Fibre from wholegrains have also been linked with reducing your chances of developing several diseases, including type two diabetes.
Although low carb diets can seem popular for people with diabetes (and it’s always best to check with a qualified dietitian to see what’s right for you ) – it’s super important to still get plenty of diversity across fruits, vege, wholegrains and legumes (beans and pulses)…remember fibre is a carb!
Hitting 30g fibre a day is the general guideline. And if you can hit more than that, even better! Just remember, slow and steady.
How easy or tricky do you find it to get enough fibre?
Here are a few simple swaps to fit in more fibre.
- Wholegrains for the win. Switch white for wholewheat bread or flour, and start experiment with other wholegrains such as wild rice, quinoa and buckwheat.
- Add beans or lentils to soups, stews & salads – mixed beans are great in a chilli or pasta sauce.
- Switch up your snacks. Go for seeded crackers or make your own (crackers recipe in my book) – or opt for a handful of mixed nuts or fresh fruit and keep the skins on!
And it’s not all about type 2 diabetes, there is some early, yet convincing research, that eating more whole plants high in fibre benefits those with type 1 diabetes too.
Check out my book for more about the power of fibre and our GM
