Fibre is so important for good health every day. Here’s why.

Importance of a High Fibre Diet

Oats have many great benefits. They are a natural whole grain, meaning that they contain all 3 parts of the natural grain and are minimally processed.

Oats also contain fibre, helping maintain a healthy digestive system.

Fibre is found in the outer layer of the oat grain, known as oat bran.

Oats are also one of the few grains that naturally contain the soluble fibre “beta-glucan”, which helps make your oats creamy and delicious and is known to help lower cholesterol re-absorption^.


Three types of dietary fibre

We all need the three types of fibre to help keep our bodies’ healthy – soluble fibre, insoluble fibre and resistant starch.

  • Soluble fibre can help lower cholesterol re-absorption (found in foods such as oats, fruit, beans and barley).
  • Insoluble fibre keeps your digestive system moving by adding bulk (found in foods such as wholemeal bread, wheat bran, vegetables and nuts).
  • Resistant starch functions like soluble fibre and is a food source for good bacteria in our large intestine. It is found in grains, seeds and legumes; raw potatoes and green (unripe) bananas and in potatoes and rice, which is cooked and then cooled.

Why do we need dietary fibre?

Plant foods such as grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and legumes contain fibre, which passes through our stomach and intestines undigested.
Dietary fibre is essential for keeping our digestive system healthy. Some types of fibre also help to lower cholesterol re-absorption, found in psyllium, barley and oat bran (which provides beta-glucan).

A high fibre diet – how much?

1 in 2 Australian adults do not consume the recommended 30 grams of dietary fibre per day, according to recent research*.

Dietary fibre content of common foods

When looking for high fibre breakfast cereals and snacks, use the following as a guide:
Min 2g/serve = Source of fibre
Min 4g/serve = High in fibre
Min 7g/serve = Very high fibre
* Nestle 2009 commissioned fibre study

High fibre foods

  • Eating a variety of foods every day including 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables in your meals or snacks will help increase the fibre in your diet.
  • If you are having trouble meeting your daily fibre requirements, you can change to a higher fibre breakfast cereal, such as UNCLE TOBYS Oats or UNCLE TOBYS Bran Plus.
  • Choose snack bars like provide a source of whole grain or fibre like UNCLE TOBYS Farmer’s Pick bars.
  • Try switching to whole grain or wholemeal bread in place of white.
    Add salad to sandwiches such as lettuce, grated carrots and tomatoes.
    Snack on fruit, veggie sticks (carrots, celery), dried fruit or nuts.
  • Try brown rice instead of white, or try eating a mix of the two.
    Aim for 3 different veggies on your dinner plate.
  • Leave the skin on fruits such as apples and pears for extra fibre.
  • Try legumes once a week such as four bean mix, kidney beans or chickpeas. Add baked beans to a baked potato with the skin left on.
    And remember, to increase your water intake as you gradually increase your fibre intake.