By Grace Brydon, Accredited Practising Dietitian

Your daily food choices have a powerful role in your diabetes management. Choosing nutritious foods and building healthy eating habits can make a difference, not just for your blood glucose levels, but for your overall health and wellbeing.

Among the many dietary strategies recommended for managing diabetes, incorporating high-fibre foods has proven to be especially beneficial.

Firstly, what is fibre?

Fibre is a type of carbohydrate found in plant-based foods that the body cannot digest. Compared to other carbohydrates that are broken down into glucose, fibre passes through the digestive system relatively unchanged.

There are two main types of fibre, soluble and insoluble. What is the difference?

• Soluble fibre: Dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance which may assist with lowering blood glucose levels and improving cholesterol.
• Insoluble fibre: Doesn’t dissolve in water, thereby adding bulk to stool and promoting bowel regularity and digestive health.

Five benefits of fibre

Blood glucose control: Fibre helps to slow down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, resulting in a slower and more stable rise in blood glucose levels.

Weight management: Fibre is one nutrient that assists with lowering the glycaemic index of foods, not only by slowing down carbohydrate digestion, but also promoting feelings of fullness after you have eaten.

Insulin sensitivity: Some research has found that fibre may improve the body’s ability to use insulin, thereby increasing insulin sensitivity.

Digestive health: Fibre assists with promoting bowel regularity and digestive health.  

Heart health: A diet rich in fibre helps to reduce cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease.

How much fibre is recommended?

The Australian Eat for Health guidelines recommend:

Women ( over 19 years): 25g per day

Men (over 19 years): 30g per day

Which foods are rich in fibre?

1. Fruit and vegetables: Aim to eat the rainbow, the more variety and colour the better!

2. Legumes: Include lentils, chickpeas and beans. They’re delicious, packed full of fibre, cheap to buy and have a long shelf-life.

3. Wholegrains: Examples include quinoa, rolled oats, brown rice, barley and wholegrain cereal, bread, pasta and crackers.

4. Nuts and seeds, including unsalted almonds or pistachios, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and flaxseeds.

When increasing your fibre intake, it is important to:

Increase fibre slowly: Try to introduce a new high-fibre food every few days, this will help to avoid any unwanted gas or bloating.

Stay hydrated: Aim for 8–10 cups of fluid per day, mostly from water. Staying hydrated helps to soften bowel movements, making them easier to pass.

High fibre sample meal plan

Breakfast: Cooked breakfast*

• 1 x slice wholegrain bread
• ¼ avocado
• Scrambled eggs:  2 x eggs and half cup tomato and spinach

 Morning tea:

• 30g unsalted almonds 
• Medium apple

Lunch: Chickpea salad

• 2 cups salad vegetables (e.g. lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion)
• 70g of tinned chickpeas
• ¼ avocado
• Feta
• Tin tuna or grilled chicken  
• Dressing: Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and pepper

Afternoon tea:

• Vegetable sticks (e.g. carrot, celery or capsicum) with hummus

Dinner: Roasted salmon and vegetables with quinoa

• Baked salmon fillet, seasoned with lemon, herbs and pepper
• ½ cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup of roast vegetables (e.g. eggplant, capsicum, cherry tomato, zucchini)

* Approximately 30g fibre. Estimated fibre content from FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database

Note: This is a sample meal plan. Individual nutrition requirements vary. Consult an accredited practising dietitian before making any significant changes to your diet.

Implementing a high-fibre diet can be an effective strategy to assist with managing your diabetes. Choosing high-fibre foods such as vegetables, wholegrains, fruit and legumes can not only assist with managing blood glucose levels, but also to increase consumption of essential nutrients and promote overall health.