Fibre is an essential part of a healthy balanced diet and helps not just to eliminate toxins from our body but has many health benefits too. The average person should be consuming about 30g of fibre a day however, most of us are eating less than half of this amount.
Fibre is actually the indigestible parts of plant structure such as cellulose, lignin and pectin. Due to its structure and our digestive enzymes’ inability to break down and absorb it, fibre passes through our digestive system taking toxins, waste, fat and cholesterol particles out of the gut. In the process, it helps improve our heart health, makes us feel full, helps with digestion and detoxification.
There are 2 different types of dietary fibre – soluble and insoluble - and we need both.
- Soluble fibre slows down digestion making us feel fuller for longer, keeping blood sugar stable and improving insulin sensitivity. It can be found in foods like oats, nuts, flaxseeds, beans, lentils, peas, and some fruits and vegetables like berries and carrots.
- Insoluble fibre adds bulk to stools allowing them to pass more quickly through the intestines, thus helping to relive constipation. Insoluble fibre is found in many whole grains like brown rice and barley, and most vegetables.
If you are eating a balanced and varied diet including at least 7 portions of fruit and veg a day (5 veg, 2 fruit) you should be able to meet your daily fibre requirements.
Beans, lentils and legumes have some of the highest fibre content and are a great prebiotic to feed the good bacteria in our gut. As well as being nutrient dense, they are a cheap, healthy and versatile option to help meet your dietary fibre requirements.
I have always regularly consumed beans, lentils and legumes and they are a healthy store cupboard staple for my family and I. They were particularly useful when weaning my daughter as other vegetables, herbs and spices could be added to continually adapt flavours and introduce new food.
I would always suggest soaking beans, lentils and legumes, the longer the better and preferably overnight, especially if you are not used to consuming this food group as they will become easier to digest and less likely to cause bloating.
One of my favourites is a homemade red lentil and spinach dhal made with tomato, turmeric, ginger, ghee, mustard seeds, ground coriander, ground cumin served with whole grain basmati rice. The additional ingredients make this a warming, comforting and anti-inflammatory dish!
Recipe:
- Half a mug of red split lentils. Washed until water run clear and soaked for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight
- 2-3 cubes of frozen chopped spinach
- 1 inch cube of Ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
- Chopped tomatoes (optional)
For tempering:
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
Method:
- Place the washed and soaked red split lentils in a pan with 2-3 mugs of water and bring to the boil. Skim off any white foam that forms at the top while bringing to the boil.
- Once the white foam has been removed, reduce heat and add in 1 inch cube of ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and stir. If the level of water has dropped below the level of lentils, add in more water so the lentils are covered.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes if using and partially cover the pan with a lid and simmer for about 15 mins or until the lentils have started to cook and soften. Add in more water if required for the desire consistency.
- Once the lentils have softened and turned yellow, add in the frozen cubes of chopped spinach and cover the pan.
- After 5-7 mins mix the melted spinach through the lentils, keep stirring at intervals until all the spinach has melted and mixed well with the lentils.
Tempering:
- In a small stainless steel ladle or a small pan, heat the olive oil on and keep on a low heat.
- Add the mustard seeds, when they start to pop and splutter, add in the ground coriander and ground cumin into the olive oil.
- Once the spices are toasted and sizzling, at arms length, pour the contents into the dhal and quickly cover with the lid to trap the aroma and flavour into the dhal.
- Combine the spices well with the dhal, remove the 1 inch cube of ginger if required.
- Serve the dhal with Basmati rice or as a side dish