Fibre is like the kid picked last for dodge ball: it’s not fair, and the whole thing is kind of mean because it has a lot to offer, if someone gave it a chance. Don’t worry; fibre will have its day. Sure, it’s often ignored for things like calcium, or iron, or protein, or whatever, but don’t let the flashier nutrients fool you: fibre is everywhere, and it is in everything.
Okay, that sounds menacing. But surely a bowl of delicious porridge with sliced up apples doesn’t sound that bad. Because that’s all fibre, baby!
Here are a few ways fibre gives us a hand at any age, at any time. Because, surprise! Fibre is actually your best friend.
Fibre At Any Age: Benefits Of Fibre By Decade
20s
You’re young, you think you can fly, you think, maybe, that eating yet another package of ramen noodles will be totally nutritional AND delicious. Wrong. You’re so wrong. Creating a healthy lifestyle foundation is essential in the figuring-it-all-out 20s. Eat a piece of fruit, grab a can of beans, and get some nutritional kickback of awesome. With the addition of fibre, the risk for higher blood sugar levels decreases, which means no Type 2 diabetes for you!
30s
Okay, so it’s starting to take shape: life. You’ve maybe got it figured out, but it’s a bit of a head scratcher. Perhaps the years of bar-hopping and pub-crawling in your twenties finally caught up to you in the form of a spare tire hanging around the midsection. It happens to the best of us, so don’t worry. Getting it together and going to the gym, or Zumba, or that burlesque dance class, all contribute to a healthier, better you. A reasonable and recommended dose of fibre helps with that weight loss and maintenance though, as further recommendation that a balanced lifestyle must include a good diet.
40s
On the cusp of middle age, but not quite, the 40s are a precarious age for our bodies. Not old enough to be considered old, but no longer young and spry like our 20s. The body changes, and working towards a healthier lifestyle becomes harder to manage because who has the time, really? What fibre can provide at this age is help with lowering the risk of high cholesterol. And who doesn’t want that?! Put down that (let’s be honest, amazing-looking) sausage breakfast sandwich and pick up a bowl of oats as you toast to your low cholesterol and high energy! (Note: toasting with a bowl of oats is completely optional.)
50s
Menopause: it’s hot, it’s cold, it’s an emotional minefield, it’s a thousand feelings all at once. It’s inevitable. While women have waxed poetic over their various life cycles, menopause is that ominous beast that generally signals aging. No one sings the praises of growing older because -- according to everyone ever -- it is a bad thing. But with a healthy diet and dose of fibre added to it, menopause won’t actually feel that terrible! Fibre helps with those pesky red faced blush-y hot flashes known to be as elusive as a magical creature, or a good viral video: you never know when they will appear.
60s
Everybody poops. Or, at least, you’d still like to as you get older. The mysteries of the digestive system aren’t really everyone’s favourite topic to discuss, or even the best thing to experience as it is happening to you, or (unfortunately) maybe not happening. But if there’s one thing to keep you regular, it’s fibre. Isn’t it nice having something count on in today’s crazy, fast-paced world?