As a dietetics student, I am regularly asked “what is the best thing you can eat?” Unfortunately, there is no one “miracle” food, a healthy diet is based on variety. However, if I could choose one nutrient that comes close, I would choose fibre. Despite its countless sources and several health benefits, fibre is still one of the least glamourized and most underappreciated nutrients in the media. Fibre is available in many foods and many products; you just need to know where to find it. Today, I hope to clear up any misconceptions you may have about fibre, convince you that fibre is a nutrient you want more of and explain why Bruized’s Pulp Crunch can be a great option for increasing fibre intake in a well-balanced diet.
So, what is fibre?
Fibre is a part of plants that we are able to eat but are unable to digest ¹. Dietary fibre can be found in many foods, including fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains to name a few ².
Dietary fibre is divided into two categories based on its ability to dissolve in water: insoluble and soluble fibre ³. Insoluble fibres do not dissolve in water, whereas soluble fibres do ³.
Both kinds of fibre benefit your health in different ways:
Insoluble fibre helps to keep bowel movements regular and may also make you feel fuller ⁴.
Soluble fibre can help reduce cholesterol levels by removing excess cholesterol from your blood (and passing it in your stool) and can help manage blood sugar levels by slowing the rate at which you absorb carbohydrates ⁴. Soluble fibres can also work to bulk stools, which may help reduce symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) like watery stools ⁵.
Foods that are great sources of insoluble fibre include ⁴ :
Foods made from whole grains (breads, cereals)
Wheat bran
The skins, leaves, and seeds of vegetables and fruit
Foods that are great sources of soluble fibre include ² :
Fruits and vegetables (like apples, oranges, carrots, eggplant, and okra for example)
Legumes (like chickpeas, navy beans, black beans, and lentils for example)
Seeds (like chia and flax for example)
Oats, Barley and Psyllium
Understanding where you can find different sources of fibre will help you create a diet that is abundant in both soluble and insoluble fibre and ensures that you receive the health benefits of both!
Note: When consuming higher amounts of fibre, it is important to make sure you are drinking adequate amounts of water. Please see Facts on Fluids – How to Stay Hydrated via the Dietitians of Canada Unlock Food platform for more information.
Where does Pulp Crunch come into play?
Pulp Crunch is made with a variety of high fibre sources, including oats, seeds, and fruits such as bananas and imperfect apples. Talk about a variety of soluble fibres! You may be wondering, where’s the insoluble fibre? The skins of apples actually provide a source of this insoluble fibre for this product.
Now what’s special about Pulp Crunch is that it is made with rescued fruit and vegetable pulp, or pomace, from Toronto juiceries. Fruit and vegetable pomace can be defined as a by-product of processing fruits and vegetables, which often includes the flesh, skins, stems, and seeds of these products ⁶.
In other words, pomace is the matter that is left over after a fruit or vegetable is juiced, and in fact, research shows that pomace is a significant source of dietary fibre ⁷. The amount of the insoluble or soluble dietary fibre in the pomace is dependent on the content of the original fruit or vegetable ⁶. In most cases, pomace would be tossed out, and all the fibre in it as well. Bruized, however, rescues this pomace and incorporates it into their granola. Pulp Crunch uses pomace specifically from beets, carrots and pears which have each been highlighted as sources of dietary fibre and recommended for enhancing the dietary fibre content of products ⁸. So, not only does Pulp Crunch include fibre from its granola base ingredients, it receives added dietary fibre from the rescued pulp!
Additionally, carrot pomace has also been shown to have high levels of compounds which can be turned into Vitamin A in the body ⁹, making it a great source for this vitamin.
As you can see, Pulp Crunch is filled with several sources of dietary fibre which can benefit your health in a variety of ways. The use of imperfect apples as well as recovered fruit and vegetable pulps also help contribute to the reduction of food waste in our community. As a part of a well-balanced diet, Bruized’s Pulp Crunch can add fibre to your favorite smoothie bowls, yogurt, and trail mixes!
Find Pulp Crunch at Sorry I've Got Plants, Wandering Deli and 852 Curbside Collective.
If you are interested in learning more about dietary fibre, please see the resources below:
UnlockFood.Ca – Focus on Fibre: https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Fibre/Focus-on-Fibre.aspx
UnlockFood.Ca – Facts on Soluble Fibre: https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Fibre/Facts-on-Soluble-Fibre.aspx
Heart and Stoke – Fibre and Whole Grains: https://www.heartandstroke.ca/get-healthy/healthy-eating/fibre-and-whole-grains
NOTE: If you are unsure about how fibre or this product fits into your lifestyle, particularly its role in a chronic illness management, contact your healthcare professional for information. If your healthcare professional has suggested you limit your fibre intake as a part of treatment for a specific illness, speak with them before introducing a high fibre product.
Resources:
[1]. Almeida, E. L., Chang, Y. K., & Steel, C. J. (2013). Dietary fibre sources in bread: Influence on technological quality. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 50(2), 545-553.
[2]. Dietitians of Canada. (2018, October 31). Focus on Fibre. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Fibre/Focus-on-Fibre.aspx#.VEgP9ovF-78
[3] Ozyurt, V. H., & Ötles, S. (2016). Effect of food processing on the physicochemical properties of dietary fibre. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Technologia Alimentaria, 15(3), 233-245.
[4]. Heart and Stroke. (n.d.). Fibre and Whole grains. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.heartandstroke.ca/get-healthy/healthy-eating/fibre-and-whole-grains
[5]. Dietitians of Canada. (n.d.). Facts on Soluble Fibre. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Fibre/Facts-on-Soluble-Fibre.aspx
[6]. Quiles, A., Campbell, G. M., Struck, S., Rohm, H., & Hernando, I. (2018). Fiber from fruit pomace: A review of applications in cereal-based products. Food reviews international, 34(2), 162-181.
[7]. Rohm, H., Brennan, C., Turner, C., Günther, E., Campbell, G., Hernando, I., ... & Kontogiorgos, V. (2015). Adding value to fruit processing waste: innovative ways to incorporate fibers from berry pomace in baked and extruded cereal-based foods—a SUSFOOD project. Foods, 4(4), 690-697.
[8]. Laufenberg, G., Kunz, B., & Nystroem, M. (2003). Transformation of vegetable waste into value added products:(A) the upgrading concept;(B) practical implementations. Bioresource technology, 87(2), 167-198.
[9]. Sharma, K. D., Karki, S., Thakur, N. S., & Attri, S. (2012). Chemical composition, functional properties and processing of carrot—a review. Journal of food science and technology, 49(1), 22-32.
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