Fibre February campaign promotes "small swaps" to boost the UK's health

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The health benefits of a fibre-rich diet are at the heart of a nationwide campaign launched this month by the UK milling industry.

 

ukflourmillers.org

Fibre February aims to encourage the public to increase their fibre intake by making “small swaps” – such as amending recipes to include wholemeal flour and choosing seeded, wholemeal or bread made with a mixture of white and wholemeal flour. 

 

The campaign will also feature bespoke recipes, targeted social media messaging, and activity packs for schools which have been specially adapted to meet the demands of remote learning.

 

This year’s Fibre February is one in a series of successful campaigns that began back in 2017, and is being run by UK Flour Millers, the organisation which represents the flour milling industry across the four home nations.

Communications manager Priya Nicholas says: “Last year’s Fibre February campaign proved a huge success, and as a result we’re rolling it out again this year.

“The message is clear: experts say we should eat 30g fibre per day and that women in particular are most likely to need to increase their fibre consumption – sometimes by as much as 75 percent. 

Those on fad diets or avoiding staple foods like bread or cereals are particularly at risk of not eating enough fibre – yet the solution is easy and tasty too.”

In the UK, foods made from grains, such as bread and breakfast cereals, contribute the highest fibre intake (between 38-44 percent, depending on age), followed by vegetables and potatoes (21-32 percent). Fruit contributes between 6-16 percent (Data from latest NDNS published results, Years 7-8, 2015/16).

Fibre is vital to the working of the digestive systems and bowels, as well as contributing to healthy cholesterol levels and promoting healthy gut bacteria. There is also evidence to suggest that diets rich in fibre may help to reduce risk of colon cancer and cardiovascular disease.

 

The Fibre February campaign message will be pressed home in a newsletter to more than 13,000 educationalists currently registered on the “Food, A Fact of Life” programme. Additionally, UK Flour Millers are working with the Food Teachers Centre, in order to encourage uptake of the activities and to prompt and respond to conversations around the fibre resources and the messages behind them.

“Regular social media partnerships also focus on making small tweaks to increase fibre intake,” Priya added.  “As well as working with a mixture of nutritionists and lifestyle influencers to support the campaign, we are also sponsoring a podcast by a group of nutritionists, supporting live-streamed and interactive “Bake-along” events.”

Read more HERE

 

The Global Miller
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