After a year of overindulging, new research released by Australian Pears revealed that gut health issues are more prevalent than ever before, with 81% of Australians experiencing gut health related issues in the last six months. Despite this, Aussies are in the dark as to how to improve their digestive wellbeing, with 65% admitting they need more education on what foods, such as fruit, support better digestive wellbeing.

Nutrition scientist and dietitian Dr Joanna McMillan is on a mission to get Aussies and their gut health back on track and wants those at home to know that improving your gut health doesn’t need to be complicated. 

Whilst 2020 showed us how important it is to keep our health in check, the significant changes to our diet and lifestyle due to the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that our gut health has unfortunately suffered. With this new research, it is evident that Australians aren’t receiving the support and education they need around what helps improve gut health, which in turn can help to boost your mood, which is something I believe we can change. 

Focusing on and improving our gut health doesn’t need to be complicated, and we can do so by increasing the amount and variety of plant-based foods we consume. Plant based foods including fruit are the key sources of fibre and other plant compounds essential for our gut health. 

Incorporating fibrous foods, such as a pear, into our diets comes with real benefits, with Aussies attributing including fibre in their diet to their increased energy (72%), increased ‘feel-good’ mood (65%) and strengthened immune system (64%). 

With these health benefits associated with adding more fibre to our diets, it’s important that we are looking for ways to do so on a daily basis. Australian pears are a super quick and easy snack option and are perfect for doing just that, as they are one of the highest fibre fruits and can help with good gut health. 

With many of us now slowly getting back to our normal daily routine and constantly on the go, ensuring you are incorporating fibre rich foods into your diet for gut health is more important than ever. 

A few quick and simple ways that you can add more fibre to your diet include:

• Something as simple as swapping your breakfast cereal or bread options to wholemeal can really help up your daily fibre intake.
• When it comes to preparing your weekly meals, try things such as adding fibrous fruits such as pears, beans or legumes to your salads for lunch or dinner. Not only will this add texture and flavour, but it will also be doing your gut a favour. 
• Opt for things such as fruits and nuts when searching for an early morning or mid-afternoon snack. One of my favourite afternoons snacks is sliced pear topped with a good chunk of mature cheddar cheese – yum!  

Australian Pears not only help to support good gut health, they are also a good source of Vitamin C and potassium, which are nutrients needed everyday by your body for functions incuidng blood pressure control and a strong immune system. With this said, you really can’t go wrong with picking a pear. 

For further information on Australian Pears, along with recipe ideas to help you incorporate more fibre into your diet, visit: https://australianpears.com.au/