The financial cost of not getting enough fibre revealed

  • 19/02/2018
Increasing grain intake reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.
Increasing grain intake reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Photo credit: Getty

The country's fibre deficiency is costing the country more than half-a-billion dollars every year.

A report has found $600 million spent on healthcare costs and lost productivity could be saved if adults ate another two servings of grains a day.

Nutrition Foundation CEO Sarah Hanrahan says it's not a quick fix.

"Not if we had serves of cereal tomorrow, bang wallop, there would be hundreds of millions of dollars saved - it's over time."

The report was compiled by an economist, and commissioned by breakfast food company Kellogg's.

More than $200 million could be saved in healthcare costs, and economic activity would be boosted by $403 million, the report claims.

Increasing grain intake reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes.

Ms Hanrahan says there's simple ways to slip it into your diet.

"Things like high-fibre cereals; if you're having a lot of white bread, put some wholegrain bread into the mix; when you're having vegetables, put something grain-based in, like corn."

Men average around 22g of fibre a day a Ministry of Health survey found in 2009, but they need at least 30g. Women consumed 18g, well short of the 25g target.

Newshub.