Right amount

The amount of faeces being passed will differ from person to person, but should be directly relative to the amount of food eaten. For example, if the person is eating well, but not passing an adequate amount of stool, this should be an early alert to potential impending constipation. (For further advice, see the ‘constipation’ section of the Troubleshooting guides).

Regularly monitoring the results of the daily bowel routine provides a ‘checks and balances’ system to ensure that the bowels are on track and an early warning if things are starting to go wrong.

What someone eats will also influence the size of the stool. A high-fibre diet will result in larger motions than one that is low in fibre.

What is fibre?

Dietary fibre is the part of edible plants that cannot be digested or absorbed in the small bowel.

Why is fibre important?

Fibre is fermented by bacteria (our microbiome) in the large bowel – an important part of the digestive process that can affect our general health, including our bowel habits.

Fibre also provides bulk and gives the digestive tract muscles something to grip onto, pushing waste through the large bowel more effectively.

How much fibre is recommended?

The recommended fibre intake for an average adult is 25-30g per day.

For someone with a spinal cord injury, the recommended fibre intake is slightly different, starting at 15g-20g per day, then increasing gradually, as tolerated. This is because higher amounts of fibre – especially in the absence of enough water and reduced peristalsis – can increase the risk of constipation.

What are the types of fibre?

There are three different types of fibre: soluble fibre, insoluble fibre and resistant starch. An even mix of all three types of fibre is recommended for good health and regular bowel habits.

Soluble fibre

Soluble fibre dissolves in water, forming a gel-like substance. Soluble fibre is good at ‘mopping up’ fluid and can be useful if bowel motions need to be firmer.

Soluble fibre also helps to slow the movement of waste through the bowel and can be used when the bowels are opening too frequently with no clear cause. This type of fibre can be found in foods like oats and oat bran, bananas, fibre supplements, legumes and pulses.

Insoluble fibre

Insoluble fibre doesn’t dissolve in water, adds bulk to the stool and passes through the bowel more quickly than soluble fibre. Increasing insoluble fibre in the diet can be useful if small motions are being passed frequently through the day, as the extra bulk helps to push a greater volume of faeces through to the rectum.

Insoluble fibre is mainly found in fruits, vegetables (skins and seeds), nuts, seeds, whole grain products (such as multigrain bread and brown rice), and whole wheat products (such as wholemeal pasta and certain breakfast cereals).

Resistant starch

Resistant starch is a type of fibre that feeds the good bacteria in the gut and is often referred to as a ‘prebiotic’.

Sources of resistant starch are cold-cooked potato, rice, quinoa, pasta, unripe banana, legumes and oats.

Reference: “Fibre” Dietitian/ Nutritionists from the Nutrition Education Materials Online, “NEMO” Team Fibre

Simple tips for adding more fibre to the diet

• Eat at least 1-2 pieces of fruit each day.
• Ensure lunch and dinner meals contain at least 50% of colourful vegetables and/or salad.
• Choose a handful of nuts as a snack.
• Switch from white to multigrain or wholemeal bread.
• Try some recipes containing brown rice, quinoa or wholemeal pasta.
• Add a tin of lentils or other legumes to soups, casseroles or mince-based dishes.
• Include oats, muesli or wholewheat cereal as breakfast options.