Live Well

Eat More Fibre!

Fibre is one of the most important foods we can eat – not only does it help to keep the digestive system up and running, but fibre also helps to protect against heart disease and cancer and can even help you to maintain a healthy weight. Fibre is found in lots of foods and contrary to popular belief, they do not all taste like sawdust… Read on to get some tips about foods that are rich in fibre and how to make a high fibre diet a habit for you.


Why do so many people miss out on fibre?
Most people eat a bowl of high fibre cereal for breakfast or some brown bread at lunch and think that they’ve eaten all the fibre they need for the day. Unfortunately you need to eat a lot more than just one bowl of cereal to get the full amount. Your body needs about 24g of fibre everyday – a slice of brown bread will give you about 2-3g and a bowl of high fibre cereal will give you about 10-12g. So even if you have cereal and brown bread you still need some extra fibre everyday!

Which foods are high in fibre?
Fibre turns up in lots of different foods – and as there are a few different types of fibre, it is best to get your fibre from eating a mixture of different high fibre foods everyday. All fruit and vegetables are high in fibre as are beans, peas and lentils. High fibre cereals are an excellent source and foods labelled ‘wholemeal’ or ‘wholegrain’ are also good.

Eating more fibre:
  • Start the day with a high fibre breakfast cereal. Traditional cereals like porridge or muesli are good but cereals like Shredded Wheat, All Bran and Branflakes all have lots of fibre
  • Go for wholemeal or wholegrain bread instead of white bread. Look out for high-fibre breads and breads with added seeds
  • If you like to bake, try wholemeal flour instead of white flour when making bread, pastry and fruit crumbles.
  • Try wholemeal pasta and brown rice instead of white pasta and white rice. Remember, brown rice does take longer to cook than white rice so give yourself plenty of time the first time you use it!
  • Aim to have 2-3 pieces of fruit everyday. Try fruit sliced over cereal for breakfast or snack on fruit mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Try some fruit desserts like fruit crumbles or jelly with fruit chopped into it.
  • Make sure you have vegetables or salad everyday. These can include fresh or frozen vegetables, tinned vegetables and homemade vegetables soups. Remember: 1/3 of your lunch and 1/3 of your dinner plate should be vegetables or salad.
  • Eat more beans or lentils. Have beans on toast as a light meal or try some mixed bean salads with kidney beans, chickpeas and butterbeans.
  • Snack on nuts and dried fruit in place of high fat and sugary snacks.

Fibre and Fluids
One of fibre’s most important jobs is to keep food moving through your bowel. Fibre works by soaking up water as it passes through your digestive system and the soft waste that results is easy for your bowel to move – so you are much less likely to get constipated. It is clear that water is as important as fibre for a healthy bowel and you should never increase your fibre without also increasing the amount of water you drink. Aim to have at least 8 cups of fluid everyday – about 4 pints or 2 litres. This can include tea, milk, water or fruit juices. Coffee and alcohol both dehydrate you so, although you can drink them, don’t count them in your 8 drinks.

Fibre beware!
If you don’t eat much fibre normally, taking a lot of fibre all at once will give you a lot of wind and bloating and may give you some cramps. Start slowly when you want to eat more fibre. Start with a high fibre cereal and give it a few days. Gradually add in more high fibre foods over 3-4 weeks until you are getting all the fibre you need.

How can I tell if a food is high in fibre?
Look at the nutrition label. A food that is a source of fibre has 3g of fibre per 100g. A food that is high in fibre has more than 6g of fibre per 100g. 		 

Quick, simple high fibre breakfast
Chop one banana and put in a cereal bowl. Add a handful of berries (blueberries, raspberries or strawberries) or a peeled and segmented mandarin orange. Top with your favourite yoghurt and sprinkle with a tablespoon of mixed linseeds and sunflower seeds. Enjoy!

Poached Pears – A High fibre dessert
Poached pears make an amazing, low fat dessert and will help you on your way to your 24g of fibre everyday. You will need 1 pear per person, some sugar and some red wine.

Peel the pears. Cut them in half and scoop out the core. Put them in a wide bottomed saucepan and add enough red wine to come up about 1cm around the pears. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of sugar over the pears. Put the lid on the saucepan and gently bring the wine to the boil. Turn the heat down low and cook gently for 25-30 minutes. Delicious on their own or with a little yoghurt or ice-cream.


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