Increasing fibre in your diet involves making specific food choices to boost your intake of this essential nutrient.
Key Strategies to Boost Fibre Intake
Boosting your dietary fibre can be achieved by incorporating a variety of fibre-rich foods into your daily meals and snacks. Here are practical ways to increase your fibre consumption:
- Pick whole grain options whenever possible. This includes choosing wholemeal bread, pasta, rice, and cereals over refined versions.
- Include a variety of vegetables in your diet. Eating a wide range of colourful vegetables ensures you get different types of fibre and other nutrients.
- Eat fruit regularly. Whole fruits are better sources of fibre than juice. Aim for a mix of fruits like berries, apples, bananas, and oranges.
- Eat potato skins. Leaving the skin on potatoes when cooking or baking adds significant fibre compared to eating the flesh alone.
- Include peas, beans and lentils in your diet more often. These legumes are excellent sources of fibre and protein and can be added to soups, stews, salads, and curries.
- Add seeds, which are high in fibre, to your diet. Sprinkle seeds like chia, flax, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds on cereals, yogurt, salads, or blend them into smoothies.
- Dried fruit and nuts are high in fibre, yet can still have a lot of calories. Enjoy these in moderation as a fibre-rich snack, keeping portion sizes in mind due to their calorie density.
- Drink fluids. As you increase fibre intake, it's crucial to drink plenty of water or other fluids to help the fibre move through your digestive system effectively.
By implementing these simple dietary changes, you can effectively increase your daily fibre intake, contributing to better digestive health and overall well-being.
