Fibre: we know it has great benefits, but how many of us know how much we’re getting? If the experts are to be believed, we’re not eating nearly enough of it – in fact, the European Food Safety Authority recommends that we should be aiming to consume 25g of fibre per day.
Well, it’s certainly true that good fibre consumption can provide a number of health benefits.
Despite what you might have heard, though, eating lots of fibre doesn’t mean adopting a depressing diet. Fibre is actually packed into tons of our favourite foods.
Fibre comes from the parts of plants that your body cannot digest. It is found in starchy foods like oats and barley, wholemeal bread, cereals, and even potatoes with the skin. It’s present in lots of fruits and vegetables like apples, berries, sweet peppers, and carrots.. Leaving the skin on foods like apples and potatoes will give you even more fibre!). Nuts or pulses like almonds and lentils are also packed with fibre.
Five Days of Tasty High Fibre Meals:
If you’d like to increase the fibre in your diet, check out our five-day meal plan. Using information from Public Health England, we’ve pulled an easy-to-follow plan packed with yummy, high fibre meals.
Just remember to increase your fibre intake slowly. If you’re not eating a lot of fibre at the moment, ease yourself in by swapping out some of the meals below for lower fibre options.
Day One
- Breakfast – Oat bran flakes with milk & banana slices
- Lunch – Jacket potato (leave the skin on) with baked beans & grated cheese
- Snack – Carrot sticks with houmous
- Dinner – Vegetable curry with lentils & brown rice
- Dessert – Apple slices & honey
Day Two
- Breakfast – Wholemeal toast with almond butter
- Lunch – Carrot, pea & lentil soup
- Snack – Fibre One™ Chocolate Brownie
- Dinner – Whole-grain pasta with chicken, broccoli & tomato sauce
- Dessert – Low fat popcorn
Day Three
Breakfast – Fresh raspberries & blackberries with Greek yoghurt
Lunch – Fried egg & avocado on wholemeal toast
Snack – Tomato salad
Dinner – Beef chilli with kidney beans & brown rice
Dessert – Oat bran muffin
Day Four
Breakfast – Porridge with milk, honey & blueberries
Lunch – Baked potato (skin on) with tuna & sweetcorn
Snack – Oatcakes with houmous
Dinner – Sausage & bean stew with sweet potato mash
Dessert – Fibre One™ Salted Caramel Square
Day Five
- Breakfast – Muesli with fruit salad with mango, pear, apple, orange & raspberries
- Lunch – Wholemeal toast with baked beans & grated cheese
- Snack – Fibre One™ Lemon Drizzle Square
- Dinner – Salmon stir-fry with carrots, broccoli & peas
- Dessert – Dried figs