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What You Need to Know About FIBRE - Part 3: My Top Tips for Adding More Fibre to Your Diet

Jennifer McVicar

This is the final instalment in my three-part series on the fascinating topic of FIBRE! Part 1 answered the question “what is fibre?” and explored the different categories of fibre and their health impacts. Part 2 explored the health benefits of the different types of fibre. In this Part 3 I will share my top tips for increasing dietary fibre intake!

When we think of “fibre”, we often think of bland, gritty breakfast cereals. Those cereals might be great for some people, but not for the rest of us who love to have their tastebuds tantalised by delicious foods.

But a fibre-rich diet can be ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! In fact, some of your favourite foods might already be rich in fibre, or can be easily tweaked to become a great source of fibre.

In this post, I’m going to share my top tips to add more fibre to your diet.

There are a LOT of tips here! I want to give you every opportunity to boost your health, wellbeing and longevity by adding in fibre in the easiest, most delicious way!

I’ll start out with my broad guidelines, then drill down into some specific examples, and finish off with a couple of daily menu ideas for you to try!

First, my 8 broad fibre-smart guidelines:

1. Eat More Plants!

Fibre is found in plant foods - fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes, pulses, nuts and seeds. So if you want to increase your fibre intake you need to eat more plants.

And when you eat plant foods, fibre is not the only beneficial nutrient you’ll get - in addition to fibre, you also get vitamins, minerals and an array of super-healthy phytonutrients, whose myriad health benefits are a new an exciting field of inquiry in nutrition science.

One fun way to add an array of colourful pant foods to your diet is to play our “Rainbow Game” - check it out HERE.

2. Variety is the spice of life

Aim to eat a wide variety of plant foods. All of them - fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes, pulses, nuts and seeds. In fact, some researchers are even encouraging us to eat 30 different plant foods per week for gut health and to build a healthy microbiome!

The more variety in your diet, the more likely you are to consume enough of all the different types of super-healthy fibres to keep you regular, help you regulate your blood sugar and cholesterol levels, build a healthy microbiome and maintain a healthy immune system.

3. Get rid of processed foods and go for the “low-pro” options

One of the main reasons our diets are so low in health-giving fibre is because they are so high in processed and ultra processed foods! So leave highly processed foods at the supermarket, and substitute in more healthy whole food options.

Avoiding processed (and especially ultra processed) foods is the ideal way to boost your fibre intake (and also to reduce your salt, sugar, saturated or trans fat and calorie intake).

Need help with this? No worries! I have set out a few specific examples for you to try below.

4. Read food labels

For those times when you do need to buy processed foods, make sure you read the label and choose options the best ratio of fibre:carbs.

A food is considered to be a “good” source of fibre if there is at least 5g of fibre per serve.

5. Add in the good stuff to crowd out the bad stuff

Deprivation ain’t fun, and studies show that highly restrictive diets are unsustainable in the long term.

I have a much more enjoyable approach: instead of focussing on what you need to cut out of your diet, start thinking of all the delicious, nutritious foods you can add in.

Instead of berating yourself for eating processed foods, look for opportunities to add in delicious whole plant foods, and then congratulate yourself every time you eat them.

6. Never miss an opportunity to create Resistant Starch!!

You want “carby” foods like pasta, potatoes or rice? Awesome! Go for it! Just try this one thing… Boost their nutrition by giving them the Resistant Starch treatment! How? Cook them today. Put them in the fridge overnight. Eat them tomorrow (hot or cold, it doesn’t really matter).

When you cool your cooked carbs for 12-24 hours it generates molecular changes within them, converting the carbs/starches within them to Resistant Starch, which is no longer digestible in your small intestine so your blood sugar won't spike! Instead the undigested Resistant Starch travels to your large intestine where it becomes food for the beneficial bacteria that live there - a double benefit! I wrote all about this HERE and HERE.

And it’s a great habit to adopt if you are insulin resistant or carrying extra weight around your mid-section!

7. Take a meal-by-meal approach

Look for opportunities to add fibre-rich plant foods to every meal! Add veg to your omelettes, fruit to your porridge, avocado to your sandwich, beans to your chilli - you get the picture. Let your imagination run wild, get creative and boost your health while eating delicious meals!

I have included lots of delicious, fibre-rich ideas for breakfasts, lunches, snacks, dinners, side dishes and desserts at the end of this post.

8. Start gradually!

If you are used to eating a low-fibre standard Western diet, then going from zero to hero might lead to gas, bloating and abdominal discomfort. If you are prone to gas and bloating, build up your fibre intake gradually, over a period of 3-4 weeks.

OK so those were my 8 broad guidelines. Now let’s drill down into some more specific ideas for you to try!

1.Eat fruit for dessert or to satisfy your sweet-tooth

Instead of grabbing a cookie, muffin, cake or chocolate bar, pick up a piece of fruit. There are so many delicious and exotic fruits to choose from, like pomegranate, mango, custard apple, or a punnet of delicious blueberries.

Most fruits contain around 3g of fibre per cup, but there are some delicious fruits that are fibre heroes like passionfruit (9g per cup), raspberries, pomegranate arils and blackberries (all 8g per cup, pears (6g per medium pear), kiwifruit (5g per cup), figs (2g per fig) or blueberries (4g per cup).

2. And for bonus points, add in a small handful of nuts seeds!

The nuts will add in even more fibre (around 3g per 30g handful) and will also slow down the rate at which your body digests and absorbs the sugars in your fruit.

3. Say no to juices

Fruit and veggie juices are actually processed foods - all the amazing health-giving fibre is removed! I see juices as a lost health opportunity. And with the fibre removed, there is nothing to slow the absorbtion of the sugars from your juice into your bloodstream, leaving you vulnerable to sharp spikes in your blood sugar and insulin - a recipe for dysglycemia!

So instead of a glass of orange juice, eat a whole orange! You will get all of the healthy fibre (3g per medium orange), and you will consume a whole lot less sugar!

4. Choose blended smoothies

If you really want to consume your veggies and fruit in liquid form, then blend them! At least you won’t be throwing away one of the most beneficial parts! Check out my guide to creating healthier smoothies HERE.

5. Leave the skin on

When you remove the peel from fruit and veg, you are throwing away ~50% of the fibre content!

So leave the skins on fruit like apples, pears, apricots and nectarines. Same with carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, eggplant, and and so many others. Just give them a good old scrub and you’re good to go!

6. Switch from white bread, crackers and baked goods to more fibrous, wholegrain options

A slice of white bread contains around 0.7g of fibre, whereas bread made from wholegrain flour contains around 1.9g fibre. And some grainy breads contain a lot more.

Different brands of breads, crackers and baked goods will contain different amounts of fibres, so make sure you check labels. Look for the amount of fibre per serve and per 100g. And also look at the ingredient list to see where the fibre is coming from - is it from whole grains or is it from a manufactured fibre additive?

Ideally, bread should have at least 3g of fibre per slice (6g per 2-slice serve).

7. Make sure you “wholegrain” breads, crackers and baked goods are genuinely wholegrain.

We've been urged to choose wholegrain options for decades now. We know refined carbohydrate foods like white bread are less-than-ideal choices for every day. The body treats them much like sugar, so they spike blood glucose and cause insulin to surge, which over time can contribute to insulin resistance.

But ‘healthwashing” is ubiquitous in the food industry, and researchers have noted that so many supposedly “wholegrain” breads, crackers and baked goods are not genuinely wholegrain at all.

Sometimes, highly processed foods are incorrectly labelled as "whole grain" or "wholemeal". Those sneaky food companies have managed to be pretty, ummm, flexible (or to put it less politely, downright misleading), with many products labelled as "wholegrain" that are not much better than their refined counterparts.

This makes it tough for people who just want to make the best choice for themselves and their families when they're at the supermarket. They purchase these products in good faith believing they have chosen the "healthy" option, but they are still so refined that they will spike blood-sugar and insulin.

So here is a fantastic rule of thumb for you to follow when choosing breads, crackers and other baked goods:

Step 1: Check the label, and focus on the "per 100g" column.

Step 2: Look at the amount of Carbohydrate (total carbohydrate). It will be listed there in grams.

Step 3: Look for the amount of fibre. Again, it will be listed in grams. And here's a pro tip: if fibre isn't listed you can be pretty sure it's basically non-existent in that product!

The ratio of carbohydrate to fibre should not be higher than 10:1. If it is, the product is actually too refined to legitimately be classified as "wholegrain".

Basically, if you are buying a grain-based product like bread, check the carb-to-fibre ratio, and give it a miss if it is more than 10:1. If the product has a carb:fibre raio of 7:1 or lower, it gets the green light.

8. Switch up your rice

To boost the fibre content of your rice dishes, switch from white rice to brown or black rice.

White basmati rice has around ~1g of fibre per 100g whereas brown rice has ~3.1g per 100g. And in addition to fibre, you get B vitamins like thiamine and folate and Vitamin E.

Feeling a bit miffed about “having to” give up white rice in order to boost your fibre intake? You DON’T have to give it up! Just give it the Resistant Starch treatment I described above, and which I wrote about HERE and HERE. Just cook your rice, and then cool it overnight in your refrigerator! Seriously!

Or be a fibre high-achiever and do both! Switch your white rice for brown or black rice AND give it the Resistant Starch cool-and-then-cool-overnight treatment!

And if you’re feeling adventurous, try barley, wild rice, quinoa or bulgur instead of white rice, or add these grains or some legumes like lentils or split peas into your rice.

For more ideas, check out THIS POST for My Top Tweaks for Healthier Rice Dishes.

9. Switch up your pasta too

Switch from pasta made from refined white flour to (genuinely) wholemeal pasta. 100g of cooked white pasta contains ~1.8g fibre whereas the same amount of wholegrain pasta contains ~10g. Or try one of the new pastas made from legumes and pulses.

Because there are so many different options to choose from these days, I recommend you check the labels on different varieties of pasta at the supermarket, and try a few to see which ones you like best.

If you’re adamant that a particular meal or recipe just has to be made with white pasta, no worries! Just give your pasta the Resistant Starch treatment - cook your pasta the day before, refrigerate it overnight and then use it to your heart’s content! The tiny, super-healthy microbes in your large intestine will have a much-deserved feast, and will thank you by releasing protective, health-enhancing short-chain fatty acids!

And yes, you can be a high achiever by switching to a high-fibre pasta AND giving it the Resistant Starch cook-and-cool-overnight treatment. This is what we do at my place and I highly recommend it!

For more ideas, check out THIS POST for My Top Tweaks for Healthier Pasta Dishes.

10. Give your soups and stews a fibre boost

Add in a couple of extra veggies, or as many as possible! Think carrot, celery, onions, garlic, turnip, parsnip, kale, spinach, green beans, peas, corn, pumpkin - anything really. Just look for opportunities to ADD MORE VEG!

And while you’re at it, look for opportunities to add in more legumes and grains. Delicious, nutritious foods like chickpeas, blackbeans, kidney beans, lentils, barley, brown rice - anything that captures your imagination.

So for example, if you’re making pumpkin soup, add in some lentils. If you’re braising lamb shanks in a delicious tomato sauce, adding in a can of chickpeas and white beans, as well as some chunky chopped root veg will take the dish to next level!

Even on those evenings you need to take a short-cut in the kitchen by using tinned or packaged soup, add in whatever fresh veg you have in your kitchen and can chop in five minutes flat!

11. Bring on the Beans!

Beans and legumes are an amazing source of fibre, so look for opportunities to add them in!

Check out the fibre content of these legumes/pulses:

  • Navy beans: 19g per cup (cooked)

  • Black beans: 15g per cup (cooked) 8.7g per 100g (cooked)

  • Split peas: 16.3g per cup (cooked) (8.3g per 100g)

  • Lentils: 15.6g per cup (cooked) (7.9g per 100g)

  • Chickpeas: 12.5g per cup (cooked) (7.6g per 100g)

  • Kidney beans: 11.3g per cup (cooked) (6.4g per 100g)

  • Edamame: 5.2g per 100g (cooked)

12. Look for opportunities to eat oats and barley

Oats and barley are great sources of beta glucans, a specific type of soluble fibre that forms a thick gel in your digestive system, which studies consistently show can lower your LDL cholesterol and help wth blood sugar regulation. Oats contain 16.5g per cup (raw) (10.6g per 100g) or 4g per cup (cooked). Pearled barley contains ~16g fibre per 100g.

So look for opportunities to eat these amazing foods - porridge, muesli, bircher muesli or overnight oats for breakfast. Add pearled barley to soups and stews.

13. Add extras to your breakfast porridge, oatmeal, muesli or cereal

Add in beautiful, fibre-rich fruits like raspberries, blueberries, apples, pears or pomegranate arils.
Add in delicious nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
Give your breakfast bowl a super fibre boost by adding in chia, flax, wheat bran, oat bran or psyllium.
Maybe even add in a “wild card” ingredient like cacao nibs!

14. Add an avo

Avocado is the nutritionist’s “teacher’s pet”! It’s delicious. It’s nutritious -full of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, good fats. And yes, you guessed it, avocado is an amazing source of fibre. A medium avocado contains around 9g of fibre!

So spread it on your sandwich instead of butter, mayo or (gag) margarine!
Add it to your salads!
Add guacamole to your dip platters.
Instead of mayo or yoghurt, make thick, creamy salad dressings with avocado.
If you feel like a thick, indulgent smoothie, add in half an avocado.
Go a bit freestyle and give chocolate avocado mousse a try or try baking it into your next batch of chocolate brownies.

15. Boost the fibre content of your salads

Not all salads are super-high in fibre. But you can boost both the fibre content - and the flavour! - of your salad by adding in:

  • A few extra veggies, including tasty veggies like sun-dried tomatoes and delicious artichoke hearts,

  • Pulses and legumes like lentils, chickpeas, black beans, navy beans or red kidney beans;

  • Nuts and seeds;

  • Grains like bulgur, barley, brown, black or wild rice, etc.

Your salad will be more filling, more nutritious, and much more delicious!

16. Switch up your side dishes

Switch up side dishes dominated by white rice, mashed potatoes, noodles or pasta with:

  • A fibre-boosted salad (see above!);

  • Lentils, chickpeas or any other beans or pulses; and/or

  • A “carby” side that has been given the Resistant Starch cooked-and-then-cooled-overnight treatment (and yes, you CAN reheat them after cooling!).

17. Choose fibre-rich dips and antipasti/snack platters

Some dips are incredibly healthy and fibre-rich, not to mention delicious! Things like:

  • Hummus (including the “fancy” hummuses like pumpkin, beetroot hummus);

  • Baba ghanoush;

  • Artichoke dip (artichokes have 8.6g per 100g!);

  • Guagamole (a medium avocado has ~9g fibre); and

  • White bean dip.

And don’t forget to serve your dips with fibre-rich accompaniments - forego crackers made from refined white flour and choose veggie sticks and (genuinely) wholegrain crackers.

And if you are putting together an antipasto or grazing platter, make sure you add in some delicious, high fibre artichoke hearts!

18. Snack smarter

Rather than a cookie (or three!), chocolate bar, or muffin, choose fibre rich snacks like:

  • A piece of fruit;

  • A handful of nuts;

  • Hummus or guacamole and veggie sticks;

  • (Genuinely) wholegrain bread, toast or crackers with avocado; or

  • Popcorn! Yes, popcorn is a high fibre food. It contains ~14.5g per 100g. Just don’t sabotage things by drowning it in way too much saturated fat, m’kay?

19. Expand your grain repertoire

Try out some new, unprocessed grains, like:

  • Brown, red or black rice;

  • Barley (regular and black);

  • Amaranth;

  • Buckwheat;

  • Bulgur wheat;

  • Farro;

  • Freekeh;

  • Millet;

  • Quinoa; or

  • Wheat Berries

Add these grains to the dishes you like to make, and go online for new recipe ideas for these new additions to your kitchen!

20. Sneak in some bran

Add oat, wheat and/or rice bran to your porridge or muesli for breakfast, into your baking to boost the fibre content, and even try a tablespoon or two to thicken up your delicious winter stews!

21. Try chia seeds

Chia seeds are fibre superheroes! They contain 34.4g of fibre per 100g!!! (that’s 5g per Tablespoon)

Chia porridge/pudding is a delicious breakfast or dessert, depending on what time of day you are eating it. Because chia seeds form a gel in water they make a delicious “chia jam” which you can spread on that or add into your porridge. Chia seeds can also be added into your breakfast cereal, muesli and even your baking.

22. Bake in your fibre

If you love to bake, look for opportunities to boost the fibre content of your breads, cakes, muffins, cookies and crackers.

There are so many ways to do this:

  • Switch from refined white flour to wholemeal flour, or try alternative flours made from ground nutmeal or ground oats or other wholegrain.

  • Sweeten cakes, muffins, brownies and slices with dates, prunes and apple puree.

  • Add in whole or chopped raisins, sultanas and other dried fruits and fresh fruits for sweetness and texture. And nuts or seeds too!

  • Add in fibre-boosting extras like wheat bran, oat bran, flax meal (or seeds) or chia seeds.

  • Go “health nut freestyle” with your brownies and add in black beans, sweet potato, avocado - whatever! Some of the most delicious, gooey brownies I have ever eaten have been made with these ingredients.

You can follow an existing fibre-rich recipe, or experiment with one of your favourite baking recipes. Google around for suggestions for recipe substitutions, and stick to small batches while you are experimenting!

My Fibre-Rich Meal Plan

BREAKFAST IDEAS

SNACK IDEAS

LUNCH IDEAS

DINNER IDEAS

SIDE DISH IDEAS

DESSERT IDEAS