Although most people know it’s important to get enough fibre for good health, we feel fibre has become one of the less talked about nutrients. As a lack of fibre can cause all sorts of uncomfortable symptoms, we want to chat today about ways to include more fibre in your diet (it’s not hard and it can be delicious!).

Fibre is everywhere; fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and even popcorn, so it can be easy to ignore your intake of fibre assuming you’re getting enough. Everyone enjoys something with fibre every day, right?

But fibre isn’t in absolutely everything. People with diets high in animal products, refined flour (like white pasta and bread) or low in fruit and vegetables could, without realising, not be getting enough fibre.

In addition to this, if you’re following a gluten free diet, you may not realise that many of the gluten free substitutes for wheat products also contain low levels of fibre (check the packaging to confirm).

If, after reading this, you think maybe you’re not getting enough fibre, we’re here to help with 3 easy tips;

1. Include one fruit or vegetable at every meal
Berries with breakfast is a great, easy start (try frozen berries for a more affordable option). Try roasting a whole sweet potato in its skin (180 degrees for 1-1.5 hours) and scooping out the flesh as an easy addition to your lunch for a couple of days, and perhaps try wholemeal pasta or quinoa with your dinner, or even add a few tablespoons of chia seeds to your curry or pasta sauce.

2. Make better snack choices
Switch out afternoon chocolate or pastry for a high fibre snack. Fruit is an obvious option, but often doesn’t satisfy that 3pm craving. Try checking nutrition panels on your favourite snacks for a fibre content of more than 6gm per 100gms (Our Choc Crunch Protein Fruit Bars, for example, come in at 8.2gms per 100gms). You could also try stewing some apples and crumbling your favourite biscuit on top (we might be biased but we love chopping our Chocolate Chip Better Bikkie Bakes on top of cooked apple!)

3. Make some simple swaps
Getting more fibre doesn’t mean a total diet overhaul. It could be as easy as trying wholemeal spaghetti with that bolognaise you love (and adding a grated carrot and zucchini into the sauce), popping wholegrain toast down in the morning instead of your usual white bread, or spreading some avocado onto your crackers instead of butter.

Of course if you have any concerns about your fibre intake or health, consult a health professional.