If fibre was a drug, everyone in the world would be clamouring for it. This macro nutrient is vital for your wellness, helping to lower your blood sugar, cut your cholesterol, and even protect your wellbeing against colon cancer. This is why it’s so essential that you get your 25 grams a day (for women) or 35 to 40 grams (for men), but most of use are only hitting the 15-gram mark – so how do you include more fibre in your diet?
1. Whole-wheat pasta: According to Carolyn Brown, RD, a nutritionist at Foodtrainers, in New York City, ‘Really small changes will make a difference,’ and one small change that you can easily make is to swap out traditional pasta for the whole-wheat kind. As whole-wheat pasta is a bit of an acquired taste, you might have to try out a few different brands and versions before you find the one you love but – trust me – it’s worth the effort.
2. White beans: Even though amping up your intake of beans may cause you to sway into flatulence, this isn’t a problem to worry about if you introduce beans into your diet gradually. Brown explains, ‘If you only eat (low-fibre) foods right now, don’t suddenly switch to eating 40g of fibre a day, because that will cause a lot of stress to the digestive system.’ When you do start to eat more beans, white beans are an excellent choice – not only because they are rich in fibre, protein and iron. White beans are one of the best nutritional sources of potassium you will find, which helps to fight hypertension. In just one cup of white beans, there is 25% of your daily requirement for potassium.
3. Black beans: The dark colour of these beans may be less appetising than that of their lighter counterparts, put this dark, rich colour is actually a sign of how healthful black beans are. The dark, rich colour is a sign of a high content of flavonoids, or plant pigments that are powerful antioxidants. As well as this, black beans contain 15 grams of fibre per cup, and about 15 grams of protein. Brown adds that you should drink more water as you incorporate beans and other high-fibre foods into your diet.
4. Edamame: In Eastern Asia, this cuisine has been popular for centuries. Edamame, which is the fancy way of saying “immature soybeans boiled in the pod,” can contain up to 11 grams of protein and 9 grams of fibre per half-cup, albeit depending on the brand you choose. To consume your edamame, mix them into a tasty dip or else pop them out of the pod and into your mouth.
5. Avocado: There’s a great source of fibre to be found in the creamy flesh of the avocado, providing you with two grams of the macronutrient for every two-tablespoon serving, or 10g per whole fruit. As well as this, avocados are also an excellent source of mono- and polyunsaturated fats, which help to lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and make you feel fuller for longer so you don’t gorge on “bad” fats and calories. This means better results if you’re trying to lose weight.
6. Whole-wheat bread: When you choose refined grains like white bread, these products have been milled and lost their nutrient- and fibre-rich elements, such as the outer coating of the grain (bran) and the germ, a tiny part of the kernel that serves as the seed’s ’embryo.’ However, whole-wheat bread retains these essential elements, and Brown points out, ‘Making it your go-to will make a big difference in terms of the number of grams of fibre you’re getting.’