Dietary fibre is an essential nutrient required for the proper digestion of food. Eating plenty of fibre is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. Choosing foods with fibre not only helps you to feel fuller longer, it also aids digestion and prevents constipation.
Women should aim for a daily fibre intake of 28g to 38g, says nutritionist Catherine Saxelby. She suggests spreading it across the day and eating a wide variety of fibre-rich foods each mealtime so that you’re not trying to cram it all in one sitting.
Try to read and compare food labels and choose the product that has highest amount of fibre. You can opt to add a tin of chickpeas or red kidney beans to soups and casseroles, mince-meat dishes or salads to up the fibre intake.
Text: Bauer/ Good Health/ Additional Reporting: Shenielle Aloysis
1 cup of dried figs gives you 14.6g of fibre. Figs are associated with lower blood pressure and protection against macular degeneration, in addition to the benefits of the fiber. Even if you don’t like dried figs, fresh figs are delicious and can be enjoyed on top of cereals, salads, and even stuffed with goat cheese and honey for a special dessert.
A medium-sized apple has about 4g of fibre. Do remember to keep the skin on. They are delicious on their own or make fabulous desserts like apple pie or apple crumble.
A cup of baked squash has 9g of fibre. Acorn squash, and other squash can be roasted in the oven and used as a substitute for white potatoes and other starches. They also make great soups.
Per medium sized artichoke has about 10.3g of fibre. Low in calories, rich in fiber and essential nutrients, artichokes is a great addition to your diet.
It is 4.8g of fibre per half a cup. Packed with essential nutrients and a great source of fiber, turnips can be enjoyed raw, or cooked.
Half a cup of baked beans will give you 7g of fibre. It makes a wholesome breakfast meal.
A single cup of chickpeas contains 12.5g of fibre. Add it to salads and stews.
You will get 4g of fibre from half a cup of wholemeal pasta.
A cup of brussel sprout contains 7.6g of fibre. Rich with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, Brussels sprouts support healthy detox, and may reduce the risk of some types of cancer.
50g of dried apricots will give you 4.6g of fibre. It makes an excellent afternoon snack.
They contain 15g of fibre per cup, cooked. It is wonderful in Asian desserts.
It has 8.2g of fibre per cup. It is packed with nutrients and is easily incorporated into soups and stews.
Half a cup of cooked spinach has about 3.5g of fibre.