5 ways to get more fibre in your diet
Eat more fruits and vegetables: Here is a list of fruits and vegetables and the amount of fibre obtained from them in grams:
Have the right breakfast: If you have cereals for breakfast, make sure you eat the ones which have whole grains. Replace your white bread with whole wheat bread. It is a good idea to add some fruits to your breakfast as well.
Eat more beans: Have beans twice a week. Beans are high on fibre and are protein rich. One quarter cup of kidney beans contains approximately three grams of fibre. While eating beans is a great way to get fibre, avoid Rajma-chawal as it has a lot of fat content.
Go nuts over nuts: One quarter cup of almond contains four grams of fibre. Adding peanuts to your diet is also a tasty way of adding fibre to your diet.
Go for whole grains: Even if the product says “wheat” or “multigrain” they might not be whole grain only. Make sure “whole grain”, “wheat” or “multigrain” is one of first two ingredients.
Top 10 High Fibre Foods
Pear: This fruit with edible skin is packed with fibre. A medium sized pear when consumed with the skin contains approximately five grams of fibre. Delicious to eat and easy to carry, a pear is a great option to curb that 4 pm hunger pang, while you are still at work.
Raspberries: Packed with fibre and bursting with that fruity flavour, raspberries appears on the list of yummy fibre options. One cupful of these superstars contains eight grams of fibre. To add to their goodness, these little beauties are powerful antioxidants as well.
Pistachio: A handful of “nut-ritious” pistachio are ideal for snacking as they are high in fibre and protein and low in fat. Toss a few in your regular salad or have them just like that. Try to avoid the salted version though.
Corn: Corn is an excellent fibre source which is low in calories. Popcorn (of course without butter or caramel) while watching a movie, boiled sweet corn with chat masala and lemon, or baby corn in your salad, all works perfectly well in meeting your daily fibre requirement – deliciously!
Apple: An apple a day does keep the doctor away and also helps you to make regular visits to the loo by triggering off bowel movement.
Brown rice: Did you know that brown version of rice is way healthier than its polished white counterpart. One cooked cup contains 3.5 grams of fibre.
Green peas: Those little sweet green peas are loved by everyone and that’s why it is a great idea to havemore and more of them, every now and then. Fresh or dried, cooked or frozen, include them all the time in your salads, soups and pulaos.
Beans: Nothing too exotic but our very own rajma (kidney beans) is also an ideal fibre rich food. There are several other varieties of beans available like lima beans, navy beans, lentils, mung beans, french beans and pinto beans to choose from, depending upon the availability.
Broccoli: The look-alike of our very own cauliflower, broccoli is a rich source of dietary fibre. The best part is, once washed thoroughly; it can be eaten raw in a salad or can be cooked as well.
Wholegrains: Barley, corn, wheat, millet, oats, brown rice, and many others come under the category of whole grains, which means the grain has its husk, barn and endosperm intact. Whole grains are rich in fibre and high in complex carbohydrates, making it a healthy staple.