Seven Tips For A High Fibre Meal Plan

With a bonus list of 27 healthy high fibre foods

If you are trying to incorporate more fibre into your diet to support gut health and your overall health and well being then you will appreciate this article. Here we will explore some of the pros and cons of a high fibre diet and how to plan your meals to incorporate more soluble fibre within the recommended daily amount of fibre.

Benefits Of A High Fibre Diet.

A high fibre diet has been shown to reduce high level of cholesterol in the blood, support heart health, provide satiety after eating a meal, help with regular bowel movements and reduce constipation. This cleans your bowels more effectively by drawing more water into it and making your stools more bulky but softer for easier and more effective evacuation of the bowels.

High Fibre Foods Help To Keep Your Bowels Clean

Having the optimal amount of fibre in your diet may also support efforts to manage your weight too. Insoluble fibre tends to bind fat and even toxins in the bowels and help the body to eliminate it, thereby reducing the amount of fat that is absorbed into the body and supporting weight loss. The evidence shows that a high fibre diet reduces the risk of bowel cancer (Cancer Research UK 2022 and National Institutes of Health NCBI 2015) and supports weight loss (Harvard Health Education 2015).

Vegetarians and vegans don’t have to worry about not getting enough fibre as long as they take a varied diet and use whole foods in their natural states. Vegetarians who take highly processed foods everyday may need to supplement their diet to ensure they get a balanced intake of minerals and vitamins as well as adequate amounts of fibre.

The Cons Of Having A High Fibre Diet.

If your bowels are irritable or injured you may find that a high fibre diet may increase irritability and slow the process of healing if there is injury. For people with chronic bowel disease it is wise to discuss the best type of diet with your health care team.

Low Fluid Intake With A High Fibre Diet May Cause Constipation

Using fibre supplements also requires strict adherence to the dosage and directions on how to take. You will normally have to increase your water intake when using a fibre supplement, so as to avoid the risk of bowel obstruction or further constipation from loss of hydration. Without adequate hydration fibre supplements may swell, solidify and cause bowel obstruction.

Sudden Increase In Certain High Fibre Foods May Cause Gas And Bloating

A sudden change in diet from low fibre to high fibre may result in noticeable bloating, discomfort, cramps, indigestion, diarrhea, gas and other gastrointestinal distress. So although making such a change is a good idea, it is wise to look into the pros and cons and understand how to make the transition without too much upset or discomfort. Starting with small increases over time is safer than making sudden changes.

What Is Classed As fibre?

The indigestible portions of plant foods are referred to as dietary fibre, roughage, or bulk. In contrast to other macro-nutrients such as lipids (fats), proteins, or carbs, which your body processes and absorbs, fibre is not broken down by the body. But most of it exits your body through your colon, small intestine, and stomach largely unchanged.

Different Classes of Fibre

Fibre may be divided into two categories: soluble fibre, which dissolves in water, and insoluble fibre, which does not. Soluble Fibre: This kind of fibre turns into a gel-like substance when it is dissolved in water. It can assist in lowering blood sugar and cholesterol. Oats, peas, beans, carrots, citrus fruits, apples, barley, and Psyllium husk are foods high in soluble fibre.

Insoluble fibre: Those who experience constipation or irregular stools may find this type of fibre beneficial since it facilitates the passage of waste material through the digestive tract and increases stool volume. Insoluble fibre can be found in whole-grain flour, oat bran, nuts, beans, and vegetables like potatoes, green beans, and cauliflower.

Get your day off to a great start. Select a high-fibre cereal for breakfast, with five gram or more of fibre per serving. Choose cereals labelled as “whole grain,” “bran,” or “fibre.” Alternatively, mix a couple of teaspoons of raw oat bran with your preferred cereal.
Make the move to whole grains. At least half of the grains should be consumed intact. Seek breads with at least 2 gram of dietary fibre per serving and those have whole wheat, whole-grain flour, listed as the first ingredient on the label. Other rains to try are millet, barley, brown rice, wild rice.

Seven Tips For A High Fibre Meal Plan

Having a plan increases your chances of succeeding at eating a healthy and balanced meal every day. For people who tend to do similar meals each day the planning process is easier than for people who vary their meals on a daily basis.

If you love to have cereal every morning there is a wide variety of cereals to chose from. It is important to have increased amounts of liquid when you decide to increase your fibre intake significantly to reduce the risk of side effects.

Tip #1: aim for at least 30 grams of fibre per day. Most people are not getting that much fibre each day. Mostly due to having processed foods with the roughage or fibre removed.

Tip #2: check how much fibre is in you favourite cereals and think of using fruits or a fibre supplement if it is less than 10 g in your chosen breakfast. For example:

One serving of oats (approximately 40 grams uncooked) provides about 4 grams of fibre. However you decide to have your oats, you may add 50 grams of raspberries ( about 3.5 grams fibre) and a large banana (3.5 grams fibre) to total 10 grams of fibre for our breakfast. That is 1/3 of you total fibre requirement for the day.

Tip #3: If you don’t like cereal for breakfast, still check the fibre content of you breakfast before hand to determine if you will get at least one third of your fibre requirement. Here is an example:

A breakfast of 2 boiled eggs (0 grams fibre), cooked mushrooms (1-2 grams fibre/100 gram), cooked tomatoes (1 gram fibre/100 gram) and 2 slices wholemeal bread (3.8 grams of fibre) and one medium apple (1.8 grams fibre) will provide a total of 7.8-8.8 grams of fibre. Just below the target of 10 grams. A half of a small avocado may supply the lack with 3-4 grams of fibre. Total fibre in this breakfast is now 11.8-12.8 grams of fibre.

Tip #4: a smoothie breakfast option may be a viable choice as seen in the recipe example below: Ingredients -One Large banana, 100 grams raspberries (7 grams), 1 cup oat milk (2 grams) and 2 dried dates (3.2 grams) and 30 grams of tofu (0.1 grams). I have to say this smoothie is a great breakfast for deliciousness, satiety and nutritional support. And the total fibre content is more that 12 grams.

Tips #5: if you only take two meals per day then aim for about 15 grams of fibre per meal. Whether that is from your foods alone or balanced with fibre supplements, aim for a minimum of 30 grams of fibre per day for a high fibre intake everyday.

Tips #6: If you are not a lover of having a variety of fruits and vegetables (or plant based food) everyday and prefer meats and dairy products in most meals each day, remember that these foods are virtually void of fibre and consider what is the best way to incorporate the required amount of fibre into your diet.

Tip #7: If you are busy and don’t have time for meal planning, there are meal planning apps that can help you plan your meals from shopping lists, to preparation methods and recipes that are delicious, individualised and balanced for your nutritional needs. As well as free meal plans and recipes that may be found on the internet.

Bonus List of High fibre food (100 grams per item)

1. Oats 10.6 g
2. flax seeds 27.3 g
3. Chia seeds 33.8 g
4. Coconuts desiccated 13.7g
5. Dried fruits -prunes 6.1g
6. Dried pineapple 7.0 g
7. Acacia powder 85 g
8. popcorn 13g
9. Pumpkin seeds 6.6g
10. Sesame seeds 14g
11. carrots 2.8g
12. Brussels sprouts 3.8
13. Sunflower seeds 8.5g
14. Apple sauce 2.7g
15. pinto Beans 15g
16. lentils 7.9
17. eggplant 3g
18. Psyllium husk 77g
19. whole lemons 2.8
20. bananas 4.2g
21. Potato peel 2.5g
22. Sweet potato 3.0g
23. Barley 17.0g
24. pears 3.1g
25. quinoa 5-6.0g
26. buckwheat 10.0g
27. avocado 6.7g

Summary

So there you have it, 7 tips for planning high fibre meals, plus example meals and recipe, plus a bonus list of 27 great sources of fibre to make your meal planning even easier. Boost your weight loss with high fibre meals and improve your overall health while enjoying the foods you love.

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