If you’re struggling to meet your daily fibre needs, give these delicious gut-boosting recipes a try this week.
It used to be that we only considered fibre as part of breakfast cereals, but now we know there are lots of delicious ways to up our intake of this essential nutrient. According to The Association of British Dieticians (BDA), adults should be eating 30g of fibre each day to maintain general health, and since our bodies don’t actually absorb fibre (it’s broken down by our gut bacteria, who love to feast on it), it’s important to maintain a good daily intake.
With that in mind, we’ve pulled together a list of four delicious and nutritious fibre-boosting recipes, and to make things even easier, they’re all made with ingredients you probably already have in the fridge or cupboard. Win-win.
Fibre-boosting smoothie
Ingredients
- ½ avocado
- Handful of raspberries
- 2 tbsp flaxseed
- Handful of spinach
- 1 kiwi
- 1-2 cups of nut milk (to preferred consistency)
Method
- Add the ingredients to a blender and whizz until smooth.
- Enjoy!
“This smoothie is a great way to start the day,” enthuses nutritionist Hannah Hope. “Avocados, apart from being full of good fats, are high in fibre. Half an avocado will give you 5g of fibre towards the recommended amount of 30g fibre a day.
“Raspberries are also a low-sugar fruit high in fibre so will help towards balancing blood sugar. A handful of raspberries equates to approximately half a cup, which provides 4g of fibre. One kiwi is 3g of fibre and the flaxseed is 4g, so already you have 16g of fibre to start your day, which is incredible! Kiwis are great if you are feeling a little sluggish in the bowel department; two in the morning should really help to get things moving.”
“This smoothie is a great way to start the day,” enthuses nutritionist Hannah Hope. “Avocados, apart from being full of good fats, are high in fibre. Half an avocado will give you 5g of fibre towards the recommended amount of 30g fibre a day.
“Raspberries are also a low-sugar fruit high in fibre so will help towards balancing blood sugar. A handful of raspberries equates to approximately half a cup, which provides 4g of fibre. One kiwi is 3g of fibre and the flaxseed is 4g, so already you have 16g of fibre to start your day, which is incredible! Kiwis are great if you are feeling a little sluggish in the bowel department; two in the morning should really help to get things moving.”
Sam’s super healthy granola
Ingredients
- 250g organic porridge oats
- 80g pumpkin seeds
- 80g flaked almonds
- 80g pecans (or other nut of choice)
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 50g desiccated coconut
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Maca powder
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150°C and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- Mix the oats, pumpkin seeds, flaked almonds, pecans and desiccated coconut in a bowl.
- Melt the coconut oil in a pan and add to the bowl of dry ingredients, along with the maple syrup, cinnamon and Maca powder.
- Spread evenly over the baking trays and cook in the oven for 25 mins, stirring halfway through.
- Once golden brown, remove from oven and leave to cool before putting in an airtight container.
- Enjoy with either yoghurt, kefir, berries or nut milk.
“The oats, seeds and nuts in this granola will help increase levels of healthy gut bacteria due to the high fibre content,” explains nutritionist Samantha Gold. “It will also help reduce cholesterol levels and blood pressure.Top with some kefir or yoghurt and some colourful berries for additional protein and vitamins. Sit back, relax and enjoy!”
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Three bean salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 can of mixed beans
- ¼ cucumber, chopped
- 1 stick of celery, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 4-5 raw broccoli florets, chopped
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- Fresh parsley, to serve
For the dressing:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp mustard
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Mix all the salad ingredients together and top with chopped parsley.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad.
“A can of mixed beans has 7g of fibre, the pepper has 2g of fibre, the broccoli has 5g and the other salad vegetables equate to around 1g of fibre, so this is a delicious lunch or dinner option,” explains Hope. “All the lovely ingredients will help support hormone clearance, regulating bowel movements and keeping your blood sugar steady so you don’t have those mid-afternoon energy slumps.”
Blackberry and pear crumble
Ingredients
- 2½ cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)
- 3 pears (fresh), chopped into small pieces (leave the skin on for extra fibre)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsps arrowroot powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup (divided)
- 1 cup oats (rolled)
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- ¼ cup almond flour (or ground almonds)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170ºC and grease your baking dish.
- In a mixing bowl, add the blackberries, chopped pears, vanilla, arrowroot powder and half of the maple syrup. Mix together and add to the prepared dish. Set aside.
- In a second mixing bowl, add the oats, ground flax, almond flour and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
- Whisk the melted coconut oil with the remaining maple syrup and add to the oat mixture, stirring until the oats are evenly coated.
- Spoon the oat mixture over top of the fruit and smooth into an even layer.
- Bake for around 35-40 minutes, until the oats are golden brown.
- This will keep in the fridge for three days. Portion up and grab and go.
“This could be a pudding, but it’s also lovely for breakfast,” says nutritionist Thalia Pellegrini. “It’s full of fibre-rich foods like flaxseed, ground almonds, oats, blackberries and pears. A medium pear and a cup of blackberries has around 11.5g of fibre – that’s almost half your daily requirement of 30g. Delicious cold or hot, I love this with Greek yoghurt. It’s also gluten- and dairy-free.”
Images: Getty
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