WHAT A DAY’S FIBRE LOOKS LIKE

50g BOWL OF PORRIDGE WITH 2 DRIED FIGS 9.8g fibre

PORRIDGE is a good source of fibre, particularly beta-glucan, a soluble form that turns to gel during digestion, binding to bad cholesterol in the gut and preventing it from being absorbed. Dried figs are also a concentrated source of fibre (about 60 per cent of the fibre in this breakfast).

1 LARGE PEAR AND 1 LARGE ORANGE 9.3g fibre

PEARS are a higher fibre fruit, with a fifth of your daily needs in a large one (and an eighth of your daily potassium, for healthy blood pressure). Oranges are good for fibre, too, with about 2.5g in a large orange eaten whole, i.e. not juiced. This also contains all your daily vitamin C.

40g FOOD DOCTOR BEETROOT & CACAO BAR 10g fibre

THIS is made with chicory fibre, which can be used to replace sugar and fat. The other ingredients include dates, oats, beetroot (not enough to count as one of your five-a-day, though) and cocoa nibs. There’s no added sugar, and with a fairly modest 140 calories, it’s a healthy-ish option.

150g BAKED McCAIN’S SWEET POTATO FRIES 9g fibre

SWEET potatoes contain roughly twice the fibre of standard ones — a serving of these fries has nearly a third of your daily needs. It also provides a good amount of vitamin A, for healthy eyesight and immune function; and vitamin C. A portion is also one of your five-a-day.

3 SLICES BURGEN SOYA & LINSEED BREAD 12.9g fibre

AN AVERAGE slice of wholemeal has around 2.7g fibre, mainly the insoluble type that keeps your system ‘regular’. Added soya and linseeds raise the fibre to 4.3g a slice and the seeds add soluble fibre, which slows the passage of sugar into the bloodstream.

90g PROPERCORN SWEET & SALTY POPCORN 9.7g fibre

SUGARY popcorn isn’t healthy, but the fibre in this product — made with wholegrain maize — has a tenth of your daily needs. But with 90 per cent of your daily sugar limit and 22 per cent of your salt, it’s easy to exceed the daily limits with this.

200g TESCO VEGETARIAN MINCE 11.7g fibre

MINCE made with soya protein is lower in saturated fat and calories than meat versions. And a soya protein-based mince has around three times more fibre content — gram for gram — than cooked brown rice (meat mince has no fibre).

300g CAN FARROW’S MARROW FAT PEAS 10.6g fibre

THESE are mature peas, dried then rehydrated and canned. They’re more fibrous than other peas, with a third of your daily needs in a can, and are a good source of protein (12g, about a quarter of your daily needs). Rinse first to cut the salt.

75g ALMONDS 9.8g fibre

A 75g serving of almonds supplies a third of your daily fibre and a quarter of your daily calcium. This also has around 450 calories, so it’s better to stick to the recommended 30g handful per day — ideal as a nutritious and satiating snack — if you can.