Up your intake

These simple meal suggestions, from dietician Hala El-shafie, will make it easier to eat more fibre.

Breakfast

2 slices of wholemeal toast (4g), 1 banana (1.4g) 5.4g fibre

Swap any white bread for wholemeal. It contains more than double the fibre per slice. Alternatively, porridge contains around 3g of fibre per serving. Add dried or fresh fruit, nuts and seeds to increase the fibre content.

Mid-morning snack

Handful (28g) of almonds 4g fibre

Feeling peckish between meals? Swap biscuits for almonds. Bursting with fibre, they also contain healthy fats which contribute to the maintenance of normal cholesterol levels.

Lunch

Baked potato with skin on (2.6g), 200g serving of baked beans (10g) 12.6g fibre

Ditch the chips and eat a medium-size baked potato with skin on. It contains around 2.6g fibre. Add a serving of reduced salt and sugar baked beans for a classic combo packed with fibre. It counts as one of your five-a-day, too.

Afternoon snack

Apple with skin on 4g fibre

Fruit and veg contain lots of nutrients and contribute to your daily intake. Apples, bananas and oranges are easy snacks to include and contain around 3-4g fibre per portion.

Dinner

Chilli con carne (6g), 125g serving of wholegrain rice (3g) 9g fibre

It’s so simple to add extra fibre to evening meals such as chilli. Swap all or some of the minced beef or soya for lentils, or add more beans. Serve with wholegrain rice and a sprinkling of fresh herbs.