Are You Getting Enough Fibre In Your Diet?

I recently took part in a campaign with Warburtons.  Kizzy and I kept a three day food diary to see if we were getting enough fibre in our diet.  With 90% of women not reaching their GDA of fibre and only 1% of adults being aware of the GDA for a child aged between 5 to 10 years old, fibre intake is a bit of a mystery to most of the population.

Warburtons hope to encourage mums to increase their fibre intake especially as many women are cutting down on the amount of carbs, such as bread, pasta and potatoes, they are eating for weightloss reasons.  By doing so, they are missing out on the important nutrients from this food group including fibre.

Fibre is found in wholegrain products such as wholemeal bread, cereals, fruit, pulses and vegetables.  As a vegetarian, we consume a lot of these foods so my fibre analysis showed that I was one of the 10% of women reaching their GDA of 24g a day! (Go me!!)  Kizzy's intake was also spot on achieving an intake of 15g of fibre a day.  I was very pleased to see these results and feel confident that I am providing a good diet for my family.

Dr Hilary Jones has some tips to help us increase our fibre intake:

Increase your fibre slowly
Your body needs to adjust to a change of fibre intake.  Add no more than 5g a day until you reach your GDA of 24g for an adult.

Drink more water
When you increase your fibre intake, increase the amount of water you drink too.

Eat the whole fruit and vegetable
The skin of fruit and vegetables contains fibre so make sure to eat your jacket potato skins!  Aim to eat whole fruits rather than just smoothies or juices.

Aim for 3 portions a day
Spread your fibre intake throughout the day across three meals.

Kids should eat fibre too
Fibre should be introduced to under 5s gradually through fresh fruit, veg and whole grains.  Children aged 5 - 10 should consume about 15g a day.

Taking simple steps such as switching to wholemeal bread and pasta, brown rice and wholegrain cereals helps increase your fibre intake.  Eating a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables is also good.  Including pulses such as beans and lentils is a good source of soluble fibre in the diet (and are really versatile and delicious too).

Warburtons have a great range of fibre rich bread products that will help you get your 24g of fibre to help keep you healthy!  The kids love the 50/50 bread for their toast.

Warburtons also have created the Fibre Provider hub on its Facebook page featuring tips, recipes and product information to help families reach their GDA's of fibre.