7+ tasty high-fibre recipes to up your daily intake at breakfast, lunch and dinner
From fragrant curries to fresh and juicy smoothies, we’ve rounded up our favourite high-fibre recipes
The NHS recommends the average adult should be eating at least 30g fibre per day as part of a balanced diet, but most of us are only getting around half that amount. There’s strong evidence to suggest eating a high-fibre diet is linked to lower risk of heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes and bowl cancer – not to mention, eating plenty of fibre will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
‘Fibre is the unsung hero in our diet’, says GH's resident health expert Sarah Maber. ‘Not only does it keep you fuller for longer, it boosts digestive health, lowers your risk of heart disease and regulates blood sugar, which helps with weight management. New research also suggests fibre can also improve brain function in the over 60s. With all these benefits, it’s surprising that we don’t prioritise it in our diets; the average intake is just 18g of fibre a day – nowhere near the recommended 30g.’
Here are some simple tweaks that you can make to get more fibre into your diet:
- Don’t skip breakfast! Oats are a good source of fibre, and porridge is a delicious and filling option that will help get those extra grams in. For an extra nutrition boost, add in some fruit (fresh or dried), and a sprinkling of seeds.
- Swap your white bread for wholemeal or granary.
- Add pulses (such as beans, lentils and chickpeas) to stews and curries.
- Leave the skins on your potatoes, they contain extra fibre and nutrients.
Carrot, chickpea and falafel traybake
With over 21g of fibre per serving, this punchy traybake is a great one to have in your repertoire.
Recipe: Carrot, chickpea and falafel traybake
Cod and lentils traybake
This hands-off traybake has over 2/3 of your recommended daily fibre intake.
Recipe: Cod and lentils traybake
Pea and spinach porridge
One portion of this savoury porridge has around 12g fibre – that’s almost half of your recommended daily amount.
Recipe: Pea and spinach porridge
Roasted squash with jewelled wild rice
A hearty veggie dinner that has over 1/3 of your recommended daily intake per serving.
Lentil, chickpea and cauliflower dahl
High-fibre chickpeas add a heartiness to this easy dahl.
Berry smoothie
With 11g fibre per serving, this fruity smoothie is a speedy way to include some extra goodness.
Recipe: Berry smoothie
Brown bloomer
Swapping your white bread for brown is an easy way to up your fibre intake.
Recipe: Brown bloomer
Baked aubergine with spiced chickpeas
This tasty single-serve recipe contains half of your recommended daily fibre intake.
Recipe: Baked aubergine with spiced chickpeas
A crack team of highly skilled food content producers, the GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time.
