Fibre up your daily diet!
It only takes one small thing each
day to get started on improving your heart health — and your overall health
— through what you eat or what you do.
This month, we're inspiring you to
add fibre to your daily menu, since many Canadian women fall short of the recommended
25 grams each day (38 grams for men). Fibre, in all its forms, is important
for good health.
Here are 31 easy ways you can fibre
up with fruits, veggies, grains or beans — one suggestion for each day
of the month, so give all or some of these a try:
- Wake up to a bowl of bran cereal with low fat milk.
- Eat an apple with the skin on, to retain a third of its fibre.
- Make a sandwich on whole grain bread and stuff it with greens, roasted peppers and tomatoes.
- Pack a pear in your lunch for five delicious grams of fibre.
- Eat the skin of baked potatoes for 4 grams of fibre.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of ground flaxseed on anything for an instant 2-gram boost.
- Add wheat bran, oat bran or crushed bran cereal to your baking, like these All-in-One Nutrition Squares.
- Eat the fruit rather than drink the juice. It takes 13 cups of apple juice to get the fibre of one whole apple!
- Top a casserole with crushed whole grain cereal instead of bread crumbs.
- Toss a can of beans into your salad. This Southwestern Bean Salad packs in a hefty 10 grams of fibre per serving.
- Serve low-fat hummus dip with raw veggies and whole grain crackers/pita.
- Snack on a handful of dried mango, apricots or cherries.
- Switch to brown rice for about 4½ times more fibre than white.
- Bake our Whole Wheat Cranberry Apple Loaf for over 4 grams of fibre per slice.
- Give barley a go with this colourful Cranberry Barley Pilaf.
- Shop for a breakfast cereal with 4 grams or more of fibre per serving.
- Use beans in soup, as in this Bean and Corn Chowder.
- Look up a new recipe that includes amaranth, quinoa or bulgur.
- Switch to whole-wheat noodles for your pasta dish.
- Include one veggie or fruit with every single meal or snack.
- Go vegetarian tonight. A bowl of our Vegetarian Chili fills half a day's fibre requirement!
- Make a stir-fry with three different bright-coloured veggies.
- Make lean ground chicken meatballs substituting breadcrumbs with oat bran.
- Toss a cup of frozen peas into any meal.
- Make a one-dish, meat-and-veggie meal like this Braised Chicken with White Beans and Kale, at 12 grams of fibre per serving.
- Eat a handful of nuts like almonds or walnuts.
- Whip up a low-fat yogurt fruit smoothie using fresh or frozen berries.
- Warm up to a bowl of lentil soup.
- Eat at least one green veggie and one orange veggie each day.
- Try these Ranch-Style Scrambled Egg Sandwiches on whole wheat bread and dig into 5 grams of fibre.
- Enjoy the simple goodness of sweet fresh berries for dessert.