Dietary fibre

Fibre is an important part of a healthy diet and can be particularly helpful when trying to lose weight. For starters, it can help to prevent bowel disease and it’s also the key to overcoming constipation – a common side effect of a low-calorie or low-quality diet.

More importantly, foods high in fibre can help you feel fuller for longer, which is how you make your calories go further – the more satisfied you feel, the less you eat!

On The Biggest Loser Club program we recommend you eat at least 18g of fibre a day. Most people in the UK fall short of this recommendation, eating only about 12g per day, which isn't enough.

How to get your 18g a day

Here are some simple suggestions for getting your daily dose of fibre:

• Eat your fruit and vegetables. These foods are naturally high in fibre so eating five serves of fruit and veg a day will go a long way in helping you achieve your quota.
• Choose wholegrains at every meal. For example:
  • At breakfast: try oats/porridge, bran flakes, bran or natural muesli.
  • At lunch: choose wholemeal or wholegrain bread with visible seeds, such as those from the Burgen range.
  • At dinner: accompany main meals with brown rice or wholemeal pasta.
• Include legumes in your diet. Chickpeas, lentils, red kidney beans and other legumes are packed with fibre, so try to include them in salads, soups and meat dishes, such as spaghetti bolognese or chilli con carne. Legumes also count as vegetable servings so by eating more of them you’ll be killing two birds with one stone.
• Snack on nuts and seeds. After fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds are some of the highest fibre snacks around. Include small quantities of them as snacks throughout the week.
• Use a supplement if you have to. If you’re struggling to get your 18g a day, try a fibre supplement such as 1-2 tablespoons of oat bran or psyllium husks sprinkled onto cereal or mixed with a few tablespoons of milk or juice. Commercial fibre supplements are also an option, but more expensive than the natural varieties.

Drink more water

Fibre needs water to swell and work properly, so you need to drink plenty of water – at least six glasses a day – otherwise increasing the fibre in your diet could actually trigger constipation. You also need to take things slowly because going from a low-fibre diet to one that is high in fibre too quickly can lead to flatulence and abdominal pain.

How much fibre is too much?

Too much fibre – 40g or so daily – is not recommended as this can reduce the body’s ability to absorb nutrients like iron, zinc and calcium, and could trigger unpleasant pain and flatulence.

Good sources of fibre

Include these fibre-rich foods on your weekly shopping list:

• Fruit and vegetables
• Legumes and lentils
• Wholegrains, such as oats
• Nuts and seeds
• Wholemeal bread with visible seeds
• Wholemeal pasta
• Brown rice
• High-fibre breakfast cereal, such as bran flakes, bran, wheat biscuits and natural muesli