6 delicious ways to make your diet rich in fibre

For a variety of health concerns, fibre is one energy source you don't want to miss. Here are some great ways to add more of it to your diet.

Fibre protects you from medical concerns like heart disease, cancer and digestive problems. It's important to eat "good" carbs, ones that digest slowly because they have lots of fibre.

Depending on the type of fibre, it also lowers cholesterol, helps with weight control and regulates blood sugar.

• These bright red veggies have virtually no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium, quite a bit of potassium and two grams of fibre.
• Try roasting whole, peeled beets for 45 minutes, chilling, then dicing into a summer salad.

• Instead of instant white rice, switch to instant brown rice.
• Instead of your usual pasta, choose whole-wheat pasta.
• Similarly, go for whole-wheat pitas and whole-wheat couscous.
• Within two months, you should be eating only whole grains, and you should have increased your daily fibre intake by an easy 10 grams without radically changing your diet.

Add 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) of hummus and you've got two grams of tasty fibre. Add some spinach leaves and a tomato slice for another couple of grams.

Use brown rice to kick it up a notch.

• You can start by going half and half, eventually using only whole-wheat for all your cooking needs.
• Adding a little baking powder helps to lighten foods made from whole-wheat flour (note that you may have to add a little more liquid if using whole-wheat flour).

Eating baked potatoes with the skin on ups the fibre by at least three grams, depending on the size of the potato.

Have them for dinner once or twice a week. A classic dish such as pasta e fagioli (pasta with beans) works well.