Eating fibre-rich foods
1. Opt for breakfast cereals labelled wholegrain or oat-based cereals, for example porridge, bran flakes, Weetabix, muesli (no added sugar) or Shredded Wheat.
2. Swap white bread for wholegrain breads, such as wholemeal, rye and oatmeal.
3. Try adding beans and lentils to one-pot dishes such as Spaghetti Bolognese and Chili Con Carne. You could also try adding beans and lentils to soups, salads, casseroles or stir-fries. Beans and lentils are quite cheap and store for ages which makes them great store- cupboard ingredients. They also bulk out your meal making a Bolognese stretch to two or even three meals. I always add a tin of green lentils to Bolognese and often a tin of haricot or red kidney beans too. This is a great way to reduce your food budget.
4. Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day and include one portion to each meal. I find buying frozen vegetables useful in getting the fruit and veg quota. Frozen are just as nutrient rich as fresh and they keep longer. You can just grab a handful and place the bag back in the freezer without worrying about wastage. This saves an unbelievable amount of money over the course of a year, since most families throw away a lot of spoilt produce. Farm Foods have an excellent range of frozen veg at very reasonable prices, they often have deals on multiple buys.
5. If you make cakes, crumbles and muffins, use wholemeal flour instead of white. Avoiding buying shop bought cakes and muffins and making your own not only saves you money but is better for your waistline, since you know exactly what goes into them and can reduce the sugar content. Also if you have to make your own cakes and muffins every time, you are likely to eat less since you just don’t have the time or inclination to bake every day or even every week for that matter.
Eat to train,
Nicola.
