What is fibre?
Fibre (or roughage) is found in food from plants like fruit, vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and wholegrains. Many people don’t get much fibre each day, so adding a little more can be a helpful step for gut health.
Easy ways to add fibre to your diet
Pick one idea to start. You can build from there. Remember, if you’ve tried changing food habits before and it didn’t stick, that’s normal.The goal is progress, not perfection.
Breakfast
- Add fruit to cereal or porridge
- Choose wholegrain cereal when you can like plain whole wheat biscuits or other whole grain cereals or porridge
- Wholemeal toast
Lunch
- Try wholemeal / wholegrain bread
- Add a side salad or extra veg
- Jacket potato including the skin, with low salt and low sugar baked beans
Dinner
- Add beans or lentils to chilli, curry, soup, pasta sauce
- Swap white rice / pasta for wholegrain
Snacks
-
Fruit, a handful of unsalted nuts, or wholegrain crackers
Here for link to food labels page
We don’t reinvent national guidance, these organisations have reliable information:
- How to get more fibre into your diet - NHS
- Eat well - NHS
- Fibre - Nutrition Information - British Nutrition Foundation
- Are you eating enough fibre? - BHF
Upper Digestive Health (Upper GI)
Last reviewed: January 2026