Most people in the UK need to eat a lot more fibre
The trick will even save you some time
A nutrition specialist has explained a simple upgrade that will add fibre to your diet without changing which foods you eat. New research by Prep Kitchen has found people in the UK only get half of the recommended daily amount of fibre. Dan Osman, Performance Nutrition Specialist and Health and Wellbeing Consultant at Prep Kitchen said: “Most UK adults are getting around half of the daily recommended 30g of fibre a day, which is quite a big gap to close for a lot of people. But it’s not as hard as you may think; small, easy changes can make a significant difference to your daily intake.
“Choosing to keep the skins on foods like potatoes, whether they’re white or sweet potatoes, and carrots is a great, simple change to significantly boost fibre intake.”
The skin is where a significant amount of the fibre is concentrated, so peeling it away can mean missing out on some of its nutritional benefits. Over a typical week, simple habits like peeling fruit and vegetables could reduce fibre intake by around 21g.
Everyday foods you should stop peeling:
- White potatoes = 1.5g of additional fibre per potato, with 3 potatoes per week providing 4.5g of fibre
- Sweet potatoes = 1.5g of additional fibre per potato, with 3 potatoes per week providing 4.5g of fibre
- Carrots = 0.5g of additional fibre per carrot, with 5 carrots per week providing 2.5g of fibre
- Cucumbers = 0.5g of additional fibre per cucumber, with 1 cucumber per week providing 0.5g of fibre
- Kiwi = 1g of additional fibre per kiwi, with 3 kiwis per week providing 3g of fibre
- Apples = 1g of additional fibre per apple, with 3 apples per week providing 3g of fibre
- Pears = 1.5g of additional fibre per pear, with 2 pears per week providing 3g of fibre
Prep Kitchen survey data revealed that 9 in 10 are missing out on the recommended amount of fibre. Dan said: “Fibre can help with that familiar 3pm slump because high-fibre foods tend to be slower in digestion, more satiating, and the release of glucose into the bloodstream is that much slower, providing a steadier supply of energy throughout the afternoon.
“You don’t need to completely change your diet. There are lots of ways to add a little bit more fibre every time we eat, and that can be incrementally introduced to one meal at a time. It’s not a magic fix for afternoon fatigue. Obviously, sleep, hydration and overall intake and dietary choices massively influence this as well.”
