Derval O'Rourke: My oaty breakfast muffins and five easy ways to increase your fibre intake

A healthy gut plays a pivotal role in your overall well-being. This week I will chat about one easy way to make a big difference to your gut health and for my recipe, I have a yummy way to start your week off right.

Including fibre in your diet will combat that sluggish feeling that most of us have experienced at some point.

We’ve all been there after a weekend of eating too much rich food, out of routine and then, Monday hits. You feel bloated and don’t have the energy to do anything. Increasing the fibre in your diet could really help.

I recently worked with Aoife McDonald, who is a registered dietician and she had some great achievable tips for those of us who want to increase the fibre in our diet.

5 ways to increase fibre intake

Add a spoon of seeds to your breakfast

This is such an easy and effective tip for upping your fibre intake. Choose a high-fibre seed such as chia seed or flaxseed, or try mixed seeds for extra variety. Seeds are an excellent source of healthy fats as well as fibre, and they add an extra crunch to any breakfast cereal, porridge or yoghurt.

If you’re not keen on eating whole seeds, try milled flaxseed or chia seeds in cereal, or even in yoghurts or soup throughout the day.

Snack on fruit and nuts: 

Choosing high-fibre snacks is a game-changer when it comes to increasing the amount of fibre you eat every day.

Pairing fruit with nuts means you are getting fibre from two sources, and the nuts also contain healthy fats and protein to keep you feeling fuller for longer

Add pulses to your diet (such as beans, peas and lentils) 

If you’re not used to eating pulses regularly, then start small. Tinned varieties are particularly useful if you have a busy schedule

They can easily be incorporated into your favourite meals, for example, add a tin of lentils to a chilli, a tin of chickpeas to a chicken curry or a tin of butter beans to a stew.

Choose wholegrains as much as possible

Wholegrains are great sources of fibre. Think oats, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, quinoa and brown bread.

Start by changing one thing at a time such as swapping white pasta for wholewheat pasta, and then gradually make the swap for other foods.

Add an extra portion of fruit or veg to your meals

Aim to have a portion of fruit or vegetables with every meal or snack and you’ll be well on your way to five a day

Bonus fibre tip

If you’re unsure how much fibre you are eating, track your intake for a couple of days to get a clear indication. Adults should be eating a minimum of 24g to 35g fibre daily. If you plan to up your intake, make sure to do so gradually so that your gut can adjust, and make sure to drink plenty of fluids too. You can check out Aoife’s website at www.thedigestivehealthclinic.com

Oaty Breakfast Muffins

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

A tasty way to increase your fibre intake

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 250g Greek yoghurt

• 100ml agave/maple/honey

• 120g jumbo porridge oats

• 70g milled flaxseed

• 2 tsp bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)

• For the banana pecan flavour:

• 1 banana, peeled and mashed

• 50g pecan nuts, roughly chopped

• For the chocolate coconut flavour:

• 50g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped

• 50g desiccated coconut

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line a muffin tin with 12 deep paper cases.

2. Mix the Greek yoghurt, agave syrup, oats, flaxseed and bread soda in a large bowl. Then remove half of this mixture to a separate large bowl.

3. Stir the banana and pecans into the first large bowl, mixing until just combined. Stir the dark chocolate and coconut into the second large bowl, mixing until just combined.

4. Use a spoon to divide the banana and pecan batter evenly among 6 of the paper cases, so that they are almost full. Repeat with the chocolate and coconut batter.

5. Bake for 15–20 minutes until the muffins are golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Carefully remove the muffins from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.