Try these 10 simple tricks for a healthier diet

1. Start slowly, adding a little fibre to your diet each day so your system can adjust. Drink more water as you eat more fibre.
2. Begin your day with a bowl of high-fibre cereal that has 5g or more per serving.
3. Put fresh fruit on top of your
   high-fibre cereal to add another 1g or 2g.
4. Eat raw fruits and vegetables whenever possible. If you boil your veg, do so for a minimal time as over-boiling causes up to half of the fibre to be lost in the water. Steaming or stir-frying is the best way to preserve nutrients while cooking.
5. Purée fresh fruits to make fruit juice, as this won't destroy fibre content. Beware of store bought juices, though. Not only are they often packed with sugar, but they lack the fibre of the whole fruit because the pulp has been strained away.
6. Buy and eat only whole grains. Look for the word 'whole' on the ingredient panel (i.e. wheat bread isn't necessarily wholewheat bread). On average, a slice of wholewheat bread has 2g to 3g of fibre. Choose wholewheat pasta instead of white.
7. An easy way to sneak fibre into your diet is to use beans in salads, soups and stews.
8. Add bran cereal to muffins, breads and casseroles. Substitute oat bran for one-third of the all-purpose flour in baking.
9. When you go out for dinner, order fresh fruit instead of dessert.
10. Eat fresh fruits or vegetables for snacks in between meals.

Here's a sample day's menu that provides plenty of fibre:

Breakfast: Wholegrain cereal with fresh fruit, juice and milk = 6g fibre
Snack: Pear with skin = 4g fibre
Lunch: Turkey on wholewheat bread, apple with skin = 7g fibre
Snack: 75g air-popped popcorn = 3g fibre
Dinner: Salmon, baked potato with skin, 110g steamed broccoli and yoghurt with blueberries = 7.5g fibre