High-fibre foods: cheap and easy ways to get more in your diet

Most of us don't eat enough fibre, even though it's known to be important for our health.

Making small but sustained switches is a good way to up your fibre intake and is less likely to upset your gut than a dramatic overhaul of what you eat. It's often easier to stick to as well.

With input from nutrition scientist Helena Gibson-Moore of the British Nutrition Foundation, we've rustled up four simple and cheap meal options to boost your fibre intake.

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What is fibre and why does it matter?

Dietary fibre is the part of plant foods that you eat but that isn't digested. Instead, some of it goes on to be completely or partially broken down (fermented) in the large intestine.

It is beneficial in a variety of ways, including helping to move food along your digestive system, slowing the rate at which some nutrients are absorbed, preventing constipation, and benefiting gut bacteria.

On average most of us don't eat enough fibre. It's recommended that adults get 30g of fibre a day, but we typically eat less – about 18-20g a day.

Children need slightly less but are falling short of target too, according to a 2023 report by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). 

4 budget high-fibre foods to eat more of

Supercharging your daily diet with more fibre doesn't have to be complicated. Here are four simple budget meal options that pack in good fibre levels:

1. Baked beans on toast: 37p per meal, approx 14.8g fibre

It's a classic for a reason: simple and efficient to cook, and a quick way to boost your fibre levels.

A small 200g can of beans has around 10g of fibre, and two thick slices of wholemeal bread have 4.8g – making 14.8g, around half the recommended daily amount for adults:

• Sainsbury's baked beans, 21p for 200g
• Sainsbury's thick sliced wholemeal bread, 75p for 800g, approx 16p for 2 slices

Adding egg – poached, scrambled or boiled – will add protein too.

If you're not a fan of wholemeal, try half and half instead. It's got more fibre than plain white bread, so it's a reasonable compromise.

For an extra boost of fibre and healthy, unsaturated fats, choose wholemeal bread with extra grains and seeds in it (such as Sainsbury's wholegrain multiseed bread, £1.10 for 430g loaf, 8.2g of fibre per 100g).

Both these options are a little pricier than plain wholemeal, but if you find them tastier, it could help you to stick to the switch from white bread.

See which budget baked beans came top in our taste test.

2. Jacket potato with tuna and sweetcorn: 94p per meal, approx 9.4g of fibre

Rustling up this simple spud dish will boost your fibre intake as long as you make sure you eat the potato skin, where much of the fibre is.

Baked potatoes contain around 3-7g of fibre depending on their size, and adding half a 200g can of sweetcorn gives an additional 2.9g of fibre.

• Tesco large loose baking potato, 6.5g of fibre approx per potato, 21p
• Tesco Natural Sweet Sweetcorn in water, 200g for 65p, 32.5p for half a can
• For added protein (and taste!), add half a tin of tuna for 40p (Tesco Tuna Chunks In Spring Water, 80p for 145g can)

What's the most economical way to cook a jacket potato? Putting the oven on for one or two can feel wasteful, but if you plan ahead you can pop some potatoes in while cooking other meals, or for small batches cook them using a microwave or air fryer instead.

Find out which are the cheapest ways to cook based on our research.

3. Porridge with banana and peanut butter: 26.5p per meal, approx 8.5g of fibre

This simple breakfast really packs a punch on the fibre front.

50g of porridge oats contain 4.9g of fibre, and you can bump it up further with tasty toppings. Adding banana (2g of fibre) and a dollop of peanut butter will bring it to around 8.5g.

• Asda Everyday Essentials Porridge Oats, 90p for 1kg, 4.5p per serving
• Asda banana, 16p each
• Asda Crunchy Peanut Butter, £1.25 for 340g, 6p per serving

Other good fibre-rich toppings include: 50g of frozen raspberries (3.4g of fibre), grated apple with its skin (2g of fibre) or a topping of walnuts and almonds (4g of fibre per large handful of 40-50g).

See which budget peanut butters topped our independent consumer taste test.

4. Supermarket meal deal stir-fry: £3.50 per meal, approx 9g fibre

A stir-fry is a quick and tasty way to fit some fibre into your dinner and eat a good range of veg too.

Supermarket stir-fry meal deals typically include vegetables, a protein ingredient such as chicken or tofu, rice or noodles, and sauce for around £6 to £8. As an example, with Waitrose's £7 stir-fry Dine In deal for two you can choose:

• Waitrose Bright and Colourful Ginger stir fry (2.3g fibre in 50g serving, 4.6g per 100g)
• Chicken stir-fry strips
• Waitrose brown rice and green vegetables (6.4g fibre in 150g serving, 4.8g per 100g)

Check what you get in the bundle. Pricier options from Waitrose, M&S and Ocado usually include meat or veggie protein options, but cheaper ones may not. For example, Tesco's £3 stir-fry deal for Clubcard members and Sainsbury's £2.50 deal don't.

How to pack more fibre into your stir fry

• Choose a rainbow vegetable mix. A bag containing a range of different veg like carrots, broccoli and greens such as pak choi is better for fibre (and other nutrients) than a bag of just beansprouts.
• Bump up fibre levels with fridge and freezer basics. Use up what you have in the fridge, like broccoli florets or carrot batons, or add in frozen veg; a 3 tbsp serving (80g) of frozen peas or edamame beans contains around 4-5g of fibre.
• Opt for veggie protein. Unlike animal protein sources, these also contain fibre
• Pick a higher fibre carb. Brown rice and quinoa are higher in fibre than white rice noodles.

Quick tips to boost your fibre levels

Choose brown instead of white. Whether its pasta, rice or bread, choosing wholegrain or wholemeal is a simple way of boosting fibre levels and usually costs around the same as white options. Give yourself a chance to adjust to the taste, or try mixing in with white pasta or rice to sneak it into your meals. 

Drink more water. Fibre draws water into the bowel so don't forget to keep your fluid levels up too.

Pack in pulses. They'll add extra fibre and help to make food go further – for example, adding lentils to bolognese, chickpeas to a curry.

Don't forget frozen and tinned veg. As well as being cheaper, they can be great for helping to boost fibre levels. See more in our guide to fresh vs frozen vs tinned fruit and veg.

Get more fibre tips in our story on fibre supplements and snacks.

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*NB. Supermarket examples chosen based on price and factoring in top-performing budget options from our food and drink taste tests. Similar budget options will be available at most supermarkets. Fibre levels as stated on pack and will vary slightly by supermarket/product.