Easy fibre options for busy people

A lot has been said about the benefits of increased fibre intake. To give you the Cliffnotes (or Sparknotes, depending on where you’re from), here they are:

  • Keeping you fuller longer

  • Lowers cholesterol and regulates blood pressure

  • Improves gut health

  • Reduced disease risk

  • Helps with weight management

When it comes to overall health, fibre is one nutrient that most people under-consume. And it is one that isn’t necessarily hard to improve. You just need to add a few small things into your diet.

With my clients, it is one of the top 3 priorities we work on to improve nutritional habits (just after calories and protein intake).

In this post, I will share with you my top 5 easy fibre sources.

1. Berries

Raspberries and blackberries are my absolute favourite fibre source. They give you about 8g of fibre per cup each.

They taste good and they go well with a lot of things - yogurt, smoothies, and are great on their own!

While blueberries and strawberries give you some fibre, they don’t give you as much as the other two at 4g/cup and 3g/cup, respectively. I’ve specifically grouped these separate from other fruits as they are a fibre powerhouse.

Not to mention, you can eat them fresh or buy them frozen for longer storage.

 

Berries with Greek yogurt and protein powder are one of my go-to protein-fibre combinations

 

2. Avocados

I have to admit that I don’t eat these as much these days but they are one of the best sources of fibre (and healthy unsaturated fats!).

A medium sized avocado will give you about 10g of fibre (and 23g of fat). It mixes well with a lot of different food -

One caveat to eating avocados is the high calorie content (due to fat). If you eat one avocado a day, you’re probably fine. But it’s best to be aware of how much you eat outside of that as their tastiness makes it easy to overeat and thus go over on your calorie intake.

Also, in case you’re wondering why I don’t buy them much: I am terrible at timing when to eat them as they seem to only stay ripe for 1-2 days. Otherwise, who doesn’t love guac?!?

 
 

3. Oats

Oats will give you between 4-8g of fibre per serving depending on what kind (rolled versus steel-cut versus raw, with raw being highest). The less processed, the higher the fibre content.

Though they are higher in carbohydrates (which may concern some), they are one of the better carb sources in that they are nutritionally dense.

 
 

4. Popcorn

So far, most of the mentioned options have been easy-prep. But what about when you just want to hang on the couch at the end of a long day with your SO and watch an episode of the new Severance (or whatever the new hip show is when you’re reading this in the future)?

Easy - POPCORN. Air-popped, to be specific.

A bag of popcorn will give you about 425 calories and 5g of fibre. Beware of adding butter as that’ll increase calorie content considerably. Instead, opt to add spices or seasoning.

 
 

5. Fresh fruits and vegetables

Most people could benefit from increasing their fruit and vegetable intake for many reasons, fibre included, which is why I lumped this into one group.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Banana - 1 medium banana = ~27g of carbs, 3g of fibre

Pears - 1 medium pear = ~27g of carbs, 5g of fibre

Brussel sprouts - 1 cup = 11g carbs, 4g of fibre

 
 

BONUS: High fibre cereal

My personal favourite for getting more fibre is All Bran Buds. It’s a powerhouse for fibre first thing in the morning with 1/3 cup containing 13g of fibre (anything over 5g per serving is great). It’s easy to prep and hitting at least a third of my daily fibre goal before noon just makes things easier.

I left this out of the top 5 as people will rely on this solely for breakfast when they could benefit from something that has more protein, like a few eggs. Add the cereal option if you already have a regular protein source for breakfast.

 
 

Do you get enough fibre in your diet? If not, come join us on my free community for regular challenges to increase your fibre intake (among other challenges).

Protein on-the-go: How to hit your nutrition goals even when you're busy

If you’re working towards any fitness goals, you likely have a protein target that you try to hit everyday. For those of you who have busy lives (who doesn’t?), there can be days when you miss that target. In this article, I’m going to give you easy protein options for when you don’t have time to prep much.

As a coach, my job is to simplify exercise and nutrition for my clients and I will do the exact same for you here. The problem is that, with social media and everything on the internet, there’s a lot of fluff out there that you don’t really need to be successful.

Planning and prepping

In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need this guide. In a perfect world, you’d be able to sit down and enjoy your meal full of protein. Planning gets you as close to that perfect as possible.

Plain and simple - your priority should be to plan your meals as much as possible each week so you know how to reach your goals.

When you plan, you can anticipate what’s going to happen - whether that’s a busy work week, in-laws coming into town, or even just a social event. But there’s no such thing as perfect and you need to be prepared for when things get hectic unexpectedly so you can still hit your goals.

The simplest way to succeed is to have a game plan for how you’re going to eat during the week AND having a backup plan for when things go sideways. The rest of this article addresses the latter situation so you have options in case you need anything in a pinch. Since we’re keeping things simple, I’ll provide you with choices that take less than 5 minutes to put together, if that.

Easy protein options on the go

Protein powder

This is the most convenient out of all protein sources, you can take protein powder anywhere with you - to the office, to the gym, or even on vacation! You simply add water (if you have a decent tasting brand) or add milk if you want a bit more flavour. Make sure you have a shaker bottle for easy mixing.

 

My favourite protein brand

 

Smoothies

If you want something more filling, take out your blender and mix any of these:

  • Vegetables (dark leafy greens, beets, even greens supplements)

  • Fruits (berries, apples, mangos, bananas, etc)

  • Nuts, seeds, and nut butters

  • Oats

  • Granola

  • Water or milk (regular, oat, etc)

  • Ice

You’d need a bit more prep with this but depending on what and how much you mix in it, it can be quite filling. You can even bring it with you to the office! Just make sure to keep it in the fridge. You don’t want that rancid 2-day old protein sitting at the bottom of your bag.

For more info on this, the Precision Nutrition Super Shake guide is still one of my favourite resources on this.

Greek yogurt/cottage cheese

One of the most versatile options on this list - I personally have this daily. My favourite way to consume this is first thing in the morning.

  • 150g plain Greek Yogurt

  • 1 scoop protein powder

  • Mixed berries

 
 

Mix them all in a bowl and voila! You have an easy 40g for breakfast. And it only takes 2 minutes to prep.

I lumped Greek yogurt and cottage cheese together as you can have them interchangeably in many things: smoothies, bowls, and even omelletes!

 
 

Beef/turkey jerky

If you want something to munch on, add beef jerky to your repertoire. Whether you’re sitting on your couch watching Netflix or need a snack on the road, jerky gives you more protein per serving than any other snack!

 

Turkey has slightly higher protein content

 

Eggs (hard-boiled)

While these take a bit more prep than the options above, it doesn’t take that long and you can store them for a few days once cooked. Like smoothies, you can take these to the office to eat throughout your day. You can eat them on their own, add salt and pepper, sprinkle with hot sauce, or add to your lunch.

 
 

Rotisserie chicken

While these are messier to eat, this is certainly the most filling option on this list. Most grocery stores these days will have this option and you can grab some when you don’t feel like cooking!

Protein bars

I almost didn’t include this one but a lot of people ask me about this so I added it in. There’s a lot of protein bars on the market and a lot of them have a lot of junk and too much sugar in them. The best way to limit junk in bars is to make them yourself but I know not everyone wants to do that.

 

One of the better brands ingredient-wise

 

There are a lot of other options in most grocery stores that have a good calorie to protein ratio. Just make sure to look at the nutrition label as some of them can be high in sugar content.

The best way to consume enough protein is to prioritize them during your meals by eating high quality options like meat, fish, and tofu (among others). Add in the options above to fill in the gaps and you’ll be able to hit your daily goals so you can build lean muscle for your goals.

If you found this helpful, send me a message on this site or you can reach on me on Instagram @MilesStrength.

Blueberry Breakfast Power Bars

INGREDIENTS:

150g oats

50g oat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

30g protein powder (whey isolate)

15g flax seeds

500mL egg whites

1 ripe banana, mashed

zest & juice of 1/2 lemon

50g maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

100g frozen blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS:

Bake in a pan at 350F for 28-30min.

Cut into squares - serves 6, and can be frozen.

*Source unknown

Transformation Challenge - Christmas Edition

We're three days into December now and as I sit typing this in a coffee shop while Christmas music is playing over the sound system, I can't help but be proud that another one of my (former) clients, Carly, has been selected as a finalist for the Transformation Challenge. Can there be any better news as a coach?

Frankly, I'm not surprised that she was selected. When a client tells you that they're going to make bench presses (I quote) "my bitch", you know they're going to do big things. 

Before at 407 lbs and today down 175 lbs

Before at 407 lbs and today down 175 lbs

She's been involved with Weight Watchers Canada where she just recently finished a commercial and photoshoot with them. Through WW and social media, she has been an inspiration to everyone around her and I'm thrilled that she's being recognized for it.

Without further ado, click HERE to read Carly's story (click the link on the right to vote). To check out the rest of her journey, check out her Instagram account.

Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your dentist's wife's accountant.

MICHELE 2016

No. Not Obama.

Michele is one of my clients. She is one of the finalists for GoodLife Fitness' Transformation Challenge. She's lost 175 lbs and counting.

She got a mean squat. And she's doing her Tough Mudder with me in Whistler next year. I know, she's pretty badass.

She wouldn't be where she is today if it weren't for all her hard work. So please VOTE!

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