Dietary fibre can help to ensure a healthier digestive system and reduce the risk of bowel cancer.  Eating a diet high in fibre and wholegrain cereals (such as multi-grain bread) can also lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and can help you maintain a healthy body weight. 

Wholegrain and wholemeal foods are high in dietary fibre. Other foods high in fibre include fruit and vegetables, seeds, nuts and legumes such as peas, beans and lentils.

What are wholegrain cereals?

Wholegrain cereals contain the whole grain like wheat, rice, corn, oats, rye, barley and millet. Wholemeal foods are made from wholegrains which have been crushed to a finer texture. Nutritionally, wholegrain and wholemeal foods are very similar.

Examples of wholegrain cereals are:

• Wholemeal or multi-grain bread, muffins and crumpets
• Wholegrain or whole-wheat breakfast cereals or muesli
• Wholemeal or mixed grain crisp bread
• Brown rice, rice cakes
• Wholemeal pasta
• Corn, oats
• Cracked wheat (bulgur)

Wholegrain cereals contain more fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than refined cereal foods such as white bread, because many of the important nutrients occur in the outer layer of the grain.

How much do I need to eat?

Dietary fibre is an important part of a nutritious, well balanced diet. It is recommended that Australian women eat 25g of dietary fibre per day and men 30g per day.

In order to reach this, Cancer Council recommends people eat:

• At least two serves of wholegrain or wholemeal foods every day (or ensure about half their daily serves of breads and cereals are wholegrain or wholemeal varieties); and
  
  
• At least two serves of fruit per day and five serves of vegetables per day including legumes.

It is recommended that whole foods be consumed over a dietary fibre supplement, as the benefits of fibre may be from the combination of nutrients working together.

What is a serve?

A sample serve of cereal or bread equals:

• 2 slices of bread
• 1 medium bread roll
• 1 cup of cooked rice, pasta or noodles
• 1 cup of cooked porridge
• 1 1/3 cups of breakfast cereal
• ½ cup of untoasted muesli

A serve of fruit equals:

• 1 medium piece (150g) of fruit (apple, banana, orange, pear)
• 2 small pieces (150g) of fruit (apricots, kiwifruit, plums)
• 1 cup (150g) diced pieces or canned fruit
• 1½ tablespoons sultanas, 4 dried apricot halves
• ½ cup (125mL) fruit juice

A serve of vegetables equals:

• ½ cup (75g) cooked vegetables
• ½ cup (75g) cooked dried beans, peas or lentils
• 1 cup salad vegetable
• 1 small potato

Easy ways to eat more wholegrain

Breakfast

• Toast wholegrain, wholemeal or mixed grain bread instead of white
• Eat wholemeal English muffins or crumpets instead of white
• Use whole-wheat breakfast cereal or porridge with low fat milk
• Try creamed corn on mixed grain or wholemeal toast

Lunch

• Make sandwiches on wholemeal or mixed grain breads, i.e. pita bread or rolls
• Use wholegrain or wholemeal crisp breads with toppings such as creamed corn or salsa dip
• Whip up a brown rice salad, wholemeal pasta salad or tabouli (made with cracked wheat)

Dinner

• Try brown rice with casseroles or curries
• Use wholemeal or mixed grain dinner rolls
• Cook wholemeal pasta and sauce, or wholemeal lasagne
• Include sweet corn - it counts as both a vegetable and cereal food
• Use wholemeal flour to thicken sauce, gravies and stews
• Try oat topping for fruit dessert crumbles

Snacks

• Make some low-fat popcorn
• Munch on low-fat muesli cereal bars
• Try wholemeal crisp bread, crackers or biscuits
• Try muesli sprinkled over low-fat yoghurt