Not all foods are created equal when it comes to fibre

What we learned from making bobotie in our Cooking Club and why fibre matters more than we think

Last week we made bobotie in our cooking club. I want to go back to one small change we made in that lesson. We replaced half the mince with a tin of lentils. Same recipe. Same spices. Same end result. And honestly, you cannot taste it. But nutritionally and economically it changes the dish quite a lot. More fibre, more plant protein, and a meal that stretches further. That is really why I teach these kinds of swaps. Not to change the food your family already enjoys, but to create awareness and include more nutrition education throughout our program.

From five a day to what I started noticing in real life

When I was teaching in London, the five a day message was everywhere. Posters in schools, campaigns, reminders in lunchboxes. It was simple and it worked well to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables. The more modern (social media) version now is “30 plant foods a week” to increase fibre variety. I still think it is a useful guideline. But over time I started to realise it does not tell the full story. You can easily eat your five a day and still be quite low in fibre depending on the foods you choose. That became even clearer when I started using the Fat Secret app and tracking my own food properly. Like many people, I thought I was eating fairly well. But once I could actually see everything in front of me, it became obvious that not all healthy foods contribute in the same way. A bowl of salad looks like it should do a lot for you, but in terms of fibre it does very little compared to foods like lentils, oats, sweet potato, pears and raspberries. That was a real shift for me. Not about restriction, but about understanding what actually builds a meal that keeps you full and energised. Since I reached my forties, I also started eating less and less in an attempt to manage midlife weight gain. What I was actually doing was slowing my metabolism. But that is a story for another day. Let me know if you are also interested in learning more about managing weight after forty:)

The simple takeaway from the bobotie

One cup of cooked lentils contains around 15 grams of fibre, which is a large part of a teen’s daily requirement in a single ingredient. So when you add lentils into meals like bobotie, mince pasta, shepherd’s pie or tacos, you are not changing the dish. You are improving it quietly in the background. And if you ever want to go further, you can make a full lentil version. It still works and it still tastes good.

What I notice at home

With my own teen I see a very clear pattern. When meals include more fibre-rich foods and she drinks enough water, things tend to run better. Less snacking an hour after meals. Less bloating. More steady energy through the day. And often clearer skin. Milla, my daughter, also struggles with bloating. But I think she is often just a bit blocked up, which can lead to excess fermentation in the gut and then bloating. When we focus on higher fibre foods, she does much better.

Why fibre matters in the teen years

Teenagers are growing fast and their bodies are changing quickly. Fibre helps in very practical ways. It supports gut health by feeding beneficial bacteria in the gut. It helps keep energy more stable during the school day. It also helps teens feel fuller for longer, which reduces constant grazing and energy crashes. There is also the gut and hormone connection. Fibre helps the body process and eliminate excess hormones like estrogen through the digestive system. Not in a detox sense, but through normal, healthy body function. It is one of those simple things that quietly supports a lot in the background.

A simple way to think about fibre

One thing that helped me a lot is realising that not all healthy foods are equal when it comes to fibre. Some foods look healthy but do very little for fullness or digestion. Others do most of the work. That is why I created the Fibre Cheat Sheet in the  membership area of our Cooking Club under nutrition. It is a simple guide to high-fibre foods so you can build meals without overthinking it. Print it and keep it nearby when you plan meals during the week. It makes decisions much easier.

A great way to start the day

One simple hack for getting in around 10g of fibre early in the day is making a psyllium husk jelly. I keep it in the fridge and remind my kids to eat a tablespoon in the  morning. It is quick fibre boost. It is easy to make and a small serving can add a meaningful amount of fibre to a teen’s day. It is made by shaking 3 tsp of psyllium husk, 150ml of juice (e.g., grape, apple, cranberry), and a squeeze of lime in a jar and a little honey (optional) then refrigerating for 10-15 minutes. This simple, gut-loving recipe offers up to 12g of fiber.

Final thought

You do not need to change everything you cook. You just need a few small, practical swaps like the lentils in the bobotie. Over time, those small changes make a real difference to your families nutrition.

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