A lot of attention has been paid to gut health lately and fibre is in the spotlight. Fibre feeds the ‘good’ bacteria in our gut and promotes the growth of more good bacteria. Eating enough fibre not only benefits the digestive system, it also reduces the risk of getting chronic diseases, making you healthier in general.

Eating a high-fibre diet helps you feel fuller, so you’ll end up eating less. You could even lose a little weight. Here’s a tip for busy women: When your work day is bogged down with meetings and deadlines, and getting in a well-balanced and healthy meal just seems too much effort, zoom in on eating more fibre. Here are smart ways to go about it.

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Breakfast is the easiest part of the day to get a head start on your daily fibre count. Start your morning with a meal consisting of bran cereal/flakes or oatmeal. Do read the labels before buying such foods though, to make sure the cereal isn’t loaded with sugar – for instance, when sugar appears in the first three ingredients on the label.

(Also read: 6 Healthy Breakfast Ideas With Minimal Prep Time)

As the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples, as with most fruits, are certainly good for your health. Plus, apples are high in fibre. Instead of dessert, eat a fruit after lunch. Other high-fibre fruits include pears and berries. Snack on them when you’re peckish during the day, instead of innutritious snacks like chips or biscuits.

There’s a good reason why the avocado has become such a trendy fruit – it’s because it’s an extremely healthy one. It is rich in healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and also contains a high amount of fibre – 18 grams in one piece of fruit. Use it in salads and sandwiches, add it to smoothies or spread it on bread in place of butter. They’re easy to tote around and quick to prep in your office pantry. Just be sure not to OD on avo. Too much of anything is never good.

It’s common to peel fruits and vegetables before eating them but do you know you’re removing half the fibre when you do this? Fruit and vegetable peels provide the roughage needed for a healthy digestive system. Chomp on an apple or pear whole (with the skin properly washed of course), to keep your energy up in between meetings. And go skin-on when it comes to potatoes and cucumbers.

For other fruits like oranges or grapefruit, keep the peels, but dry them then blend them into a powder. Sprinkle a spoon of this onto yogurt or smoothies at breakfast for extra roughage. Here are more genius food hacks to up your fibre intake.

When it comes to bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, switch from white versions to the whole-grain ones. If you’re heading out for a business lunch, choosing whole-grain bread, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice and sweet potatoes will increase your fibre intake significantly. Snack on whole-grain crackers too, as opposed to regular crackers. The flavours and textures in whole-grain foods might be a bit ‘harsh’ for some to swallow (literally) so give yourself some time to make this transition. You could also mix both white and brown versions in your meals or alternate them in every meal, so you’re getting more fibre into your system slowly but surely.

Keep packets of healthy seeds like chia, flax, pumpkin or sunflower seeds in your office drawer to sprinkle over your takeaway lunch for a fibre boost. Elsewhere. they’re perfect to be enjoyed with cereal, oats, yogurt or salad, and even added to smoothies too.

(Also read: 7 High-Fibre Foods You Should Be Eating Every Day)