High fibre diet for children

High fibre diet for children

What is Dietary Fibre?

Dietary fibre is the part of food which is not digested and acts as a bulking agent. It is
found in wholegrain cereals, fruit and vegetables, pulses and nuts.

How does it work?

Fibre adds bulk to the stools by absorbing water, making stools soft and easy to pass.
A high fibre diet is necessary for healthy, regular bowels.

To enable the fibre to work well, your child needs to drink sufficient fluid.

Aim for about 6-8 cups of fluid per day, such as water, diluted squash, fruit
juice and milk.

Fibre and children

A high fibre diet forms part of a healthy diet and is suitable for all the family. Children
under 5 years of age need an energy dense diet, so care should be taken not to give a
diet which is too high in fibre. For those who are over 5, increase the fibre content in
your child’s diet gradually, so their digestive system gets used to the dietary fibre.

Introducing a high fibre diet

Encourage a regular meal pattern. Children are often constipated because
they snack instead of eating regular meals.

• Encourage plenty of drinks e.g. water, squash, fruit juice. Drinking just before a
  meal may reduce the appetite, so give drinks after meals and snacks, rather
  than before. Ice lollies and jellies offer additional fluids.
• Limit milk to one pint per day and encourage other fluids. Excessive milk can
  reduce appetite for other foods.
• When the dietary fibre content is increased, your child may experience a little
  discomfort caused by bloating and wind. This will settle down as your child
  gets used to the fibre content in their diet.
• Do not add bran to dishes and meals as this can interfere with vitamin and
  mineral absorption.

How to eat more fibre

Look out for the terms “Wholemeal” or “Wholegrain” on labels and packets of products.
These foods are good sources of fibre.

Fibre rich foods

• Wholemeal bread, granary bread, wraps. If your child dislikes these, try a high
  fibre version available in most supermarkets. Check labels for fibre content. E.g. 1
  slice wholemeal bread has 2-3 g of dietary fibre.
• Wholegrain crispbread, breadsticks and oatcakes. Try wholemeal pitta and
  naan bread or chapatti made with medium or brown flour.
• Wholegrain breakfast cereals. Look for ‘high fibre’ on the packets and the amount
  of fibre per serving. Suitable ones are Weetabix, Branflakes, Fruit and Fibre,
  Weetos, Shreddies, Shredded Wheat, Cheerios, porridge oats, Oats and more,
  muesli.
• Brown rice and wholegrain pasta.
• Oat based Cereal bars and biscuits. E.g. muesli bars such as Alpen, Weetabix
  Oaty Bars, Nutri-Grain Oat bars. High fibre biscuits such as digestives, flapjacks,
  oatcakes, fig rolls, Hob-Nobs and other oat based biscuits.
• Cakes, scones, muffins, teacakes, bagels made using wholemeal flour and dried
  fruit.
• Fruit
  The skins on fruit should be eaten whenever appropriate such as apples, pears and
  plums. Dried fruits like apricots, dates, prunes, sultanas and raisins are a good
  source of fibre. These make a good snack or can be used on cereals, in yoghurt
  and milk puddings. Try fruit bars and fruit smoothies.
• Vegetables
  Encourage all kinds but particularly pulse vegetables such as peas, beans, lentils
  and baked beans. Try bean burgers and vegetable burgers. Vegetable skins should
  be eaten where possible such as jacket potato, tomato, carrot. Boil new potatoes in
  their skins. Add beans to casseroles. Try vegetable “crisps” e.g. parsnips, carrot.

Your child should aim for 5 servings of fruit & vegetables a day

• Nuts, nut burgers and peanut butters are high in fibre. Do not give whole nuts to children under 5 years as there is the risk of choking.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES

• Add chopped or dried fruit with breakfast cereals.
• Choose fruits with skins and pips and/or dried fruit.
• Include leafy and stalk vegetables e.g. cabbage, green beans.
• Have salad with snack meals.
• Add pickles and chutney to meals.
• Use frozen vegetables if you cannot get fresh ones.

MEAT, FISH, EGGS, BEANS and
other non-dairy sources of protein (have 2 portions a day)

• Have baked beans on wholemeal toast, or with a jacket potato.
• Baked beans or pulse based dishes e.g. nut roast, lentil lasagne or vegetable and bean curry and rice.
• Try nuts and seeds.

Be careful with nuts for young children as they can be a choking hazard.

MILK AND DAIRY FOODS

• Try yoghurts that include grains or high fibre varieties.
• Dairy foods can be used as a good accompanying food for high fibre foods e.g. cheese with jacket potato, milk with oat biscuits or milk with high fibre breakfast cereal.

FOOD & DRINKS HIGH IN FAT AND OR SUGAR

• If you have sugar on cereal try and cut it down and instead you could add a little dried fruit to cereal.
• If you have biscuits, try digestives, hob nobs, oatcakes or flapjacks instead of chocolate or cream based ones.
• If you make cakes and do some baking, most recipes will work well with half wholemeal flour and half white flour.
• If you decide to have a cake, go for fruit varieties, currant buns etc. as these will have more fibre than plain sponges.

BREAD, RICE, POTATOES, PASTA and other starchy foods

• Include as a main part of each meal.
• Choose unsweetened high fibre breakfast cereals e.g. Weetabix, Shreddies, Cheerios, porridge.
• Try granary or wholemeal bread, pitta bread or wraps.
• Choose jacket potatoes with cottage cheese or low fat spread.
• Try brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

MEAL IDEAS

Breakfast ideas:

• Wholegrain cereal with dried fruit or chopped banana.
• Toasted wholemeal english muffin or bagel.
• Yoghurt and fruit – fresh, stewed, dried or tinned in natural juice.

Main Meal ideas:

• Jacket potato with chicken & stir-fried vegetables.
• Chilli con carne with brown rice.
• Bolognese with wholewheat spaghetti.
• Roast beef, pork or lamb with peas, broccoli, carrots and new potatoes (boiled in
  their skins).
• Pizza with vegetables in the topping, coleslaw, salad and potato wedges.
• Baked beans on wholemeal toast.
• Vegetable curry using beans and lentils served with chapatti or brown rice.

Fruit and vegetables

Packed lunch ideas:

• Ham and coleslaw sandwich using wholemeal or wholegrain bread. Flapjack and
  banana.
• Wholemeal pitta with tuna, lettuce and salad. Fruit cake and grapes.
• Granary roll with cheese and tomato, packet of raisins and an apple.
• Wholemeal wrap with houmous, cucumber, tomatoes and peppers. Satsuma.

Additional items in lunch box:

• Flapjack or fruit cake.
• Cereal bar or fruit bar.
• Raw vegetable sticks, for example carrot, celery, cucumber, cherry tomatoes &
  peppers.
• Wholemeal teacake.
• Malt loaf.

Desserts:

• Fruit -fresh, stewed, dried or tinned in natural juice. Fruit salad or fruit kebabs.
• Fruit pie or crumble made using a mixture of wholemeal and white flour or porridge
  oats.
• Wholemeal bread and butter pudding.

Snack ideas:

• Fruit smoothie.
• Fresh fruit.
• Mini packet of dried fruit or nuts.
• Yoghurt/chocolate covered raisins.
• Digestive/hobnob biscuit.
• Fruit or cereal bars.
• Wholemeal scone or wholemeal tea cake.

*REMEMBER TO HAVE AT LEAST 6-8 CUPS OF FLUID A DAY
See page 2.

RECIPE

Mixed bean casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 leeks or 2 onions.
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
• Mixed beans of your choice e.g. red kidney beans, chick peas, butter beans.
• Two tins of plum tomatoes chopped up.
• Half a cup of water or vegetable stock.
• A handful of fresh herbs e.g. fresh coriander, parsley.
• Salt & pepper to taste.

Method:

1. Fry the leeks/onions in the oil until soft and then add the beans and stir until
   coated with the oil.

2. Add the tomatoes, water/stock, salt and herbs and bring to the boil.

3. Simmer gently for 20 minutes or alternatively place in the oven to cook for 45
   minutes.

4. Any other vegetables can also be added to this dish.

• Use tinned beans or if preparing using dried beans, soak the beans overnight
  and cook until tender before using in recipe.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Covering the Alexandra Hospital, Redditch, Worcestershire Royal Hospital and
Kidderminster Treatment Centre.

Tel: 01905 733953

Email: wah-tr.paeds.diet@nhs.net

If your symptoms or condition worsens, or if you are concerned about anything,
please call your GP, 111, or 999.

Patient Experience
We know that being admitted to hospital can be a difficult and unsettling time for you
and your loved ones. If you have any questions or concerns, please do speak with a
member of staff on the ward or in the relevant department who will do their best to
answer your questions and reassure you.

Feedback
Feedback is really important and useful to us – it can tell us where we are working well
and where improvements can be made. There are lots of ways you can share your
experience with us including completing our Friends and Family Test – cards are
available and can be posted on all wards, departments and clinics at our hospitals. We
value your comments and feedback and thank you for taking the time to share this with
us.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
If you have any concerns or questions about your care, we advise you to talk with the
nurse in charge or the department manager in the first instance as they are best
placed to answer any questions or resolve concerns quickly. If the relevant member of
staff is unable to help resolve your concern, you can contact the PALS Team. We offer
informal help, advice or support about any aspect of hospital services & experiences.

Our PALS team will liaise with the various departments in our hospitals on your behalf,
if you feel unable to do so, to resolve your problems and where appropriate refer to
outside help.

If you are still unhappy you can contact the Complaints Department, who can
investigate your concerns. You can make a complaint orally, electronically or in writing
and we can advise and guide you through the complaints procedure.

How to contact PALS:
Telephone Patient Services: 0300 123 1732 or via email at: wah-tr.PALS@nhs.net

Opening times:
The PALS telephone lines are open Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 4.30pm and
Friday: 8.30am to 4.00pm. Please be aware that a voicemail service is in use at busy
times, but messages will be returned as quickly as possible.

If you are unable to understand this leaflet, please communicate with a member of
staff.

Version 2