Most days
Wholegrains
Wholemeal bread, oats, brown rice, barley, bulgur
What it gives you
Fibre, B vitamins and steady energy.
Easy ways to add it
- Switch to wholemeal bread for your usual sandwich.
- Start the day with oats.
- Try brown rice or wholewheat pasta half and half with white at first.
- Cook extra bulgur for tomorrow’s lunch.
- Use wholewheat wraps.
- Make overnight oats.
- Try buckwheat or soba noodles.
- Choose a wholegrain breakfast cereal with little added sugar.
- Make popcorn at home as a snack.
- Add barley to a vegetable soup.
Good to know
With coeliac disease, choose gluten-free wholegrains such as brown rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa or oats labelled gluten-free.
The science behind it
Too few wholegrains was among the biggest dietary risks worldwide, and eating more of them gave one of the largest estimated gains in life expectancy.
Source: GBD 2017 Diet Collaborators, The Lancet, 2019; Fadnes et al., PLOS Medicine, 2022; Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023
LeafUp gives general food guidance for adults. It is not medical or dietary advice. With a health condition, during pregnancy or with allergies, ask your doctor or a dietitian.
Plates with it
Porridge with apple and walnuts
Warm oats, grated apple and a few walnuts.
Overnight oats with banana and peanut butter
Made the night before, ready when you wake.
Wholegrain toast with hummus and tomato
Quick, savoury and full of fibre.
Peanut butter and banana toast
Two minutes and very filling.
Tofu scramble with spinach
A savoury start with turmeric and toast.
Bircher muesli with apple and seeds
Soaked overnight, the Swiss way.
Avocado and white bean toast
Creamy, lemony and filling.
Banana oat pancakes
Made without eggs, served with berries.
Bulgur tabbouleh with chickpeas
Lots of parsley, lemon and crunch.
Black bean wraps
Beans, salad and salsa in a wholewheat wrap.
Peanut noodles with cabbage and carrot
Crunchy vegetables in a quick peanut sauce.
Tofu and vegetable stir-fry
Crisp tofu, quick vegetables, brown rice.