Fibre-Topper for Travelling

I love to travel. But I hate struggling to keep my bowel habits regular while I am away from my typical routine at home. The most common causes of constipation include a lack of fibre, fluids and inadequate physical activity…do these ring a bell? I don’t know about you, but my vacations typically include a jam-packed itinerary and non-stop socialization where fibre-rich foods and water intake sometimes take the back seat.
So after way too many uncomfortable and anxiety-ridden travel days, this girl finally bit the bullet and concocted a fibre-topper to save the day! Pack it along in your purse or daypack and sprinkle it on literally anything - I’ve given you a few ideas below.
This recipe makes ~4 cups total.

THE TOOLS:

can opener (optional, if using canned lentils)
strainer or sieve (optional, if using canned lentils)
baking sheet
parchment paper (optional)
flipper
mixing bowl
storage vessel (a reusable bag or mason jar works perfectly)

THE COMPONENTS:

canned lentils (398ml, drained) or pre-cooked lentils (1 cup)
coconut oil (1-2 tbsp.)
chia seeds (1/2 cup)
hemp seeds (3/4 cup)
slivered almonds (3/4 cup)
unsweetened coconut (3/4 cup)
wheat bran or buckwheat (1/2 cup)

THE HOW TO:

Lentils: Preheat oven to 400F. If you’re using canned lentils, drain, rinse and pat them dry first, before tossing with coconut oil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread lentils in a single layer. Bake for 12 minutes. Stir, and then bake for another 12-15 minutes, until crunchy. Keep an eye on them during the last few minutes so as not to burn. Let lentils fully cool before mixing with other ingredients.

The Rest: Add the last 5 components and mix together. Et voila! Your fibre-topper is ready.

Storage: Store in an airtight container. I tend to bring about 1 cup of the mixture per week of vacation, aiming to eat about 2-4 tbsp. daily. Freeze the rest to keep it fresh.

Added 1.5 tbsp. of fibre-topper to the smoothie, and another 0.5 tbsp. for garnish.

Added 2 tbsp. of fibre-topper to the oatmeal and milk.

THE DIETITIAN REVIEW:

Fibre is the part of plant foods that your body cannot digest or absorb. There are two types of fibre, soluble and insoluble, that help to soften and bulk up your stool to keep things moving along. Adults should aim to consume 25g (women) to 38g (men) of fibre daily.

Each 2 tbsp. of this fibre-topper packs about 3g of fibre (a mixture of both soluble and insoluble). Adding 2-4 tbsp. to your diet daily on vacation will help you achieve your daily fibre goals, but you’ll still need to get the rest from other fibre-containing foods like: