Fibre: How Much Do You Need to Maximise Health and Longevity?
How much fibre do we need to eat per day for optimal health?
Firstly, fibre comes in two varieties: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fibre is not absorbed in our digestive tracts, but its role is vital in ensuring bowel movements to avoid constipation. Soluble fibre is metabolised by bacteria that sits in the large intestine. In short, it's healthy and good for us!
Further to this, evidence suggests that by getting enough dietary fibre we're protecting our colons, breasts and ovaries too!
Previous fibre recommendations have been to consume 14 grams of fibre per 1000 calories eaten. So if you're eating 2000 calories per day you'd consume 28 grams of fibre per day.
But recent reviews state that the ideal fibre intake should be more like 50 g/d to maximise health.
So now we know we need to eat 50 grams of fibre a day, but where do we get it from?
Healthy meal plans: What foods are the highest in dietary fibre?
Fibre is found in foods like cereals, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Take a look at the table below adapted from this study and this research to see how your favourite foods stack up:
| Source | Total | Insoluble | Soluble |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grains | |||
| Barley | 17.3 | - | - |
| Corn | 13.4 | - | - |
| Oats | 10.3 | 6.5 | 3.8 |
| Rice (dry) | 1.3 | 1 | 0.3 |
| Rice (cooked) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0 |
| Wheat (whole grain) | 12.6 | 10.2 | 2.3 |
| Wheat germ | 14 | 12.9 | 1.1 |
| Legumes & pulses | |||
| Green beans | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.5 |
| Soy | 15 | - | - |
| Peas, green frozen | 3.5 | 3.2 | 0.3 |
| Kidney beans, canned | 6.3 | 4.7 | 1.6 |
| Lentils, raw | 11.4 | 10.3 | 1.1 |
| Lima beans, canned | 4.2 | 3.8 | 0.4 |
| White beans, raw | 17.7 | 13.4 | 4.3 |
| Vegetables | |||
| Potato, no skin | 1.3 | 1 | 0.3 |
| Bitter gourd | 16.6 | 13.5 | 3.1 |
| Beetroot | 7.8 | 5.4 | 2.4 |
| Fenugreek leaves | 4.9 | 4.2 | 0.7 |
| Ladyfinger | 4.3 | 3 | 1.3 |
| Spinach, raw | 2.6 | 2.1 | 0.5 |
| Turnips | 2 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Tomato, raw | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Green onions, raw | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0 |
| Eggplant | 6.6 | 5.3 | 1.3 |
| Cucumbers, peeled | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Cauliflower, raw | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Celery, raw | 1.5 | 1 | 0.5 |
| Carrot, raw | 2.5 | 2.3 | 0.2 |
| Broccoli, raw | 3.29 | 3 | 0.29 |
| Fruits | |||
| Apple, unpeeled | 2 | 1.8 | 0.2 |
| Kiwi | 3.39 | 2.61 | 0.8 |
| Mango | 1.8 | 1.06 | 0.74 |
| Pineapple | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| Pomegranate | 0.6 | 0.49 | 0.11 |
| Watermelon | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Grapes | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Oranges | 1.8 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Plums | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| Strawberry | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Bananas | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.5 |
| Peach | 1.9 | 1 | 0.9 |
| Pear | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Nuts and seeds | |||
| Almonds | 11.2 | 10.1 | 1.1 |
| Coconut, raw | 9 | 8.5 | 0.5 |
| Peanut, dry roasted | 8 | 7.5 | 0.5 |
| Cashew, oil roasted | 6 | - | - |
| Sesame seed | 7.79 | 5.89 | 1.9 |
| Flaxseed | 22.33 | 10.15 | 12.1 |
Further to this table; one of the best sources of fibre you can get is in Chia seeds, which boast a tremendous 30-34 grams of fibre per 100 grams!
By going off the information above, you can reach your 50 grams a day variety hypothetically with the below example:
Breakfast:Â 1 cup of spinach = 4 grams of fibre, 6 egg whites, a tablespoon of olive oil.
Lunch: Chicken salad (200 grams of Garden salad) = 3.6 grams of fibre.
3pm snack: 1 unpeeled apple = 2 grams of fibre. Also, 100 grams of chia seeds = 30 grams of fibre.
Dinner: 200 grams of fish (salmon, barramundi, whatever you prefer). Add 100 grams of broccoli = 3 grams of fibre.
Before bed: Bulk Nutrients Tri Fibre supplement = 5.8 grams
Total = 48.4 grams of fibre.
You can see that comes very close to 50 grams of dietary fibre a day! And you can consume your 50 grams of dietary fibre a day however you want; having an extra half scoop of your Bulk Nutrients fibre supplement, or by simply eating another 60 grams of broccoli or another apple. The freedom is yours.
Fibre for fat loss
The other benefit of fibre is how it assists in weight loss, specifically:
- It increases chewing time and delays the time it takes for food to pass through your stomach. This means you're fuller for longer and are less likely to overeat.
- Fibre encourages the growth of a more favourable gut microbiome, associated with lower long-term weight gain.
- These factors have led researchers to conclude that fibre allows for an "increased ease of weight loss".
Fibre won't only help us maintain a healthy waistline but also improve our general health and well-being. Having a solid dietary strategy for 50 grams of dietary fibre daily, with or without a fibre supplement for ease of adherence, is critical for all of us for our health and fitness goals!
References:
- Anderson JW, Baird P, Davis RH Jr, Ferreri S, Knudtson M, Koraym A, Waters V, Williams CL. Health benefits of dietary fiber. Nutr Rev. 2009 Apr;67(4):188-205. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00189.x. PMID: 19335713.
- Dhingra D, Michael M, Rajput H, Patil RT. Dietary fibre in foods: a review. J Food Sci Technol. 2012 Jun;49(3):255-66. doi: 10.1007/s13197-011-0365-5. Epub 2011 Apr 12. PMID: 23729846; PMCID: PMC3614039.
- Farhath Khanum M, Swamy S, Sudarshana Krishna KR, Santhanam K, Viswanathan KR. Dietary fiber content of commonly fresh and cooked vegetables consumed in India. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2000;55:207–218.
- Holscher HD. Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota. Gut Microbes. 2017;8(2):172-184. doi:10.1080/19490976.2017.1290756
- Jebb S. Dietary determinants of obesity. Obes. Rev. 2007;8:93–97. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2007.00326.x.
- Kulczyński B, Kobus-Cisowska J, Taczanowski M, Kmiecik D, Gramza-Michałowska A. The Chemical Composition and Nutritional Value of Chia Seeds-Current State of Knowledge. Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1242. Published 2019 May 31. doi:10.3390/nu11061242
- Menni C., Jackson M.A., Pallister T., Steves C.J., Spector T.D., Valdes A.M. Gut microbiome diversity and high-fibre intake are related to lower long-term weight gain. Int. J. Obes. 2017;41:1099. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2017.66.
- O'Keefe SJD. The Need to Reassess Dietary Fiber Requirements in Healthy and Critically Ill Patients. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2018;47(1):219-229. doi:10.1016/j.gtc.2017.10.005
- Schakel SF, Pettit J, Himes JH. Dietary fiber values for common foods. In: Spiller GA, editor. The CRC handbook of dietary fiber in human nutrition. 3. London: CRC; 2001.
- Shankar S, Lanza E. Dietary fiber and cancer prevention. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 1991 Feb;5(1):25-41. PMID: 1851150.
- Yang J, Wang HP, Zhou L, Xu CF. Effect of dietary fiber on constipation: a meta-analysis. World J Gastroenterol. 2012;18(48):7378-7383. doi:10.3748/wjg.v18.i48.7378
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