How to eat enough fibre

Most people agree that dietary fibre is important for health but not everyone knows how to eat enough fibre.

Dietary fibre is present in different amounts in plant-based foods, including grains and cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. Individual foods have typically more than one type of fibre.

Certain types of fibre have been identified as being beneficial for particular health conditions. Therefore, it makes sense to aim at consuming a wide variety of fibre-containing foods to consume a wide variety of dietary fibre types, which will in turn protect against a wide variety of health issues.

Fibre requirements

The Australian guidelines specify a target daily intake of 25g of fibre for adult women and 30g for adult men.

In the recent article Fibre: The Forgotten Carbohydrate in Sports Nutrition Recommendations, the authors recommend athletes follow the same target fibre intakes as the general population, taking care of increasing the amount gradually if their current intake is low.

How to eat enough fibre

You don’t need to rely on fibre supplements to meet the recommended intake. Below are some examples of how to eat enough fibre for omnivores, gluten-free low-carb eaters and vegetarians.

Omnivore

Breakfast

• 1 single serve box Nutri-Grain cereal
• 1/2 cup skim milk

Morning tea

• 2 kiwifruit
• 30g raw almonds

Lunch

• Chicken & avocado wrap made with mixed grain wrap + 1/2 chicken breast + 1/2 cup salad leaves + 1/4 avocado

Afternon tea

• 1 serving Sakata whole grain rice crackers (~13 crackers)
• 3 tbsp hummus

Dinner

• 1 medium rump steak
• 1/2 cup steamed broccoli
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/4 cup cooked corn kernels
• 1/4 cup cooked frozen peas

Total dietary fibre: 29.36g

Gluten-free & low carb

Breakfast

• 2 fried eggs
• 2 grilled bacon rashers
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 cup baby spinach
• 1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms

Morning tea

• 30g raw almonds

Lunch

• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1/4 medium telegraph cucumber
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 medium chicken breast
• 5g coriander leaves
• 5g mint leaves
• 1 small red chilli

Afternoon tea

• 1 red apple
• 160g reduced fat Greek yoghurt

Dinner

• 1 medium rump steak
• 1/2 small broccoli head, steamed
• 1/2 medium sweet potato, baked

Total dietary fibre: 32.25g

Vegetarian

Breakfast

• 1 serve porridge made with rolled oats and regular milk

Morning tea

• 1 medium banana
• 30g mixed nuts

Lunch

• 1 cup tofu stir-fry
• 1/2 cup egg noodles

Afternoon tea

• 2 thin brown rice cakes with smooth peanut butter

Dinner

• 1 cup dhal
• 1/2 cup cooked white rice

Total dietary fibre: 32.13g

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