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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