are you getting enough fibre?

12 Nov are you getting enough fibre?

Chia seeds!

Last updated: 25 October 2026

Fibre is important in the body, because it slows the passage of food in the small intestine, and allows the body to extract every molecule of energy from food in the small intestine, where glucose molecules cross the intestinal cell and enter the bloodstream to give us energy. It also speeds up transit of food in the large intestine, increasing your regularity, and reducing the amount of time that fermentation occurs.

How much do you need?

The Dietary Guidelines suggest that women should eat 25 g of fibre per day and men should eat 30 g. It is not only the positive impacts of the movement of digested food through your digestive tracts that has contributed to this recommendation. Sufficient fibre has been linked to a reduction in cancers of the colon and GI (gastrointestinal) tract as well as death from other causes such as heart disease and diabetes.

In my experience most women and most men are not eating enough of this critical nutrient.

Why does it matter?

In dose-response analyses of large cohort studies, every additional 7–10 grams of fibre eaten per day was associated with a 9% reduction in cardiovascular disease risk, a 9% reduction in type 2 diabetes risk, a 10% reduction in colorectal cancer risk, and an 11% reduction in all-cause mortality. In Australia, the adequate intake sits at 25 grams a day for women and 30 grams for men, with a higher suggested target of 28 grams for women and 38 grams for men to meaningfully reduce chronic disease risk, yet most Australians fall short of even the lower target.

In practical terms, the fibre goal is best approached through food choices, more legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, rather than through a supplement alone. 

What is fibre?

Fibre is also a carbohydrate, it is composed of 10 or more glucose molecules, however, unlike most other digestible polysaccharides (starch being an obvious one), it has beta bonds joining its constituent glucose or other monosaccharide units, and these cannot be broken down in the body.

Quinoa!

How to get enough fibre?

The fibre imperative is another reason why eating fruits an vegetables is so important. Vegetables in particular contain a lot of fibre and they do not contribute a lot of calories either. One recipe that I love is Chia seed pudding with Greek yoghurt and berries. It provides 10 g of fibre and 350 mg of calcium (nearly half the daily target for fibre at least). Other high fibre contributors to your daily food are other wholegrains such as cereals and breads, and grains such as quinoa have a whopping 19g per 1/2 cup serve. This is why the Dietary Guidelines recommend such large quantities of wholegrains and cereal foods – 5 serves per day.

It is important to increase your fibre intake gradually, since the bacteria in your large intestine, will react to the sudden increase in polysaccharides and make you feel uncomfortable, so be sure to increase your intake gently.

Most of the fibre that we get is in the cellulose component of plant foods, and this compound is composed of long strands of glucose. The beta bonds, make it indigestible, but it still has important function in your digestion.

So how much fibre do you eat each day? Find out if you are getting enough fibre or any of the other critical nutrients by signing up for a 7-Day Nutrition Review.

References:

Eufic, 2023. ‘Recommended daily intake of fibre and fibre-rich foods to help you achieve it’. Eufic. Viewed at < https://www.eufic.org/en/whats-in-food/article/recommended-daily-intake-of-fibre-and-fibre-rich-foods-to-help-you-achieve-it > Accessed 22 July, 2026

Flavia Fayet-Moore et al, 2018, ‘Dietary Fibre Intake in Australia. Paper I: Associations with Demographic, Socio-Economic, and Anthropometric Factors’, Nutrients 2018 May 11;10(5):599. Viewed at < https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5986479/ > Accessed 22 July, 2026.