How much should I be eating?

According to the Eatwell Guide, In the UK, the RNI for Fibre is 30g for those over the age of 15. As this is a rather blanket number it can also be useful to look to other countries to see a broader perspective. The USA Food and Nutrition board have set the fibre to 14g of total fibre per 1000kcals eaten, which allows us to scale intakes according to total calories (this also roughly fits the UK recommendation bearing in mind the calorie recommendations for the average person). This would calculate to:

• 28g at 2000 calories
• 35g at 2500 calories
• 42g at 3000 calories

Note:No tolerable upper limit is defined, though it is suggested in the same USA report that intakes of over 50g can be considered excessive.

Worthy of note is the fact that increasing fibre dramatically in a short space of time can lead to gas, constipation and bloating. It is wise to increase fibre intake gradually if you are currently not eating enough, increasing by 5-10g or so per day, per week.

Some good sources of fibre include the below:

• Most vegetables, which are around 2.5-5g per 100g
• Fruits vary, with grapefruit having 1.5g fibre per 100g and 9g being found in avocados for the same serving
• Beans and legumes contain around 7-9g per 100g
• Rolled oats have around 10g per 100g
• Wholemeal wheat products generally have 4-7g per serving

Most of these sources will contain a number of different fibres, and by combining them all across the day you are better equipped to ensure you consume all you need, from as many sources as possible.