Fibre: why we eat too little of it and how to get more into every day
The advice is 25 to 30 grams a day. Most of us don’t come close. Here’s where to find fibre without living on bran.
Marek Veselý
founder of gfBar
Fibre is the part of food your body can’t digest. That sounds like a flaw, but it’s exactly what makes it so useful. It passes through the small intestine almost unchanged, feeds the bacteria in the large intestine, and adds bulk all the way through.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends 25 g of fibre a day for adults; in the UK, the NHS goes further and suggests 30 g. Most people in Europe don’t get there. Not because fibre is rare, but because we eat a lot of white bread, meat and ready meals and not enough pulses, vegetables and wholegrains.
Two kinds of fibre
Soluble fibre binds water and forms a gel. You’ll find it in oats, pulses, apples, citrus fruit and chia seeds. It slows digestion down, so a meal keeps you full for longer.
Insoluble fibre binds very little water, but it increases the bulk of what passes through the gut. It’s in wholemeal bread, the skins of fruit and vegetables, and nuts. It keeps the gut busy and supports regular digestion.
Your body needs both, and in an ordinary diet they usually come together.
Where to find fibre
A few ways to reach your daily amount without overhauling everything:
- Breakfast. Porridge instead of white toast. Add a handful of blueberries and a spoonful of chia seeds and you’re past a third of the daily recommendation.
- Pulses two or three times a week. Lentils, chickpeas, beans. Stir them into a soup or a salad.
- Wholemeal bread. Watch out for “brown” bread that’s simply been coloured. Look for the word wholemeal or wholegrain on the pack.
- Vegetables with every meal. Even a few slices of cucumber and pepper count.
- A snack with fibre. Nuts, an apple, carrot sticks – or a bar that genuinely contains fibre.
One more tip: increase fibre gradually and drink water with it. Switch overnight and your gut will let you know with bloating.
How much fibre is in gfBar
All four flavours are high in fibre. It comes from wild blueberries, dates and chicory syrup, a natural source of inulin.
| Flavour | Fibre per box (2 bars) |
|---|---|
| COCOA | 12.0 g |
| ORIGINAL | 11.0 g |
| PROTEIN | 10.8 g |
| COCONUT | 9.6 g |
So one box of gfBar COCOA covers almost half of the EFSA daily recommendation for fibre.
