How much fibre?

How much fibre?

When it comes to fibre intake, it is generally recognised that people should be consuming more on a daily basis to help move things through the intestines, remove toxic waste products and help control blood sugar levels by helping glucose, amino acids and fatty acids to enter the bloodstream slowly. These are all positive things but the real question you want to know is how much should YOU have? ⁣

Some things to consider when it comes to fibre intake is that not all fibre is created equally. Soluble fibre, which is found heavily in oatmeal, sweet potato, black beans, avocado and pears helps add bulk to not only your food, but also your poop. Soluble fibre absorbs water really well meaning that when it enters your intestines it has the potential to expand and stretch the intestines which then sends a signal to the brain to keep things moving along. Insoluble fibre on the other hand remains unchanged when it enters the intestines and aids in the speed of moving things along. You can find insoluble fibre in most of your green vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach as well as carrots, capsicum and tomatoes. ⁣

A decent starting point to how much fibre you should consume is roughly 25-30g for most people. When you’re dieting though, a good idea is to actually increase this number closer to 35-40g mainly from the soluble sources as it is not uncommon for things to “slow down” and cause a lot of frustration. This will also help keep you fuller between meals and make you feel like you’re eating a lot more food. Another key thing to remember when increasing fibre is to also increase your water intake accordingly as this will help keep things moving as well.⁣

When bulking, 10g per 1000 calories seemed to be a good starting point for most as you don’t want to be too full that you struggle to get enough calories in. ⁣

How do you know if you’re having too much fibre?
If you find your stools extremely loose and take a long time to wipe (you should be done with 1-2 wipes) while also experiencing bloating and gas, you may potentially be having too much fibre for your current gut health situation. Decrease it by 10g and see how you get on.

How do you know if you’re not having enough fibre?
You don’t go to the toilet at least once a day, your poop looks like little pebbles and you need to strain like your pulling a max deadlift! Increase it by 10g and see how you get on.

For more information on ‘staying regular’, check this out:

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Ivan Gavranic
