How To Increase Fibre Intake: What You Need To Know

5 May, 2022

Fibre is an important part of our diet with numerous health benefits.

Despite this, many of us don’t get the amount of fibre we need for optimal digestive health — with the average Australian only getting in 20g of fibre, rather than the recommended amount of 25-30g per day.

Further still, lots of people don’t know how to increase fibre intake to truly reap the benefits for their health. So what can you do to get more fibre in your diet?

In this guide, we’ll be looking at some easy ways that you can learn how to increase fibre intake — including the best sources of fibre, fibre supplements, and creating a high fibre diet plan — as well as exactly why dietary fibre is so important for you.

Why is fibre important?

Getting enough fibre helps to ensure that our digestive system remains healthy and regular.

Here are some of the known digestive health benefits of dietary fibre:

Aiding digestion: fibre promotes healthy bowel movements, may help reduce bloating, helps with maintaining regular bowel motions and assists with other digestive issues.
Helping you feel fuller for longer: a high fibre diet plan may help with satiety and appetite
Promoting good gut health: fibre feeds the ‘good’ bacteria in our gut, which is vital not just for digestive health, but also for the rest of your body
Managing blood glucose levels. Fibre slows the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, helping to tackle sugar spikes

As you can see, it’s really important to make sure we have enough fibre in our diets.

How much fibre per day is needed?

Now you know why fibre forms such a vital part of our diet and just how important it is to our health, but how much fibre per day do you need?

According to the Australian Dietary Guidelines, the recommended daily intake of fibre for adults over 18 years old is around 30g for men and around 25g for women.

The recommended amount of dietary fibre for children varies depending on age. Young children aged between four and eight years old will need around 18g, children from nine to 13 years old will need between 20-24g, and older children between 14 and 18 years old need around 22-28g.

What can you do if you want to learn how to increase fibre intake?

Tips on how to increase fibre intake

Learning how to increase fibre intake doesn’t have to be hard.

Here are some easy-to-follow tips that will help bump up your fibre intake straight away:

Choose brown or wholemeal pasta and rice over white alternatives
Choose wholegrain breads and cereals such as rolled oats and multigrain bread
Try and consume at least 5 vegetables and 2 fruits per day. Where possible, consume with the skin on.
Add legumes, beans and other pulses into main meals
Swap highly processed, high-sugar snacks like chocolate, cookies and cake for wholegrain bread and crackers, unsalted nuts and seeds, fresh fruit and vegetables
Sprinkle mixed seeds, whole nuts, nut meals or nut butters over yoghurt, cereals, salads, and soups
To ensure you are reaching your daily fibre needs, try adding a nutritional supplement containing fibre, such as SUSTAGEN Hospital Formula Plus Fibre or SUSTAGEN Optimum, to your diet

When you’re trying to increase fibre intake, it can feel daunting to make lots of changes to your diet. Our advice? Start gradually, make small and easy changes, and take your time.

Good sources of fibre

Here are some good sources of fibre:

Nuts and seeds: almonds, pistachios, walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and chia seeds are all good sources of fibre. In particular, chia seeds are high in fibre, containing 33g of fibre per 100g.
Whole grains: picking whole grains over refined grains (which have been stripped of their husks) will help to top up your fibre intake. Oats, barley, bulgur wheat, quinoa, buckwheat and brown rice are good sources of fibre.
Pulses: beans of any kind, chickpeas, lentils, and other types of pulses are all good sources of fibre and can be easily added to soups, salads, casserole and pasta dishes
Fruit and vegetables: because fibre comes from plant-based sources, all fruit and vegetables contain fibre. When choosing fruit and vegetables, aim for a variety of colours and try to consume the skin where possible.

It’s important to incorporate a range of these different fibre sources into your diet. Doing so will provide you with enough fibre to reach your recommended intake.

Supplements

If you’re finding it hard to reach your fibre goals every day, it is possible to add supplements to your diet.

There are a few different types of supplements that you can use:

Unprocessed bran: this is one of the cheaper sources of fibre, but while it is easy to add to various meals and recipes, it isn’t suitable for everyone.
Fibre tablets and capsules: these generally contain a natural form of fibre from sources such as pectin (found in citrus fruits), cellulose, or psyllium (also known as ispaghula), which is made from plant husks.
Specially formulated nutritional supplements: SUSTAGEN Optimum and SUSTAGEN Hospital Formula Plus Fibre contain protein, nutrients and dietary fibre to help support digestive health and bowel regularity. These formulas can be mixed with water or milk for a simple drink, or added into recipes to give your usual snacks and meals a fibre boost.

It is important to note that you should use these products to supplement your existing fibre intake, and they should be used as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

How to make a high fibre diet plan

Below is an example of simple ways to increase your daily fibre intake to ensure you are meeting the recommended daily requirements to support good health.

Day 1

Breakfast: a bowl of porridge topped with chia seeds, honey, and 1 chopped banana, with a smoothie using SUSTAGEN Optimum, mixed berries, and milk
Snack: a small handful of unsalted nuts
Lunch: a quinoa-based salad topped with vegetables of your choice — we suggest tomatoes, avocado, kale and spring onion, with feta and sunflower seeds sprinkled over the top
Snack: carrot and cucumber sticks with hummus
Dinner: bean and brown rice salad using a mix of chickpeas and kidney beans, cherry tomato, avocado and spinach

Don’t worry — you don’t have to create a six-month fibre journey! Take it week by week to gradually increase your fibre intake over time.

Creating a weekly dietary fibre plan will get you mapping out meals and snacks for the week, and help you learn how to increase fibre intake and hit those fibre goals as you go along.

SUSTAGEN offers a range of nutritional supplements tailored to support a healthy and active lifestyle and promote a healthier lifestyle for you and your loved ones. For more information on healthy living, take a look at our nutrition resource section for more information.

SUSTAGEN Hospital Formula + Fibre is a formulated meal replacement and cannot be used as a total diet replacement. Consume as part of a varied and balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

SUSTAGEN OPTIMUM™ is a Food for Special Medical Purpose, specially formulated for medical conditions where nutritional needs cannot be met through diet modification alone. Must be used under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

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