How much fiber?

Hi!

My current daily calorie intake is 1200. I understand that the recommended daily intake for fiber is 25g (for a calorie intake of 2000). Do I still need 25g of fiber daily on 1200 calories (for good health) or is the RDI proportional, i.e. 15g?

Thanks for your help!

You still need 25g or more..  Easy way to get enough fibre with fewer calories would be to eat a lot more vegetables and salads...

Fibre requirements do not change. You also need to make sure you're getting enough soluble and insoluble fibre - Insoluble (the fibre that forms bulk and regulates acidity and PH in the gut) and soluble (the fibre that helps regulate blood sugar and cholesterol).

Insoluble fibre examples:
 -- Whole-wheat pastas, breads, etc
 -- Quinoa
 -- Brown rice
 -- Bran products
 -- Fruit and vegetable skins, such as potato skins, tomato skins, plum/prune skins, apple skins, pear skins
 -- Nuts and seeds, particularly flax, almonds, brazil nuts and walnuts

Soluble fibre examples:
 -- Oats
 -- Rye
 -- Barley
 -- Potatoes of all varieties
 -- Psyillium husks
 -- Legumes and pulses, especially lentils, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, pinto beans and soybeans

And pretty much all fruits and vegetables. Particularly raspberries, plums, bananas, sweetcorn, prunes, apples, pears, blackberries, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels, asparagus, artichokes and dried fruit. Again, never introduce lots more fibre without drinking enough water to compensate. There is a more detailed list of fibre sources here for future reference.

Thanks for both replies, that's very helpful!

So if I have 2 oz of All Bran for breakfast (roughly 18g of fibre I think), 1 oz of dates and one banana, can I say I am virtually there? Is that enough soluble fibre? (I also eat fruit and veg - I am a vegetarian - but so far I am getting 15g daily of fibre, with only 1 oz of All Bran).

Added: Also, what is enough water? I drink a lot of tea; does that count?

Many thanks for your help!

You'll probably also be getting more fiber throughout the day from the vegetables and other things you eat, so yes, I would say that you are there. As for the water intake, there are many different suggestions for that. A lot of sources say at least 64oz a day, others say drink half your weight...or you could just check the colour of your urine...

And yes, tea counts. It's just water with flavouring. Same goes for other liquids, like juice, soda, etc.

Fantastic! Thanks very much for being so helpful!

Just a note... if you're drinking caffeine free and sugar free  tea, then that could count towards your daily water intake. However, soda, juice, and milk, should not count, as they have far too much sugar. Water is meant to flush your body of toxins, and to replenish what we lose during the day. Juice and soda will not do this. Research is showing that while we don't need to drink the formerly recommended 8 glasses a day because food holds water, you should base your hydration level off of your urine color. Anything darker than pale yellow and you are dehydrated even if you don't feel like you are. Juice and milk are fine a few times a day because they have calcium and carbohydrates and plenty of needed vitamins, but make sure that you are taking in water, too.