NHS surgeon suggests easy ways to add 30 g fibre in your daily diet with fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes and more

Dr Karan Rajan shares a list of foods to help increase daily fibre intake by 30 grams, emphasising the importance of fibre for health benefits.

Are you looking for ways to increase fibre intake in your body? According to the University of California San Francisco, the American Heart Association Eating Plan suggests eating a variety of food fibre sources, with total dietary fibre intake being at 25 to 30 grams a day from food, not supplements.

In a post shared on July 5, Dr Karan Rajan, an NHS surgeon and health educator, shares easy ways to add 5 grams of fibre to your daily diet through various sources like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and other food items. So, the total would come up to 25-30 grams. Let's find out what they are:

Easy ways to add 5 g of fibre

Sharing the list of food items, Dr Rajan wrote, “Fibermaxxing...the easy way! No need for Peruvian vine leaves or ancient Sicilian grains to get your dose of fibre.” Dr Rajan divided the food items into the categories: “fruits, veggies, seeds, legumes, and others”. He mentioned the quantity of each food item you need to consume to complete a 5 g fibre intake. Let's find out what the NHS surgeon suggested:

• Fruits

2 kiwis

80 g raspberries

1 pear

1.5 oranges

1 avocado

8 dried prunes

• Vegetables

2 carrots

1 whole corn

5 sticks of asparagus

150 g of broccoli

1 sweet potato

80 g of peas

• Nuts

50 g of hazelnuts

45 g of pistachios

40 g of almonds

65 g of walnuts

50 g of pecans

50 g of peanuts

• Seeds

1 tbsp of chia seeds

1 tbsp of flax seeds

2 tbsp of shredded coconut

1 tbsp of psyllium husk

1 tbsp of hemp seeds

• Legumes

2 tbsp of hummus

80 g of edamame beans

75 g of cooked beans

75 g of lentils

80 g of butter beans

2 tbsp of chickpeas

• Others

35 g of popcorn

50 g of dark rye bread

1 tbsp of cacao

100 g of seeded sourdough

50 g of dark chocolate

Why is fibre important?

According to the Mayo Clinic, fibre may be best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation. But foods with fibre can have other good effects as well, including staying at a healthy weight and lowering the risk of diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.

Per a report on Harvard Health, fibre controls blood sugar, as fibre-rich foods keep blood sugar levels steady instead of causing them to spike. As for protecting our heart health, fibre protects against heart disease in a number of ways, from fighting inflammation to helping keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.