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Adults should eat at least 30 g of fibre a day. Pulses, wholegrains, oats, fruit, veg and nuts get you there – with a food list and an example day.
To eat 30 g of fibre a day, build your meals around pulses, wholegrains, oats, fruit, veg and nuts – and increase slowly, with enough to drink. Under the name fibremaxxing (or fibermaxxing), lots of people are sharing fibre-packed plates right now. The basic idea is well supported; it’s only the ‘maxxing’ that needs a sense of proportion.
Four foods get you close. 150 g of cooked lentils or chickpeas (about 11 g), 50 g of oats (about 5 g), 2 slices of wholegrain bread (about 6 g) and a pear (about 5 g) already add up to around 27 g.
Fibremaxxing means getting as much fibre into your day as you can. Whether more is always better can’t be said across the board, according to Germany’s Federal Centre for Nutrition (BZfE). Increase too fast and you risk stomach ache, wind and even constipation – especially if you don’t drink enough. A varied, plant-heavy mix is a better goal than a race for record numbers.
There’s real room to catch up: according to the Max Rubner Institute (MRI, 2026), median intake in Germany’s National Nutrition Survey II was 18 g a day for women and 19 g for men. The main source was bread, followed by fruit, veg and cereals.
Fibre is the part of plant carbohydrates that your digestive enzymes can’t break down in the small intestine. It reaches the large intestine largely intact.
The 30 g guide value is based mainly on observational studies. In the largest analysis so far (The Lancet, 2019; 185 prospective studies and 58 clinical trials), people with the highest fibre intake had 15 to 30 per cent fewer deaths – overall and from cardiovascular disease – and fewer cases of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer than people with the lowest intake. The link was clearest at 25 to 29 g a day, and the authors suggest higher amounts could add more. These are associations, not proof of cause and effect.
Most plant foods contain both kinds. What sets them apart is whether they dissolve in water and whether bacteria in the large intestine can ferment them.
Insoluble fibre such as cellulose sits mainly in the outer layers of grains (wheat bran, for example) and in firmer veg. It soaks up water and swells. If you don’t drink enough, it can leave you feeling full and bloated, or constipated.
Soluble fibres such as pectins and beta-glucans are found in apples, oats, linseed and pulses. With water, they form a thick gel. Bacteria in the large intestine ferment them into short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate – and gas. For beta-glucans from oats and barley, EU law allows a claim about blood cholesterol (see below).
| Food | Portion | Fibre |
|---|---|---|
| Lentils, cooked | 150 g | 11.9 g |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 150 g | 11.4 g |
| Kidney beans, cooked | 150 g | 11.1 g |
| Raspberries | 125 g | 8.1 g |
| Wholewheat pasta, cooked | 200 g | 7.8 g |
| Wholegrain bread | 2 slices (100 g) | 6.0 g |
| Pear | 1 pear (170 g) | 5.3 g |
| Oats | 50 g | 5.1 g |
| Broccoli, cooked | 150 g | 5.0 g |
| Avocado | ½ avocado (70 g) | 4.7 g |
| Peas (frozen), cooked | 100 g | 4.5 g |
| Almonds | 30 g | 3.8 g |
| Apple with skin | 1 apple (150 g) | 3.6 g |
| Chia seeds | 1 tbsp (10 g) | 3.4 g |
| Oat bran | 2 tbsp (20 g) | 3.1 g |
| Linseed, ground | 1 tbsp (7 g) | 1.9 g |
| Brown rice, cooked | 150 g | 2.4 g |
Values from the US nutrient database USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), converted to usual portions. Other food tables can differ: Germany’s nutrient database (BLS) has shown higher values for many grain products since version 4.0, because it uses a newer method of analysis – the foods themselves haven’t changed.
Per portion, pulses give you the most. Dried lentils contain around 11 g of fibre per 100 g according to USDA; once cooked, it’s around 8 g per 100 g because of the water they soak up. Seeds such as chia and linseed contain a lot of fibre per 100 g, but you eat them by the spoonful – so they add less than their reputation suggests.
Here’s a day that comfortably clears 30 g. All values are worked out from the table above.
If you’re at 18 to 20 g now, work up to a day like this in stages. Ideas for every meal: high-fibre recipes and recipes with fibre & variety.
If you have IBS, an inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, or have had bowel surgery, don’t sharply increase your fibre on your own – do it with your doctor or a dietitian. Many fibre-rich foods, such as pulses and some fruit, also contain a lot of FODMAPs, which can trigger symptoms in people with IBS. How a structured low FODMAP phase works: low FODMAP diet.
Always take bulking fibres like psyllium husk with plenty of fluid. If you take medication regularly, check with your doctor or pharmacist whether you need a gap between it and concentrated fibre supplements.
Good to know. This guide doesn’t replace advice from a doctor or dietitian.
For a few fibres, EU law has authorised specific claims – each only under set conditions. Two examples from Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, in the authorised wording:
Claims about faecal bulk or normal bowel function are also authorised – for oat, barley and rye fibre, among others – each only for foods that meet the EU ‘high fibre’ condition.
High-fibre recipes: everyday recipes with pulses, wholegrains, oats and veg
The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends at least 30 g a day for adults. In the large Lancet analysis from 2019, the link was clearest at 25 to 29 g a day; according to the authors, higher amounts could add more. There’s no official German target of 40 or 50 g.
Build your meals around pulses, wholegrains, oats, fruit, veg and nuts. 150 g of cooked lentils, 50 g of oats, 2 slices of wholegrain bread and a pear already add up to around 27 g. Increase over a few weeks and drink enough.
Eating more fibre makes sense for most people, because average intake is well below the guide value. It becomes a problem when the amount jumps suddenly or turns into a race for record numbers – then wind, stomach ache and constipation are likely.
Yes, especially if you’re not used to it or don’t drink enough. With very large amounts, the absorption of some minerals can also drop slightly – according to the MRI, this usually has no clinical relevance on a balanced diet.
Drinking enough matters so that insoluble fibre in particular can swell. As a guide, the DGE gives around 1.5 litres of drinks a day – more in hot weather, with sport or physical work. The DGE doesn’t recommend a blanket 2 to 3 litres for everyone.
Whole foods bring plant compounds and many different kinds of fibre along with the fibre itself. The MRI points out that there’s no data yet on whether short-chain, quickly fermented fibres such as fructo-oligosaccharides bring the same long-term benefits as the fibre today’s recommendation is based on. So build on pulses, wholegrains, fruit, veg, nuts and seeds.
Per portion, pulses such as lentils, chickpeas and beans give the most – around 11 to 12 g per 150 g cooked. Next come berries such as raspberries, wholegrain products, oats and oat bran, and veg such as broccoli and peas.