What is dietary fibre?

Direct answer: Dietary fibre is the part of plant foods that your body's own enzymes don't break down in the small intestine. It comes from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, pulses, nuts and seeds. ICMR-NIN notes that fibre increases the satiety value of food, and FSSAI counts it at 2 kcal per gram on labels.

How does FSSAI define dietary fibre?

As carbohydrate polymers with a degree of polymerisation of at least three that aren't hydrolysed by human enzymes in the small intestine, whether naturally present, extracted from food raw materials, or synthetic.

Which foods provide fibre?

ICMR-NIN's table (average per 100g raw): pulses 12g, nuts 9g, millets 7g, cereals 6g, and vegetables, fruits and green leafy vegetables about 2g.

What kinds of fibre are there?

ICMR-NIN mentions cellulose in vegetables and whole grains, and gums and pectin in vegetables, fruits and cereals.

Why does fibre matter?

It adds bulk and increases the satiety value of food, per ICMR-NIN. For why Indian diets often fall short, read our fibre post.

FAQ

Do animal foods have fibre?

ICMR-NIN's table lists 0g for meat, fish, milk and eggs.

Where is fibre on a label?

As 'dietary fibre' in the nutrition panel.

Sources

• FSSAI, Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 (compendium Version-I, 23.09.2021), fssai.gov.in, regulation 5(3)(a)(iv) and 5(3)(e)(i); compendium PDF pp. 9–10 (definitions, 2000 kcal reference) and p. 13 (energy factors)
• ICMR-NIN Expert Committee, Dietary Guidelines for Indians-2024 (DGI 2024), nin.res.in/dietaryguidelines/pdfjs/locale/DGI_2024.pdf, Guideline 1 (Table 1.3 and fibre text, PDF p. 25 / printed p. 8)