At a glance
- Most adults need 21 to 38 g of fibre a day, depending on age and sex. Most Canadians get about half that.
- Add fibre slowly, about 5 g more each week (one or two servings), not all at once.
- Drink more fluid as you add fibre, and spread fibre foods over your meals and snacks.
- Good sources: oats, beans, lentils, whole grains, vegetables, fruit with the skin, nuts and seeds.
- If you get gassy or bloated, stay at the same amount for another week before adding more.
- Crohn's with a narrowing (stricture)? Follow your IBD team's advice. You may need a low-fibre diet.
- Take psyllium (like Metamucil) with plenty of liquid, a few hours apart from other medicines.
Fibre is the part of plant food that your body can’t fully digest. It passes through to your large bowel. There it helps keep stools soft and regular, and it feeds the helpful bacteria in your gut.
How much fibre do you need?
Health Canada sets these daily targets for adults:
Women
- Age 19 to 5025 g
- Age 51 and older21 g
Men
- Age 19 to 5038 g
- Age 51 and older30 g
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Pregnant28 g
- Breastfeeding29 g
Grams of fibre a day, from Health Canada.
Most Canadians get only about half the fibre they need. In large studies, people who ate more fibre had lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. These studies show a link, not proof, but the pattern is steady across many studies.
Two kinds of fibre
Most plant foods have some of each kind.
- Soluble fibre mixes with water to form a soft gel. It can help soften hard stools and firm up loose ones. It can also help lower cholesterol and blood sugar. Good sources are oats, barley, beans, lentils, apples, oranges, carrots and psyllium.
- Insoluble fibre does not mix with water. It adds bulk and helps stool move along. Good sources are wheat bran, whole grain breads and cereals, and the skins and seeds of fruit and vegetables.
Soluble fibre is often easier on a sensitive gut. If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Canadian experts suggest psyllium rather than wheat bran.
Add fibre slowly
Adding a lot of fibre at once can cause gas, bloating and cramps. Your gut needs time to adjust. A gentle pace is about 5 g more each week. That is about one or two servings.
Start with one change
For example, have oatmeal for breakfast, or add a pear to your lunch.Spread it out
Have some fibre at each meal and snack, not all at once.Drink more fluid
Fibre soaks up water. Water, milk, tea and soup all count.Check in after a week
If you feel fine, add a bit more. If you feel gassy or bloated, stay at the same amount for another week.Keep going
Keep adding fibre until you reach your target. This usually takes a few weeks.
Fibre calculator
Choose your target, then tap the foods you eat on a usual day. You’ll see your total and a week-by-week plan. The numbers come from Health Canada’s Canadian Nutrient File.
1. Your daily target
From Health Canada. For adults 19 and over.
2. What you ate on a usual day
Tap + for each serving. Fibre is shown per serving.
Grains and cereals
- Oatmeal, large-flake, cooked175 mL (¾ cup) · 3.5 g
- Bran cereal (All-Bran type)125 mL (½ cup) · 9.7 g
- Whole wheat bread1 slice · 2.3 g
- White bread1 slice · 1.2 g
- Brown rice, cooked125 mL (½ cup) · 1.5 g
- White rice, cooked125 mL (½ cup) · 0.4 g
- Whole wheat pasta, cooked250 mL (1 cup) · 4.8 g
- Quinoa, cooked125 mL (½ cup) · 2.7 g
- Popcorn, air-popped500 mL (2 cups) · 2.5 g
Beans and lentils
- Lentils, cooked175 mL (¾ cup) · 6.2 g
- Black beans, cooked175 mL (¾ cup) · 8.9 g
- Kidney beans, cooked175 mL (¾ cup) · 8.4 g
- Chickpeas, canned, drained250 mL (1 cup) · 10.5 g
Fruit
- Apple, with skin1 medium · 3.5 g
- Pear, with skin1 medium · 5.3 g
- Banana1 medium · 2.1 g
- Orange1 medium · 2.3 g
- Kiwi1 medium · 2.1 g
- Raspberries125 mL (½ cup) · 4.2 g
- Blueberries125 mL (½ cup) · 2 g
- Strawberries, sliced125 mL (½ cup) · 2 g
- Prunes (dried plums)3 prunes · 2.1 g
Vegetables
- Green peas, cooked125 mL (½ cup) · 3.7 g
- Broccoli, cooked125 mL (½ cup) · 2 g
- Carrots, cooked125 mL (½ cup) · 2.2 g
- Potato, baked, with skin1 medium · 3.8 g
- Sweet potato, baked1 medium · 3.8 g
Nuts and seeds
- Almonds60 mL (¼ cup) · 4.5 g
- Peanut butter30 mL (2 tbsp) · 1.8 g
- Ground flaxseed15 mL (1 tbsp) · 1.9 g
- Chia seeds15 mL (1 tbsp) · 3.7 g
If you know it, for example from Nutrition Facts labels. Leave blank to skip.
Answer 2 more items to see the result.
- Choose your daily target
- Add at least one food you ate
Fibre and IBD
If you have IBD and no narrowing in your bowel, you don’t need to fear fibre. Crohn’s and Colitis Canada encourages people without a stricture to eat more fibre. European IBD experts noted in 2025 that many people with IBD eat less fibre than they need. During a flare, ask your IBD team what to eat. Some people do better with softer, lower-fibre foods for a while.
Fibre supplements
Food is the best place to get fibre. A supplement can help if you can’t get enough from food. Psyllium (for example, Metamucil) is a soluble fibre.
- Mix each dose with plenty of liquid, and drink it right away. Health Canada advises at least 30 mL of liquid for each gram of psyllium.
- Start with a small dose and increase slowly.
- Take it a few hours before or after other medicines, so it doesn’t block them from being absorbed.
- Don’t take it if you have trouble swallowing.
- It may cause gas or bloating at first.
Is white bread or white rice bad for me?
No. They are lower in fibre, and that’s okay. Many people mix white and whole grain foods. If you have a stricture, white bread and white rice may be the better choice for now.
Can too much fibre be a problem?
Yes, especially if you add it too fast or don’t drink enough. You may get gas, bloating, cramps or even harder stools. Slow down and drink more. There is no need to go far above your target.
I have IBS. Will fibre help?
It can. Soluble fibre like psyllium helps many people with IBS. Experts suggest it for IBS-type symptoms when IBD is calm too, as long as you have no stricture. Some high-fibre foods, like beans, wheat and some fruits, can cause gas in IBS. A low-FODMAP diet, done with a dietitian, can help you sort out which foods bother you.
Sources for this guide
Sources
- Health Canada. Dietary Reference Intakes tables: reference values for macronutrients. Adequate Intake for total fibre: women 25 g (19–50), 21 g (51+); men 38 g (19–50), 30 g (51+); pregnancy 28 g; breastfeeding 29 g (page modified 2025-11-19; values unchanged; a Canada–US review of macronutrient DRIs is under way but no new fibre values as of October 2026)
- Health Canada. Canadian Nutrient File (CNF), accessed 8 October 2026. Source of every fibre value in the calculator and tables (total dietary fibre per serving; CNF food codes listed in the calculator's data file)
- Alberta Health Services. Fibre facts (patient handout, 2020). Most Canadians eat only half the fibre they need; soluble vs insoluble fibre; 'eat more fibre each day over a few weeks', spread it over the day and drink more fluid
- Alberta Health Services. Nutrition guideline: constipation (2013). Increase fibre slowly to allow the bowel time to adapt; increase fluid when increasing fibre
- Alberta Health Services. Guide to fibre after surgery or gut flare. Step-wise fibre reintroduction; people at risk of bowel obstruction or with stricturing Crohn's should stay on lower-fibre steps with their team
- Hashash JG, et al. AGA clinical practice update on diet and nutritional therapies in patients with IBD. Gastroenterology 2024;166:521–32. PMID 38276922 Best practice advice 2: people with symptomatic strictures may not tolerate fibrous plant foods; careful chewing and cooking to a soft texture can help
- Svolos V, et al. European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation consensus on dietary management of inflammatory bowel disease. J Crohns Colitis 2025;19(9):jjaf122. PMID 40650933 Statement 38: fibre intake is often below recommendations in IBD, so assessing it is recommended. Statement 21.1: no data support a low-fibre diet for stricturing Crohn's, but a diet low in bulking fibre might lower the risk of blockage in people with a stricture and obstructive symptoms
- Ma C, et al. Recommendations for the evaluation and management of inflammatory bowel disease with IBS-like symptoms: a joint Rome Foundation and IOIBD consensus. Gastroenterology 2026;171:504–20. PMID 42066865 For IBS-like symptoms when IBD is in remission, appropriate therapies include psyllium (if there is no stricture) and a short-term low-FODMAP diet
- Crohn's and Colitis Canada. Eating and drinking with IBD. Without a stricture, don't be afraid to increase fibre; with narrowing, high-fibre foods can trigger obstructive symptoms; low-residue foods help prevent blockage
- Moayyedi P, et al. Canadian Association of Gastroenterology clinical practice guideline for the management of irritable bowel syndrome. J Can Assoc Gastroenterol 2019;2:6–29. PMID 31294724 Psyllium, but not wheat bran, may help reduce IBS symptoms
- Health Canada. Natural health product monograph: Psyllium (Plantago ovata), 2018. Mix each gram with 30 mL of liquid; take a few hours before or after other medicines; don't use with difficulty swallowing; may cause gas or bloating
- Reynolds A, et al. Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Lancet 2019;393:434–45. PMID 30638909 Higher fibre intake linked with lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer in observational studies
- MedlinePlus. Intestinal obstruction and ileus. Signs of bowel blockage: belly swelling, pain and cramping, unable to pass gas, nausea and vomiting
This guide is for general education. It can't replace advice from your own care team, who know your health history.