Fiber plays a vital role in your body’s detoxification process, bowel movements, and preventing coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Adults need between 21 - 38 grams of fiber per day. It's easy to meet this requirement with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and grains.

You can also meet your daily requirement with the help of a fiber supplement. A good supplement will contain a mixture of soluble and insoluble fiber from fruit, vegetable, and grain sources (for example - a combination of pectins, lignins, psyllium, and gums). Always take fiber with lots of water, otherwise it could actually cause constipation. In addition, don’t take too much with food or other supplements because the fiber will flush the nutrients out of your system before your body gets a chance to absorb it. A fiber drink with 5 grams can also be taken between meals. 1 of the best brands available is Daily Fiber Formula by Yerba Prima. Avoid products which work more as a laxative. These should only be taken on rare occasions.

In 2005, the National Academy of Sciences released their official recommendations on fiber intake. For those who want to set a fiber intake goal most specific to their needs, the basis behind the recommended values is this simple formula:

BASE DAILY FIBER INTAKE	x	DAILY CALORIC INTAKE	/	1,000	=	TOTAL FIBER
14 grams		# calories				# grams per day

In other words, a person with a 2,000 calorie diet should be consuming 28 grams of fiber (14 x 2,000 / 1,000). The National Academy of Sciences has also published the table below which is based on the median caloric intake for the age/ life stage group.

 

Life Stage Group		Total Fiber (grams/day)
Infants	0-6 mo	ND
	7-12 mo	ND
Children	1-3 y	19
	4-8 y	25
Males	9-13 y	31
	14-18 y	38
	19-30 y	38
	31-50 y	38
	51-70 y	30
	> 70 y	30
Females	9-13 y	26
	14-18 y	26
	19-30 y	25
	31-50 y	25
	51-70 y	21
	> 70 y	21
Pregnancy	14-18 y	28
	19-30 y	28
	31-50 y	28
Lactation	14-18 y	29
	19-30 y	29
	31-50 y	29

* ND = Not Determinable

Source: National Academy of Sciences, 2005