How to get more fibre through the day

Singapore’s Health Promotion Board gives a daily fibre guide of 20 g for women and 26 g for men. That is the total across food and drink through the day, rather than a target for one meal.

Start by checking whether wholegrains, vegetables, fruit and beans appear in your meals most days. The fibre you get from each depends on the portion.

At cai png, choose brown rice when available and include vegetable dishes. Beans or lentils can contribute in dishes such as dhal, while fruit can fit after a meal or as a snack.

A hawker lunch is only part of the day. Oats or wholemeal bread at breakfast and beans or vegetables at dinner offer other chances to add fibre. Choose foods that suit your taste, budget and routine.

A sachet’s total weight is different from its fibre content. For Fibre Plus or any other powder, find the fibre amount in the nutrition panel and check the serving size it refers to.

Use the current pack to check the ingredients, amount to take and water needed for mixing. Do not assume that a 10 g powder sachet contains 10 g of fibre, or use a figure from a different formula.

Fibre Plus and Vplus are different products with separate instructions. Read both packs and count any repeated ingredients or nutrients together where the packs declare amounts.

Vplus tablet weight does not establish its fibre content. If you use medicines or need a restricted diet, ask a pharmacist or dietitian about using the products together and any timing requirements.