The UK's high fibre foods, by the gram.

Quick answer. In the UK government's food composition data (CoFID 2021, AOAC fibre), the foods with the most fibre per 100g are wheat bran (41.3g), bran-type breakfast cereals (24.6g), bran flakes (13.4g), almonds (12.5g), shredded wheat (12.2g) and butter beans and red kidney beans boiled from dried (11.2g and 11.1g). Per standard portion, pulses lead: 150g of canned chickpeas has about 10.7g of fibre (calculated), over a third of the 30g a day UK adults are advised to eat.

What are high fibre foods in the UK?

"High fibre" has a legal meaning on UK food labels. Under the nutrition claims rules, a food can only be called high fibre if it "contains at least 6 g of fibre per 100 g", and a "source of fibre" needs at least 3g per 100g. That gives a simple yardstick for the tables below.

The NHS names the main groups: wholegrain breakfast cereals, wholemeal bread and pasta, potatoes with their skins on, pulses such as "beans, lentils or chickpeas", fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. The numbers show how differently they perform.

Every figure below is AOAC fibre per 100g of the food as eaten, from CoFID 2021, the government's version of McCance and Widdowson's tables. Portion sizes come from the British Dietetic Association's portion sizes fact sheet and the NHS 5 A Day guide, which says "An adult portion of fruit or vegetables is 80g." Fibre per portion is calculated.

Which foods have the most fibre in the UK?

Cereals, bread and grains

Beans, lentils, nuts and dried fruit

Calculated from CoFID 2021, AOAC fibre. Portions from the BDA (cereals 30g to 45g, bread 34g to 36g a slice, pasta 150g cooked, baked potato 180g, beans and pulses 150g, nuts and dried fruit 30g).

Why do beans and lentils come out on top?

Because of the portion. Bran cereals have more fibre per 100g, but you eat 30g to 40g of them. A standard portion of beans or lentils is 150g, so even canned chickpeas at 7.1g per 100g deliver more than any bowl of cereal in the table. One portion of pulses covers a third or more of the 30g recommendation.

Canned beans are lower than beans boiled from dried in this dataset. Red kidney beans, for example, are 6.8g per 100g canned and 11.1g boiled from dried. Both are good choices, and canned is the quick one.

Which fruit and vegetables are highest in fibre?

Per 80g portion, the fibre from fruit and vegetables is modest, between about 1g and 4.5g each. It adds up because the NHS says "Everyone should have at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day."

Calculated from CoFID 2021, AOAC fibre, at the NHS adult portion of 80g. Peas, sweet potato, parsnips and berries do best. Berries are an easy add to breakfast, and a bag of frozen peas covers a portion in a few minutes.

Does wholemeal make a difference?

Yes, and because grain foods are eaten every day, the swap matters. The government's National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019 to 2023 found that cereals and cereal products provide 43% to 50% of the fibre people in the UK eat. The CoFID figures for everyday staples:

• Bread: white 2.9g, brown 5.0g, wholemeal 7.0g per 100g. Two slices of wholemeal give 4.9g against 2.0g for white (calculated).
• Rice: boiled white long grain 0.5g, boiled brown wholegrain 1.5g per 100g.
• Breakfast cereal: cornflakes 2.6g, bran flakes 13.4g per 100g.

White bread "with added fibre" sits in between at 4.8g per 100g. Rice is lower in fibre than most people expect, even when brown, so pulses and vegetables do more of the work on a rice-based plate.

How do I add more high fibre foods?

• Start with breakfast. 40g of shredded wheat with 80g of raspberries gives about 7.8g (calculated). Our high fibre breakfast ideas list the numbers.
• Add a can of pulses. Chickpeas, kidney beans or lentils in a curry, chilli, soup or salad.
• Keep the skins on. A baked potato with skin is 4.7g per 180g.
• Snack on nuts or fruit. A 30g handful of almonds is 3.8g; a pear is 2.2g.
• Read the label. 6g per 100g means high fibre; 3g means a source.

The British Dietetic Association suggests increasing fibre gradually and drinking plenty of fluid as you do. For the daily target and the UK average, read how much fibre you need a day.

Where Immufix fits.

The foods above are where fibre comes from. Immufix is a daily food supplement, one 25g scoop in around 200ml of water, once a day. Each scoop contains 6.9g of prebiotic FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides). No authorised health claim applies to the FOS in Immufix, so we state the amount only; our explainer on what FOS is covers where it occurs in food. The scoop also provides 100mg of vitamin C and 3.75mg of zinc. Vitamin C and zinc contribute to the normal function of the immune system. Every amount is on the science page.

The short version.

• Per 100g, wheat bran (41.3g), bran-type cereals (24.6g), bran flakes (13.4g), almonds (12.5g) and shredded wheat (12.2g) lead the UK data.
• Per portion, pulses win: 150g of canned chickpeas gives about 10.7g, lentils 9.5g to 11.1g (calculated).
• Fruit and vegetables give about 1g to 4.5g per 80g portion. Peas, sweet potato, parsnips and berries do best.
• Wholemeal bread has more than twice the fibre of white per 100g (7.0g against 2.9g).
• On a label, "high fibre" means at least 6g per 100g.

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, speak to your GP or pharmacist before taking any food supplement.