Question

Recommendations for fibre intake in our diet is based on the intake of:

• A. Energy
• B. Protein
• C. Fat
• D. Vitamin

Hint:

Rule of thumb: 30-40 grams of fiber per day. If you increase your food portions (energy), you must also increase your fiber to prevent constipation and metabolic issues.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
This question asks for the physiological basis used by nutritionists (like ICMR) to calculate the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

• Dietary fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate essential for digestive health, blood sugar control, and cholesterol management.

• Nutritional guidelines usually express fiber recommendations relative to the total caloric (energy) intake of an individual.

• The standard recommendation is often cited as approximately 14 grams of fiber for every 1000 kcal of energy consumed.

• For an average adult Indian, the ICMR recommendation is about 30-40g of total dietary fiber per day, which correlates with the energy requirements of a reference man or woman.

• Basing fiber on energy intake ensures that as a person eats more food to meet higher energy needs, they also consume proportionally more fiber to aid in the digestion and metabolism of that food.

• Protein, fat, and vitamin intakes do not dictate the physiological requirement for fiber in the same direct manner as total energy throughput.

Step 3: Final Answer: Fiber intake recommendations are based on Energy intake.