Most adults need more fibre than they think. The exact number can vary by guideline, gender and calorie intake, but the practical message is simple: many people are not reaching enough.
A normal Indian day can look healthy and still fall short. Tea and toast at breakfast, rice and dal at lunch, biscuits in the evening, and two rotis with sabzi at dinner may not cover the daily fibre requirement unless the portions of dal, vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grains are strong enough.
Use food first. Aim for one fruit daily, two generous vegetable servings, one or two bowls of dal or beans, and whole grains where possible. Add nuts, seeds, sprouts or roasted chana as smarter snacks. If breakfast is poha, add peas, peanuts and vegetables. If lunch is rice, add dal, salad and sabzi.
Do not jump suddenly from low fibre to very high fibre. The gut often needs time. Increase slowly and drink enough water.
A fibre supplement can help some people fill a gap, but it should support food, not replace it. Fibre works best when it becomes part of normal daily eating.
Build the plate first: one fruit, two vegetable servings, a bowl of dal, whole grains where you can. Treat a supplement as the backup plan, not the plan itself.