Right. Fibre. Not the most exciting word in the world, I know. It makes most of us think of bran flakes and that dry brown toast your nan used to swear by.
But it’s worth five minutes, because the numbers for kids are a bit grim. According to the NHS, children aged 11 to 18 are getting about 16g of fibre a day on average, when 11 to 16 year olds should be having around 25g. Adults aren’t much better, for what it’s worth.
It came up this week on the Netmums Podcast, where registered nutritionist Sophie Gastman talked through how families can get more fibre in without turning every meal into a stand off. Her main point was one I liked straight away as a former chef and a current short order cook for two small people: you don’t have to overhaul anything. You tweak what already works.
So here’s what dads actually need to know, checked against the NHS and the British Nutrition Foundation, plus a few things parents on the forums swear by.
How much do kids actually need?
The NHS gives rough daily amounts by age:
- 2 to 5 year olds: about 15g
- 5 to 11 year olds: about 20g
- 11 to 16 year olds: about 25g
- 16 and over: 30g, the same as adults
There isn’t a set figure for under 2s. The British Nutrition Foundation says they should get fibre from a varied diet once they’re on solids from about six months. And the NHS advice on what to feed young children is that it’s not a good idea to give under 2s only wholegrain starchy foods, because they’re filling and can leave a small tummy full before it’s had the calories and nutrients it needs. After 2 you can bring more wholegrains in bit by bit.
Nobody is asking you to weigh lentils, by the way. I’ve never counted a gram of fibre in my life and I’m not starting now. The numbers are just useful for seeing that most kids have a gap, and that the gap isn’t massive. A few small swaps a day covers a lot of it.
Why bother?
Fibre keeps things moving through the gut, helps prevent constipation, and feeds the bacteria living in there. Eaten with some protein and fat, it also helps kids feel fuller for longer, which matters if you’ve got one who’s “starving” twenty minutes after tea.
Sophie Gastman also made a fair point on the podcast about school days. There’s no single magic food that makes a child concentrate. The clearest evidence is simply that hungry kids find it harder to learn. So a lunch that actually fills them up is the win, not some superfood.
Start with what they already eat
This is the bit I’d stick on the fridge. Look at the meals your kids already accept and add one thing. Just one. Let it become normal, then try the next.
Think of it as mise en place for small humans. You’re not rewriting the menu, you’re prepping one extra bit.
- Toast. If white toast is all that gets eaten at breakfast, try a 50/50 loaf that mixes white and wholemeal flour, or put some fruit on the side. Porridge, plain Weetabix and Shredded Wheat are all on the NHS list of higher fibre breakfasts.
- The packed lunch sandwich. Same cheese sandwich, plus carrot sticks or a bit of fruit. Hummus in the sandwich works too if they’ll have it.
- Spag bol. Red lentils go in with the mince and more or less vanish into the sauce. Grated carrot does the same. It’s the trick that comes up again and again on the Netmums Coffeehouse threads about veg dodging, and one mum on there admitted to adding extra tomato purée so her older two wouldn’t spot the sauce was a different colour. Respect.
- Potatoes. Leave the skins on. Jackets, wedges, boiled new potatoes. Sophie’s own lunch suggestion was a jacket sweet potato with tuna mayo and butter beans, which honestly I’d eat.
- Tins. Baked beans, chickpeas, kidney beans. Cheap, quick and they keep for ages. The British Nutrition Foundation specifically mentions canned beans as an easy way in, and a bag of frozen veg in the freezer means you’re never without.
Pudding can do some work too. The NHS suggests fruit for afters, fresh or tinned in juice. Dried fruit like raisins is fine but best with a meal rather than as a snack in between, because it’s sticky and sugary and the dentist won’t thank you.
Should you hide it?
Depends on the kid, honestly.
Plenty of parents on the forums blend veg into sauces and never look back. But there’s a sensible warning in an older Netmums expert piece on hidden veg: if your child is a wary eater who checks every lump, getting caught out can cost you a food they used to trust. Then you’re worse off than when you started.
That rings true in our house. Leo is autistic and has his safe foods, and if one of them suddenly tastes different, it’s gone. Off the list. So with him I don’t sneak anything. I put the new thing next to the old thing, on its own bit of the plate, and he decides. Leo does it Leo’s way, and honestly, fair enough. Maja, who’s four, will eat a lentil if you tell her it’s a tiny dinosaur egg. Different kids, different plans.
The NHS advice on fussy eaters backs up the calm approach. Eat together when you can, give small portions, praise what they do eat, and if they refuse something, take it away without a fuss and try again another day. Don’t use pudding as a bribe either, because it teaches them sweets are the prize and veg is the punishment.
A few things to watch
Go slowly. The British Nutrition Foundation says if you ramp fibre up too fast you can get bloating, wind and tummy ache while the gut adjusts. One change at a time, which suits the whole approach anyway.
Drinks matter. Fibre works best with plenty of fluids, so keep water on the table.
Whole nuts are out for under 5s. Nuts and seeds are a good fibre source, but the NHS says whole nuts, peanuts included, shouldn’t be given to under 5s because of the choking risk. The NHS says crushed or ground nuts, or nut butter spread on toast, are fine instead, just never a spoonful of nut butter on its own. And check your school’s allergy policy before anything nutty goes in a lunchbox.
Skip the bran sprinkle. It’s tempting to just tip bran on everything. NICE guidance for health professionals says unprocessed bran shouldn’t be recommended for children, as it can cause bloating and wind and get in the way of absorbing some nutrients. Normal food does the job better.
Reading labels. If you want a quick check in the supermarket, the NHS says a high fibre food has 6g or more per 100g. The British Nutrition Foundation adds that a “source of fibre” claim means at least 3g per 100g.
If it’s constipation you’re worried about
More fibre helps prevent constipation, but it isn’t a cure on its own. The NHS says if you think your child is constipated, take them to a GP and get help early, because the longer it goes on, the harder it is to sort. NHS England’s clinical guidance for GPs is clear that diet and drinks shouldn’t be used alone to treat it, and laxatives are usually part of the plan. So if your little one is struggling, don’t just bulk up the porridge and hope. Book the appointment.
School dinners are changing too
If your kids are at school in England, school food is going the same way. The Department for Education says updated school food standards are due to come in from September 2027, subject to Parliament approving them, with more fibre, fruit and veg and fewer foods high in fat, sugar and salt. The government’s consultation response says bread will need at least 4g of fibre per 100g, and pasta dishes on at least one day a week will need to be at least half wholewheat. Some of the secondary school changes come a year later.
Sophie’s take on the podcast was that schools can’t just put a lentil curry on the menu and expect kids to love it. They need to see and taste things at home first. Which, as a dad, I read as: start the lentil bolognese now, and they won’t blink when it turns up at school.
The bit to remember
One white bread sandwich isn’t going to undo anything. It’s the pattern over weeks that counts, not any one meal. If your kid eats a small, beige range of foods right now, that’s your starting point, not a reason to feel guilty. Add one thing. Wait. Add another.
I’m still learning this stuff myself, mind. Last week I put chickpeas in a pasta bake and found eleven of them lined up on the side of Maja’s plate like little soldiers. Eleven. She’d eaten the rest though, so I’m calling it a win.
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