Daily Requirements for Bread & Fiber Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the Improved American Food Guide Pyramid in 1992. Since then, it has been the authority on daily requirements for the various food groups. The reference (or recommended) daily intake (RDI) is also published by the USDA. It is the authority on intake levels for individual macro and micronutrients. Bread and fiber make up most of the recommended diet described in these sources.

Identification

• The "bread group" includes all grain products, including those made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or other cereal grains. This means the group is not limited to bread, but includes pasta, breakfast cereals, tortillas and grits. These products are good sources of dietary fiber, which is the indigestible part of plant-based foods. Fiber is also abundant in fruits and vegetables.

Servings

• According to the food pyramid, six to eleven servings from the bread group are recommended daily. One serving is the equivalent of a single slice of bread, an ounce of ready-to-eat cereal, or a half cup of cooked rice, pasta or cereal. The pyramid also recommends three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruits, both of which are very high in fiber. A serving of these foods is equivalent to a cup of raw food, a half cup cooked, or three-fourths cup of juice.

Daily Values

• The RDI provides daily values for important nutrients based on a 2,000 calorie (kcal) diet. The daily value for fiber is 25 grams. A slice of white bread has about 1 gram of fiber. A slice of whole wheat bread has 3 grams, and both have about 25 grams of total carbohydrates. By comparison, a medium apple, a single serving of fruit, contains 13 grams of fiber with only about 17 grams of total carbohydrate.

Breads and Diet

• The USDA has set the daily value for total carbohydrates at 300. This suggests the relative importance of breads, fruits and vegetables in the diet. Six servings of whole wheat bread, for example, would meet the daily value for carbohydrates, but fall short of the requirement for fiber. White bread would have a third less fiber. At the same time, three apples or their equivalent would exceed the daily value for fiber without coming anywhere near the daily value for total carbohydrates. Vegetables are similarly fiber- and nutrient-rich, with low total carbohydrates and calories.

Recipe for Success

• According to the USDA, about 85 percent of dietary fiber should come from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Looking at product labels reveals whether a food is a "good source" of fiber, containing 3 to 5 grams of fiber per serving, or a "high fiber source," with more than 5 grams per serving. Recommendations from the USDA for increasing fiber intake include adding vegetables to pizza or pasta, adding nuts or fruits to salad, replacing high-fat dips with hummus, and choosing whole grain options for bread, pasta and rice.