Fibre in Indian Foods: A Complete Chart per 100 g and per Katori
Patients are told to eat more fibre and never told what that means in rotli and katori. This is the reference table I use in clinic with the numbers most Indian fibre charts get wrong.
How to use this page
- Target: about 30 g of dietary fibre a day for an Indian adult on a 2,000 kcal diet (ICMR-NIN, 2020).
- All values are total dietary fibre (AOAC), not the older "crude fibre" figure which is 3 to 8 times lower and still circulating on most Indian websites.
- Always check whether a value is raw-dry or cooked. Dry rajma is 24.9 g per 100 g; cooked rajma is roughly a quarter of that, because it has absorbed water.
- The single most useful column is the last one fibre per realistic household serving. That is what actually adds up over a day.
- 1 katori ≈ 150 ml. 1 rotli ≈ 35 g atta. 1 rotlo ≈ 40–45 g flour.
Grains, flours and cereals
| Food | Fibre per 100 g | Serving | Per serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bajra flour (બાજરી) | 11.5 g | 1 rotlo, 45 g flour | 5.2 g |
| Ragi (નાગલી) | 11.2 g | 1 rotlo, 40 g | 4.5 g |
| Whole wheat atta (ઘઉંનો લોટ) | 10.7 g | 1 rotli, 35 g atta | 3.7 g |
| Oats, dry rolled | 10.6 g | 1 bowl, 40 g dry | 4.2 g |
| Jowar flour (જુવાર) | 10.2 g | 1 rotlo, 40 g flour | 4.1 g |
| Rajgira / amaranth (રાજગરો) | 7.0 g | 30 g flour | 2.1 g |
| Brown rice, raw | 4.4 g | 1 katori cooked | 2.4 g |
| Poha (પૌંઆ) | 3.5 g | 50 g dry | 1.7 g |
| White rice, milled | 2.8 g | 1 katori cooked | 0.6 g |
| Maida (refined flour) | 2.7 g | 1 puri, 35 g | 0.9 g |
Note the contrast that matters most: whole wheat atta has four times the fibre of maida, and a bajra rotlo has nearly six times the fibre of a maida puri.
Dals, pulses and legumes
Values per 100 g are for the dry pulse. Cooking roughly triples the weight with water, which is why per-serving figures look smaller than the headline number.
| Food | Fibre per 100 g dry | Serving | Per serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajma (રાજમા) | 24.9 g | 1 katori cooked, ~140 g | 9.0 g |
| Whole moong (આખા મગ) | 16.3 g | 1 katori cooked, 30 g dry | 4.9 g |
| Kabuli chana (કાબુલી ચણા) | 12.2 g | 1 katori boiled, 50 g dry | 6.1 g |
| Masoor dal (મસૂર દાળ) | 10.8 g | 1 katori, 30 g dry | 3.2 g |
| Chana dal / besan (ચણાની દાળ) | 10.8 g | 1 katori, 30 g dry | 3.2 g |
| Moong dal, split & dehusked | ≈8 g (estimate) | 1 katori, 30 g dry | ≈2.4 g |
| Roasted chana with skin | ≈12–15 g (estimate) | 1 mutthi, 30 g | ≈4 g |
| Sprouted moong, raw (ફણગાવેલા મગ) | 1.8 g | 1 katori, 100 g | 1.8 g |
Vegetables
| Food | Fibre per 100 g raw | Serving | Per serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green peas (વટાણા) | 5.7 g | 1 katori, 100 g | 5.7 g |
| Methi leaves (મેથી) | ≈4 g (estimate) | 1 katori, 100 g raw | ≈4 g |
| Cluster beans / guvar (ગુવાર) | ≈3.5 g (estimate) | 1 katori, 100 g | ≈3.5 g |
| Bhindi / okra (ભીંડા) | 3.2 g | 1 katori, 100 g | 3.2 g |
| Carrot (ગાજર) | 2.8 g | 1 medium, 70 g | 2.0 g |
| Beetroot (બીટ) | 2.8 g | 1 small, 80 g | 2.2 g |
| Cabbage (કોબીજ) | 2.5 g | 1 katori, 100 g | 2.5 g |
| Palak / spinach (પાલક) | 2.2 g | 1 katori cooked | 2.2 g |
| Tinda (ટીંડા) | ≈1 g (estimate) | 1 katori sabzi, 150 g | ≈1.5 g |
| Dudhi / lauki (દૂધી) | 0.5 g | 1 katori sabzi, 150 g | 0.8 g |
Fruits
| Food | Fibre per 100 g | Serving | Per serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anjeer, dried figs (અંજીર) | 9.8 g | 3 soaked figs, 24 g | 2.4 g |
| Dates, deglet (ખજૂર) | 8.0 g | 2 dates, 16 g | 1.3 g |
| Prunes | 7.1 g | 3 prunes, 25 g | 1.8 g |
| Dates, medjool | 6.7 g | 2 dates, 48 g | 3.2 g |
| Guava (જામફળ) | 5.4 g | 1 medium, 100 g | 5.4 g |
| Chikoo / sapota (ચીકુ) | 5.3 g | 1 medium, 80 g | 4.2 g |
| Pear (નાસપતી) | 3.1 g | 1 medium, 170 g | 5.3 g |
| Banana (કેળું) | 2.6 g | 1 medium, 100 g | 2.6 g |
| Apple with skin (સફરજન) | 2.4 g | 1 medium, 180 g | 4.3 g |
| Orange (સંતરું) | 2.4 g | 1 medium, 130 g | 3.1 g |
| Papaya (પપૈયું) | 1.7 g | 1 katori cubes, 150 g | 2.6 g |
Seeds, supplements and drinks
| Food | Fibre per 100 g | Serving | Per serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isabgol / psyllium husk (ઈસબગુલ) | ≈70–80 g | 1 level tsp ≈ 1.7 g husk / 1 tbsp ≈ 5 g | 1.4 / 4.0 g |
| Chia seed | 34.4 g | 1 tbsp, 12 g | 4.1 g |
| Flaxseed / alsi (અળસી) | 27.3 g | 1 tbsp, 10 g | 2.7 g |
| Coconut water (નાળિયેર પાણી) | ≈1 g | 1 glass | negligible |
| Curd, chaas, milk (દહીં, છાશ) | 0 g | 1 katori / 1 glass | 0 g |
| Paneer, egg, chicken, fish | 0 g | any | 0 g |
Five figures that most Indian fibre charts get wrong
Wrong: Bajra has 1.2 g of fibre per 100 g. Atta has 1.9 g. Bhindi has 1.2 g.
Right: Those are crude fibre values from the older Gopalan tables, still copied across most Indian websites. IFCT 2017 replaced crude fibre with AOAC total dietary fibre bajra is 11.5 g, not 1.2 g. Always check which measure a chart is using.
Wrong: Sprouted moong has 16 g of fibre per 100 g.
Right: 16.3 g is the dry seed. Sprouting adds water, so raw sprouts are about 1.8 g per 100 g. This is the commonest error in Indian fibre charts, and it makes sprouts look like a fibre powerhouse when they are a modest source.
Wrong: Rajma has 6 g per 100 g. No rajma has 25 g per 100 g.
Right: Both circulate because one is cooked and one is dry. Dry rajma is 24.9 g per 100 g; cooked it falls to roughly 6–7 g simply from absorbed water. Neither number is wrong but a chart that does not say which one it means is useless.
Wrong: Chickpeas have 17.4 g of fibre per 100 g.
Right: That is the old USDA SR value still reproduced everywhere. Current USDA FoodData Central gives 12.2 g per 100 g for dry kabuli chana.
Wrong: A teaspoon of isabgol gives 5 g of fibre.
Right: That figure belongs to a tablespoon, not a teaspoon. A tablespoon is about 5 g of husk, giving roughly 4 g of fibre; a level teaspoon is about 1.7 g of husk, giving roughly 1.4 g. Mixing the two up is why patients think one small spoon covers their fibre needs. Isabgol should top up a fibre-rich diet, not replace it.
Building a 30 g day from this table
Three worked examples, all from ordinary home cooking. Each lands comfortably above the 30 g target build up to this over two to three weeks rather than starting here.
| Style of day | What it looks like | ≈ Total |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Gujarati | 3 soaked anjeer + 2 bajra rotla + 1 katori whole moong + bhindi sabzi + kachumber + 1 guava + roasted chana + vegetable khichdi | 36 g |
| Rice-based | Oats with apple + brown rice with rajma + salad + 1 pear + 2 jowar rotla with cabbage-carrot sabzi | 39 g |
| Office / eating out | Poha with peas + 1 guava + 2 wheat rotli with chana dal and salad + roasted chana + khichdi at night + 1 tbsp isabgol | 34 g |
Increase gradually. Add about 5 g every 3–4 days and raise your water at the same time. Going from a typical 12–15 g day straight to 30 g causes bloating, and that is why most people abandon a high-fibre diet in the first week.
Why a surgeon publishes a fibre table
Because most of the anorectal conditions I operate on begin with a hard stool. Piles and anal fissures are, in the majority of patients, the downstream result of years of low-fibre eating and straining. A Cochrane review found fibre reduced persisting haemorrhoid symptoms by about half and bleeding by about half an effect size most drugs would be pleased with.
Frequently asked questions
Which Indian food has the most fibre?
By household serving, a katori of cooked rajma leads at about 9 g, followed by boiled kabuli chana at 6.1 g and green peas at 5.7 g. Among fruits, one guava at 5.4 g is the highest. Among grains, a bajra rotlo gives about 5.2 g.
Which roti has the most fibre wheat, bajra or jowar?
Bajra leads at 11.5 g per 100 g of flour, then ragi at 11.2 g, whole wheat atta at 10.7 g and jowar at 10.2 g. Per rotlo, bajra gives about 5.2 g against 3.7 g for a wheat rotli, mostly because a rotlo uses more flour.
Does dudhi (lauki) have fibre?
Very little about 0.5 g per 100 g, so roughly 0.8 g in a katori of sabzi. It is gentle and hydrating, which is why it suits the week after surgery, but it will not soften a hard stool on its own. Pair it with dal or a chana dal preparation.
Is crude fibre the same as dietary fibre?
No. Crude fibre is an older laboratory measure that captures only part of the fibre in a food and gives values 3 to 8 times lower. IFCT 2017 uses total dietary fibre by the AOAC method, and that is what this page reports. Charts quoting bajra at 1.2 g are using crude fibre.
How much fibre should an Indian adult eat daily?
ICMR-NIN's 2020 recommendation is about 30 g per 2,000 kcal. Reported Indian intakes range from roughly 15 to 41 g a day depending on socioeconomic group, with many adults falling well below the target.
- Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad. nin.res.in
- USDA FoodData Central. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- ICMR-NIN. Nutrient Requirements for Indians RDA and EAR. 2020.
- Alonso-Coello P, et al. Laxatives for the treatment of hemorrhoids. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005;(4):CD004649.
Values marked (estimate) could not be verified against IFCT 2017 or USDA at the time of writing and are approximations based on comparable foods. Everything else is taken from the sources above. Cooking method, variety and portion size will shift real-world values.
Medical disclaimer. For patient education only; not a substitute for consultation, diagnosis or treatment. Individual requirements vary. If you have diabetes, kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or are pregnant, have your fibre target reviewed before changing your diet. Compiled and medically reviewed by Dr Samir Contractor, MS, FRCS (Edin), FMAS, FACS Sterling Hospitals, Vadodara. Last reviewed 14 August 2026.