Fibre, explained
Herbalife makes two fibre products: Oat Apple Fibre, a powder with 5g of fibre per scoop, and Fibre Concentrate, a liquid with 3g per serving. People use them to close the gap between the fibre they eat and the 30g a day adults are advised to have.
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What Fibre is
UK guidance says adults should eat 30g of fibre a day, but most of us average about 20g. Both products are simple ways to add a few grams without changing your meals.
Oat Apple Fibre is an apple-flavoured powder made from six plant fibres: oat, apple, maize, soya, citrus and chicory. One 6.8g scoop gives 5g of fibre and 18 calories, and a tub holds 30 scoops.
Fibre Concentrate is a sweet orange and goji berry liquid. A 15ml serving gives 3g of a single soluble fibre made from wheat, plus vitamin C and calcium, and a 500ml bottle holds 33 servings.
Choose the powder if you want more fibre per serving and a mix of fibre types. Choose the Concentrate if you want a gluten-free liquid with added vitamin C and calcium.
What's in it, ingredient by ingredient
Oat fibre (28% of Oat Apple Fibre)
The largest ingredient in Oat Apple FibreOat fibre is fibre taken from oats. Herbalife describes the finished powder as a mix of soluble and insoluble fibre.
For comparison, a breakfast of two slices of wholemeal toast with peanut butter and an orange gives about 8.3g of fibre. One scoop of Oat Apple Fibre gives 5g, more than half as much.
Why it's in Fibre: It is the main fibre source in the powder.
Oat grain fibre contributes to an increase in faecal bulk.
Oats are listed with the cereals containing gluten in UK allergen law, so they appear in bold on the label.
Apple, soya and citrus fibre (24%, 9% and 5%)
These are fibres taken from apples, soya beans and citrus fruit. Apple fibre is the second largest ingredient, at almost a quarter of the powder.
Herbalife describes the finished blend as a mix of soluble and insoluble fibre.
Why it's in Fibre: Using several fibre sources gives the powder both soluble and insoluble fibre.
The soya fibre means Oat Apple Fibre contains soya, which is in bold on the label.
Maize dextrin (24% of Oat Apple Fibre)
Maize dextrin is made from corn starch, treated so that it resists digestion in the small intestine. Because it passes through undigested, it counts as fibre rather than as carbohydrate.
Why it's in Fibre: It is one of the six fibre sources, and the third largest ingredient.
Inulin from chicory (5% of Oat Apple Fibre)
About 0.34g per scoopInulin is a fibre extracted from chicory root. It is made of chains of fructose units that your small intestine cannot digest, so it counts as fibre and not as sugar.
At 5% of a 6.8g scoop, each serving holds about a third of a gram.
Why it's in Fibre: It is the sixth of the six fibre sources Herbalife names.
Gluten-free wheat dextrin (Fibre Concentrate)
3g of fibre per 15ml servingWheat dextrin is made by treating wheat starch so that it resists digestion in the small intestine, which makes it a soluble fibre. Herbalife uses a brand called Nutriose, which it describes as sugar-free and able to dissolve without changing the taste.
It is processed until its gluten is at or below 20mg per kg, the legal limit for gluten-free. That is why the Concentrate can be labelled gluten-free.
Why it's in Fibre: It is the only fibre in Fibre Concentrate, and it makes the liquid high in fibre, at 20g per 100ml.
UK allergen law only exempts a few named wheat ingredients, such as wheat glucose syrups and wheat maltodextrins. Wheat dextrin is not one of them, so the label must still say contains wheat. If you avoid wheat because of a wheat allergy, treat it as containing wheat.
Calcium lactate and calcium gluconate (Fibre Concentrate)
120mg calcium per 15ml (15% RI)These are two forms of calcium that dissolve well in liquid. Adults need 700mg of calcium a day, so one serving gives about a sixth of that.
Why it's in Fibre: Herbalife adds calcium as a key nutrient in the drink.
Calcium contributes to the normal function of digestive enzymes.
The serving gives exactly 15% of the reference intake, the minimum needed to make the claim.
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) in Fibre Concentrate
12mg per 15ml (15% RI)L-ascorbic acid is the chemical name for vitamin C. Adults need 40mg a day, and the body cannot store it, so one serving gives under a third of the day's need.
Why it's in Fibre: Herbalife fortifies the drink with vitamin C.
Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
Herbalife says not to mix the Concentrate with liquids above 25C, because heat may affect the vitamin C.
Oat Apple Fibre also has apple flavouring, acacia and xanthan gums to thicken it, maltodextrin, and silicon dioxide to stop clumping. Fibre Concentrate uses orange juice concentrate and goji berry juice for flavour, with steviol glycosides from stevia leaves to sweeten it. Malic acid adds sharpness, locust bean gum and pectin keep it stable, potassium sorbate preserves it and beta-carotene colours it.
Reading the label
Oat Apple Fibre per scoop (6.8g) mixed with 150ml of water. Fibre Concentrate per 15ml serving, before you add 185ml of water.
- Fibre, Oat Apple Fibre: 5g. A sixth of the 30g adults are advised to eat each day, and half the 10g gap most people have.
- Fibre, Fibre Concentrate: 3g. A tenth of the 30g daily amount.
- Energy: 18 kcal Oat Apple Fibre, 12 kcal Fibre Concentrate. Under 1% of the 2,000 kcal reference intake in either case.
- Sugars: 0.1g in each. Both count as sugar-free once made with water, because that leaves well under 0.5g of sugar per 100ml.
- Calcium, Fibre Concentrate: 120mg (15% RI). About a sixth of the 700mg adults need each day.
- Vitamin C, Fibre Concentrate: 12mg (15% RI). Under a third of the 40mg adults need each day.
The Concentrate's panel is per 15ml of undiluted liquid. Undiluted it has 0.7g of sugars per 100ml, but once you add 185ml of water the drink is sugar-free.
Oat Apple Fibre's figures are for a scoop in 150ml of water. Stirring it into a shake or oats adds that food's own nutrition.
Oat Apple Fibre 204g
Fibre Concentrate 500mlHow to use it
Oat Apple Fibre
Gently shake the tub, then mix one scoop (6.8g) with 150ml of water. You can also add it to a Formula 1 shake or your morning oats.
Fibre Concentrate
Shake the bottle well, then mix 1.5 capfuls (15ml) with three quarters of a glass (185ml) of water. Do not use water above 25C. You can also add it to a Formula 1 shake or Collagen Skin Booster.
Fibre Concentrate can be taken with Herbalife24 Hydrate. One serving of each a day adds 24 kcal, and with two Hydrate servings it is 36 kcal.
If you are adding fibre to your day, drink plenty too. The government recommends 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day.
A tub of Oat Apple Fibre holds 30 scoops, and a bottle of Concentrate holds 33 servings, so each lasts about a month at one a day.
Good to know
Who it suits
- Oat Apple Fibre is suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and has no artificial sweeteners.
- Fibre Concentrate is vegan, gluten-free and has no artificial colours.
- Herbalife describes both as sugar-free.
Check first
- Oat Apple Fibre contains oats and soya, so it is not suitable if you are allergic to either or have coeliac disease.
- Fibre Concentrate contains wheat, even though it is gluten-free, so avoid it if you have a wheat allergy.
- Children need less fibre than adults: about 15g at 2 to 5, 20g at 5 to 11 and 25g at 11 to 16. Ask your GP before giving a fibre product to a child.
- If you have a bowel condition or take regular medication, speak to your GP before adding a fibre supplement.
Questions people ask
Which one gives more fibre?
Oat Apple Fibre gives 5g per scoop and Fibre Concentrate gives 3g per serving. The powder has six fibre sources, while the Concentrate has one.
How can it be gluten-free and still contain wheat?
The wheat dextrin is processed until its gluten is at or below 20mg per kg, the legal gluten-free limit. UK law still requires wheat to be declared, because wheat dextrin is not on the short list of exempt wheat ingredients.
What is the difference between soluble and insoluble fibre?
Soluble fibre swells and thickens when it meets liquid, like the fibre in oats. Oat Apple Fibre has both kinds, while Fibre Concentrate's wheat dextrin is a soluble fibre.
Is it really sugar-free?
Yes, once made with water. Each serving has 0.1g of sugar, and diluted that is well under the 0.5g per 100ml limit for sugar-free.
Can I put the Concentrate in a hot drink?
No. Herbalife says not to mix it with liquids above 25C, because heat may affect the vitamin C.
How much fibre should I aim for?
UK guidance is 30g a day for adults. Most adults eat about 20g, so a serving of either product helps close that gap.
Where these facts come from
- fs_2554: Herbalife product information and label
- fs_201k: Herbalife product information and label
- label_2554: Herbalife product information and label
- label_201k: Herbalife product information and label
- matrix: Herbalife product information and label
- hl_fill_up: herbalife.com/en-gb/wellness-resources/articles/five-ways-to-fill-up-w
- efsa_inulin: efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3951
- efsa_resistant_dextrin: efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3839
- nhs_fibre: nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/digestive-health/how-to-get-more-fibre-into-
- sacn_fibre: gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-carbohydrates-and-health-report
- nhs_vitc: nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/
- nhs_vegetarian: nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/the-vegetarian-di
- fsa_allergens: food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-allergen-labelling-and-information-
- fsa_glutenfree: food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-allergen-labelling-technical-guidan
- reg_claims_annex: legislation.gov.uk/eur/2006/1924/annex
- reg_nrv_15: legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/annex/XIII
- gb_claims_register: gov.uk/government/publications/great-britain-nutrition-and-health-clai
- nhs_calcium: nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/calcium/
- nhs_fluids: nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/the-vegan-diet/
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