2026: The year of fibre
For years I have waited for they day when fibre received the same glow up as protein and omegas. In 2026 it has finally arrived.
It started quietly in 2025 and has been slowly building into a social media, substack and publishing crescendo.
Unfortunately, the idea of fibre maxing is gaining ground faster than protein ever did.
So before you find your favourite chocolate bar has a fibre version or see fibre yogurts in your local super market, let’s dive a little deeper to explore if and when 30g of fibre is helpful.
Fibre Rich Foods
What is fibre?
Fibre is a type of carbohydrate found in plant-based foods that the body cannot digest. Instead, it passes through the digestive system, providing multiple health benefits. There are two types of fibre:
Soluble Fibre: Dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance. It helps lower cholesterol, stabilise blood sugar levels, and feeds healthy gut bacteria. Examples include oats, beans, lentils, fruits like apples and bananas, and barley.
Insoluble Fibre: Does not dissolve in water. It adds bulk to stools, helping to prevent constipation and speeding up the movement of food through the digestive tract. Examples include whole grains, wheat bran, and many vegetables like broccoli and carrots.
How Much Fibre Should We Consume?
The recommended daily intake of fibre varies by age and gender:
Women (18–50 years): 25g-30g/day
Women (51+ years): 21g/day
Men (18–50 years): 38g/day
Men (51+ years): 30g/day
As a nutritional therapist I do love fibre, and many of us are falling very short of these recommendations. It’s clear from these recommendations that 30g of fibre might be great for some bodies, but it maybe a little or a lot too high for others.
Why Is Fibre Important?
Supports Digestive Health: Fibre helps maintain regular bowel movements and prevents constipation.
Promotes Heart Health: Soluble fibre reduces cholesterol and lowers blood pressure.
Helps Manage Blood Sugar: Fibre slows sugar absorption, preventing blood sugar spikes.
Supports Weight Management: Fibre increases satiety, helping control appetite.
Feeds Gut Microbiota: Soluble fibres act as prebiotics, feeding beneficial bacteria in the gut and supporting overall gut health.
What Happens with a Low-Fibre Diet?
A lack of fibre in the diet can lead to:
Constipation and irregular bowel movements.
Increased risk of haemorrhoids, diverticular disease, and other digestive conditions.
Poor blood sugar and cholesterol control, leading to higher risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Imbalanced gut microbiota, which can contribute to inflammation and reduced immunity.
Why Are Fibre Levels in Diets Low?
Increased reliance on processed foods that are stripped of fibre.
Reduced intake of whole plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
Convenience foods prioritising quick preparation over nutrient density.
How to Increase Fibre Intake
Switch to Whole Grains: Choose wholegrain bread, brown rice, and oats over refined grains.
Incorporate Legumes: Add lentils, chickpeas, or black beans to soups, salads, and stews.
Snack on Fruits and Vegetables: Keep the skin on fruits like apples and pears for extra fibre.
Add Seeds and Nuts: Sprinkle chia seeds or flaxseeds into yoghurt or smoothies.
Eat the Rainbow: Include a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet to maximise fibre and nutrients.
Addressing Concerns About Fibre
Anti-Nutrients and Oxalates: These compounds can reduce nutrient absorption. Cooking, soaking, or sprouting foods can lower their levels making fibre a positive addition to your diet.
FOS and Inulin: These prebiotic fibres may cause bloating or discomfort in sensitive individuals. Start with small amounts and gradually increase intake.
Low-Fibre Diets for Certain Conditions: People with specific conditions like severe IBS, Crohn’s disease, or certain types of constipation may benefit from a low-fibre diet under medical supervision.
Who should limit fibre and when is a low fibre diet appropriate?
Those experiencing an acute digestive flare should avoid fibre maxing, these include active flares of conditions such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, or radiation-related gut inflammation. In these cases high-fibre foods can worsen pain, bloating, and bowel urgency. Reducing fibre can help calm irritation and allow the gut lining to settle.
A low-fibre diet is usually a therapeutic tool, where we lower fibre to 10-15g per day with the goal of reducing symptoms and then gradually and slowly increase fibre of as gut tolerance improves.
Hydration, fat intake, bile flow, and nervous system support all influence fibre tolerance.
Who else should limit fibre?
People with bowel strictures or narrowing
In cases where there is narrowing of the bowel, high-fibre or bulky foods can increase the risk of discomfort or obstruction. A low-fibre approach reduces stool bulk and mechanical strain.
Immediately after gastrointestinal surgery
Following bowel surgery or certain procedures, a low-fibre diet may be recommended temporarily to reduce bowel workload and support healing.
Certain types of constipation
If you have slow-transit constipation or pelvic floor dysfunction, adding more fibre can worsen bloating and discomfort. In these cases, addressing hydration, magnesium, bile flow, pelvic floor work and nervous system regulation may be more effective than increasing fibre.
Severe IBS or visceral hypersensitivity
Some individuals with IBS, particularly during flares, may not tolerate higher-fibre foods, especially fermentable fibres such as inulin, FOS, and some legumes. A modified or temporarily lower-fibre approach may reduce symptoms while gut function is stabilised.
Very low appetite or under-fuelling
For people struggling to meet energy or protein needs, such as during illness, recovery, or disordered eating patterns, high fibre can displace calories and worsen fullness and increase bowel movement frequency. As someone who works with people experiencing disordered eating and disordered relationships with food, the tone and conversation around fibre is already concering. Making any one food group a super hero with blanket statements around it’s benefits for all, should ring alarm bells.
Advice around fibre intake should be taken in the context of your personal circumstances, your health history, your existing fibre intake and the rest of your nutrient intake.
Tips for Adding Fibre Gradually
If you feel like adding fibre could be beneficial, here are some tips to help introduce it naturally and in harmony with your body:
Increase fibre slowly to avoid bloating or gas.
Drink plenty of water to help fibre move smoothly through the digestive tract.
Spread fibre intake evenly throughout the day rather than eating a large amount in one meal.
Some easier fibre challenges to try
Add One Fibre-Rich Food Daily: For example, switch from white bread to rye/sourdough/or add a handful of lentils to soup.
Track Your Fibre Intake: Use a food diary for a week to see how close you are to the recommended intake.
Experiment with a New Recipe: Try making a fibre-rich dish like a quinoa salad or black bean chilli.
Create a Rainbow Plate: Include five different coloured fruits or vegetables in your meals daily.*
Upgrade Breakfast: Add flaxseeds, chia seeds, or berries to porridge or yoghurt for an easy fibre boost.
Fibre can be a wonderful, health supporting addition to your diet. Slowly increasing your fibre while also supporting your bile flow, pelvic floor, micronutrient levels, nervous system regulation and hydration are important. Listening to your body and how it feels about your increased fibre intake is more important than any broad spectrum advice.
For personalised nutritional advice that supports you and your body, contact me.
References
Institute for Functional Medicine (2018). Food Sources: Dietary Fiber.
National Institutes of Health (2011). Dietary Reference Intakes for Macronutrients.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2022). Fiber: The Essentials. Available at: Harvard.edu
IINH (2023). Macronutrient Fundamentals - Carbohydrate.
