The Roughage Revival: Fibre & Performance
Fibre: the most boring word in nutrition? Possibly. We associate it with our grandmas, eating prunes by the fistful to promote regularity.
Like many things in life, what’s boring is often incredibly important. In pursuit of protein, food brands are chomping at the bit to include certain macros for the sake of marketability. Fibre, though, technically a carbohydrate, is having a resurgence in appeal to younger generations in pursuit of performance, and of course they’ve given it a silly name: fibremaxxing.
One potential reason for the sudden uptick in fibre-awareness is the proliferation of GLP-1 products like WeGovy and Ozempic. As you’ll already know, it stymies your hunger, heightening the need for nutrient dense foods. Global giants like Nestle have been quick to slot into the open market space, providing high protein, high fibre frozen meals to fill specific GLP-1 demands.
Whether you’re jabbing or not, the UK as a whole has generally missed the memo on fibre. In 2025 the guidance was upped from an RDA of 24g to 30g. But as usual, Brits responded with a shrug, managing just 16g per day on average
The Evidence: Fibre Protects Long-Term Health
A review of 185 studies, covering nearly 135 million person-years of data, plus 58 clinical trials with 4,600 adults, found that people with the highest fibre intake had a 15–30% lower risk of death from any cause. They also saw significant reductions in cardiovascular mortality, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer compared with those consuming the least fibre.
Here’s the important part: “risk reduction associated with a range of critical outcomes was greatest when daily intake of dietary fibre was between 25 g and 29 g.” So aim for that.
With millions of years of data it’s safe to say that we’re in a good place to understand the importance of fibre if you don’t want to kick the bucket. But what is it and what does it actually do?
How Fibre Works
You won’t find fibre in any meat or animal products. It’s only in plants and there are two types: soluble and insoluble. The former pulls water from the stomach, turning the fiber into a gel, slowing digestion and making us feel full after eating. The latter, insoluble, doesn’t dissolve in water, adding “bulk” to our stool, preventing constipation. Random fact, any number of poops between “three times a day and three times a week” is considered normal.
Surprised we made it that far without mentioning bowel movements?
Anyway, Unsurprisingly, our low fibre intake is largely driven by the rise of processed foods. These products are engineered to last longer on shelves but are digested faster and stripped of key nutrients. In processing, grains lose much of their natural fibre — which is why staples like white rice, flour, pasta, pastries, cakes, and crackers deliver calories but little of the roughage our bodies need.
Interestingly, some fibres can’t be digested by us at all — but our gut microbes thrive on them. When fermented, they produce short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which is kind of a big deal. It fuels the cells lining your gut, reduces inflammation, and helps keep the gut barrier strong. That’s especially important for endurance athletes, since intense exercise can temporarily make the gut more permeable.
High-fibre diets help with blood sugar management too. The higher our fibre, the slower the sugar is absorbed into our blood stream and as a result means you’re likely to benefit from more balanced energy levels, preventing crashes and spikes throughout the day.
It gets better still. There’s a strong connection between higher intake and better sleep quality too. In one study of 740 people, those who consumed the most fibre, compared to the lowest, had about half the risk of poor sleep.
How to Increase Fibre Cleverly
So, we know about 30g is the marker we should be aiming for, but if you’re way under that, don’t just start filling your pockets with lentils. When fibre pulls water into the digestive tract it expands, and that can cause discomfort if you’re not used to it. If you’re increasing your intake, pair it with plenty of water so you benefit, not bloat.
You’re sharper when your blood sugar is stable. You recover faster when inflammation is managed. You feel lighter when you’re not dragging around a gut stuffed with the ghosts of Tuesday’s takeaway
Inevitably for most protein will be top of the totem pole for physical performance, but fibre can’t be overlooked for its crucial role in keeping us, energetic and, of course, regular.
Not every meal needs a kilo of chia-seeds, but if you’re looking to live longer, then fibre isn’t optional. Thirty grams. Every day.
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