Assortment of high-fibre foods including wholegrains, legumes, vegetables and fruits

Nutrition

Fibre and the High-Protein Diet: What Avid Readers Should Know

Readers spend a lot of time sitting. And if you're also part of the high-protein contingent — the eggs-and-cheese-for-breakfast crowd who has ditched porridge, toast, and cereal in favour of a lower-carb approach — you may be doing something quietly counterproductive to your gut health, your concentration, and your long-term wellbeing.

This is not an argument against protein. Protein is genuinely important for satiety, for muscle maintenance as we age, and for moving away from the blood-sugar spikes that come with sugary, refined carbohydrates. But too much of a good thing is never good, and high-protein diets almost always mean low-fibre diets — and that matters more than most people realise.

Why Fibre Matters More Than You Think

Australia and New Zealand have some of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. It's the second biggest cancer killer in both countries, with over 15,000 new cases diagnosed in Australia each year. The relationship between fibre intake and bowel cancer risk is one of the better-established correlations in nutrition research. When researchers have pooled multiple studies, they've found that eating an extra 7–10 grams of fibre per day reduces the risk of bowel cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and all-cause mortality by approximately 10%.

The recommended Adequate Intake is 25–30 grams of fibre per day. Most people in Australia eat around 20–25 grams — below the target. In the UK and USA the picture is significantly worse.

What Fibre Actually Does

Insoluble Fibre

Found in wholegrain breads, wheat bran, many vegetables, and the skins of fruit. This is the fibre that works mechanically in the large intestine: it produces larger, softer stools, speeds up transit time, and reduces the amount of time that potential carcinogens spend in contact with the bowel wall. Unglamorous but vital.

Soluble Fibre

Found in oats, legumes, fruit, and some vegetables. This type of fibre is fermented by gut bacteria in the large intestine, producing short-chain fatty acids that feed the gut lining, support immune function, and have been associated with reduced cholesterol. It also slows the absorption of glucose, which helps with blood sugar control.

Resistant Starch

Found in cooked-then-cooled rice and potatoes, green bananas, and legumes. Resistant starch behaves like soluble fibre, feeding beneficial gut bacteria and producing protective short-chain fatty acids. It also has the counterintuitive property of being lower in available calories than regular starch.

"The gut-brain axis is real. A poorly fed gut microbiome is increasingly associated with reduced cognitive performance, mood instability, and fatigue."

The Gut Microbiome and Your Brain

Here's where it becomes particularly relevant for readers: the gut-brain axis is real. The gut produces a significant proportion of the body's serotonin, is home to over 500 million neurons, and communicates constantly with the brain via the vagus nerve. A poorly fed gut microbiome — one that's starved of prebiotic fibre — is increasingly associated with reduced cognitive performance, mood instability, and fatigue. If you've ever finished a reading session feeling foggy rather than refreshed, poor gut health may be a factor worth investigating.

The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council publishes updated dietary guidelines including fibre recommendations, and the Australian Government Department of Health maintains accessible nutrition resources grounded in current evidence.

Practical Steps for the Avid Reader

Add, don't subtract. Rather than giving up protein, add fibre-rich foods alongside it: a handful of nuts (protein AND fibre), legumes in a soup or salad, a piece of fruit with your morning eggs.
Cook and cool your starches. Rice cooked the night before and refrigerated has higher resistant starch content than freshly cooked rice. Same with potatoes.
Eat a wide variety of plant foods. Gut microbiome diversity correlates with plant diversity. Aim for 30 different plant foods per week — a number that sounds alarming but is easily reached when you count herbs, spices, and different varieties of vegetables.
Reach for a nourishing recipe. Our recipes section includes high-fibre options like walnut carrot cake and the orange almond cake, both of which pair well with an afternoon of reading.