There is one thing you can do that will help make you feel – and even think – better, and that is to take care of your gut.
Because look after your gut and you’re looking after your whole body. And at the centre of a healthy gut is fibre.
Most people don’t get enough – on average, we’re eating just 16g of the recommended 30g fibre a day. That’s a serious gap, with real consequences for our short-term and long-term health.
Why is fibre so important? Much of it comes down to the gut microbiome. Only in the past couple of decades have we begun to understand how important this community of trillions of microbes is for health, and how their actions extend far beyond the gut.
Fibre reaches your large intestine largely untouched, and microbes there break it down and use it for energy – and in the process, they make beneficial molecules that can travel around the body and influence how multiple systems work – from your defence against disease, to your emotions and weight.
Some of the most important molecules released are short-chain fatty acids. These provide energy for your gut’s cells, strengthen your gut barrier (the lining which allows nutrients in and keeps toxins out); play a part in managing your appetite by triggering hunger and satiety hormones; and keep harmful inflammation in check.
People who eat more fibre-rich foods tend to live longer and age better. In a ten-year study in Australia in 2016, older adults who ate plenty of fibre were 80 per cent more likely to stay mentally and physically fit, compared with those who ate the least.
And some types of fibre have specific benefits to cut the risk of chronic illnesses.
For example, the type found in oats, beans, lentils and apples absorbs water to form a gel in your gut which slows the release of sugar into your bloodstream. This gives your body more time to absorb and handle that sugar.
Look after your gut and you’re looking after your whole body. And at the centre of a healthy gut is fibre, writes Good Health columnist Dr Emily Leeming
People who eat the most fibre had a 15 to 19 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a review of 16 studies in 2018 by the National University of Health Sciences, Illinois, in the US.
Fibre-fuelled signals from gut microbes also support the immune system running as it should. If this system falls out of sync, then it can lead to low-grade inflammation.
Over time, this background inflammation can cause wear and tear in the body and is linked to heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
In a 2013 study of more than 23,000 people in the US, those who ate the least fibre (13.1g daily on average) had the highest levels of low-grade inflammation, compared to those who ate the most (18.8g daily). Those with the highest intakes were also about a third less likely to be at risk of heart disease, reported the American Journal of Medicine.
There are even early signs that what we eat matters for both our memory and mood. People who eat more fibre-rich foods tend to perform better on tests of memory, focus and executive function – that’s what helps you stay sharp and make decisions.
And, in older adults, a fibre-rich diet has been linked to slower age-related cognitive decline, possibly because fibre helps to keep the gut and brain talking smoothly to each other.
Another large study found that each extra 5g of fibre a day (a third of a tin of chickpeas’ worth) was linked with around a 5 per cent lower risk of depression.
What’s particularly interesting is that the UK’s 30g a day recommendation was set before microbiome science really took off.
Now we know that fibre is the key fuel of your gut microbes, it becomes clear there’s even more to the story.
In fact, when researchers reconstructed hunter-gatherer diets, they estimated that our Stone Age ancestors may have consumed as much as 100g fibre a day. And they were largely free of modern health complaints such as diabetes or obesity.
We don’t need to reach that level, of course, but this shows us the recommended 30g a day could be just a starting point.
For most people, eating a bit more fibre than you do now is a great first step – with the aim of gradually working up to 30g a day and beyond.
Eat your carbs
It’s obvious, but the fact is that not eating carbs can make it much harder to reach 30g of fibre a day. It is not impossible – vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds all help – but wholegrains and starchy plant foods (e.g. wholemeal bread, oats or wholewheat pasta) are some of the easiest and most reliable ways to boost fibre without having to overthink it.
The Global Burden of Disease study – a huge international research project that analysed diet and health data from 195 countries between 1990 and 2017 – found roughly one in five deaths worldwide is linked to poor diet, and low wholegrain intake was one of the top dietary factors associated with early deaths.
But note, a product can look brown and healthy yet contain few real wholegrains – so check the ingredients list for words such as ‘wholegrain’, ‘wholemeal’ or ‘wholewheat’ near the top.
In the UK, wholemeal bread, which has around 3g of fibre per slice, must be made entirely from wholemeal flour by law – but labels like wholegrain, multigrain and brown don’t have strict definitions, and can include a mix of refined and wholegrains.
Blend fruit and veg, don’t juice
Smoothies and juices can both look like an easy win for fruit and veg, but not necessarily when it comes to fibre.
When you juice fruit, the pulp and skins – where most of the fibre is found – get thrown away. Blending, meanwhile, maintains the flesh, skins and sometimes the seeds, so the fibre level stays the same.
In one study when people had apple and blackberry smoothies, their blood sugar rise was actually lower than when they ate the fruit whole
Because many of the plant cell walls are broken when blending, this makes certain nutrients and healthy fats from skins and seeds more available for our cells – but it also makes sugars easier to access. You might think this is always a bad thing as it sends your blood sugar soaring. But research shows it depends on the fruit. In one study when people had apple and blackberry smoothies, their blood sugar rise was actually lower than when they ate the fruit whole.
The researchers said this was because blending cracked open the blackberry seeds, releasing extra fibre and healthy fats that slowed sugar absorption.
Power of fibre-charged berries
Indeed, any fruit with lots of seeds – think passion fruit, kiwi or pomegranate – tends to have more fibre than one without.
And berries are particularly fibre-mighty because they’re full of tiny seeds. Each of those little juicy red bubbles in a raspberry has a seed inside, for instance. Thanks to these and fibre in the skins, there’s about 4g fibre per 100g serving of berries.
As well as adding to smoothies, sprinkle on porridge or yoghurt, stir berries through pancake or muffin batter – and add to leafy salads with feta or nuts.
Cooking vegetables with their skins on saves time and provides more fibre. Eating a medium potato with its skin gives you roughly 1-2g more fibre than if peeled
Keep the skins on
Cooking vegetables with their skins on saves time and provides more fibre (and plenty of other nutrients too).
Eating a medium potato with its skin gives you roughly 1-2g more fibre than if peeled. And a third of a carrot’s fibre is found in its skin. It’s the same for plenty of fruits, too. Eating a kiwi with the skin on gives you almost double the fibre – taking it up from 2g to 3.5g.
Adapted from Fibre Power by Emily Leeming (Michael Joseph, £21.99), to be published May 21
And you may not be eating orange zest by the bucket load, but there’s about a gram of fibre in two tablespoons – and it’s delicious in salad dressings and cakes.
Water matters too
Some types of fibre absorb water and swell into a soft, gel-like texture, a bit like how a sponge only works when it’s wet.
Others add bulk to your poo and help move things along.
Together, these effects keep things moving through your gut and make poo easier to pass.
If you are eating more fibre but not drinking enough, you might feel bloated, sluggish or even constipated.
So as you start increasing your fibre, make sure you’re drinking enough fluid alongside it – and it doesn’t have to be water, coffee and tea count too.
Do you need a fibre supplement?
Think of supplements as a top-up if you’re struggling to meet your fibre needs, and not as a substitute for food.
That’s because whole foods come with a mix of different types of fibre and other beneficial compounds that work together to support your gut microbes and your health. Most supplements only contain one type of fibre, so they don’t have the same broad effect. Some are also super high doses, so having them in one go can cause gut discomfort.
Prebiotic fibres, such as inulin, are a form of fibre that acts like a ‘food’ for certain gut microbes, and support your health.
These are often found as supplements on the health aisle, but most of these you already find in everyday foods – for example, inulin is found in asparagus, garlic, onions and leeks.
If you’re considering taking a supplement, it helps to already be eating plenty of fibre. People who regularly eat higher-fibre diets tend to see a stronger response to them.
Adapted from Fibre Power by Emily Leeming (Michael Joseph, £21.99), to be published May 21. © Emily Leeming 2026. To order a copy for £19.80 (offer valid to 16/05/26; UK P&P free on orders over £25) go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.
