🌱 The Benefits of Fibre: How Much You Need, Types & Why It Matters
- Tara Scott
- Sep 25
- 3 min read
When people think about healthy eating, they often focus on protein, fats, or cutting down on sugar. But there’s a quiet hero in the nutrition world that most of us are missing out on: fibre.
The Fibre Gap
In the UK, adults average just 18g of fibre a day, when the official recommendation is 30g daily (Public Health England, 2015). That’s a 40% shortfall — and it matters.
Low fibre intake has been linked to:
Higher risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and bowel cancer (World Health Organization, 2019)
Poor gut microbiome diversity, affecting immunity, metabolism, and even mood (Sonnenburg & Sonnenburg, 2019)
Constipation, bloating, and sluggish digestion
👉 In other words, the benefits of fibre go far beyond regularity. Fibre is about long-term resilience.
Soluble vs Insoluble Fibre: What’s the Difference?
To understand the benefits of fibre, it helps to know there are two main types — and you need both.
🔹 Insoluble Fibre – The Bulk
Found in skins, stalks, seeds, and whole plants.
Doesn’t dissolve in water.
Adds bulk to stool and helps food move efficiently through your digestive system.
Think of it as your gut’s natural broom.
🔹 Soluble Fibre – The Fuel
Found in oats, beans, apples, flax, and microgreens.
Dissolves in water to form a gel.
Feeds beneficial gut bacteria, producing short-chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation and support gut lining health (Tan et al., 2014).
Helps stabilise blood sugar and supports healthy cholesterol levels.
Think of it as the fertiliser for your gut garden.
The real benefits of fibre come when both types work together: bulk to keep things moving, fuel to keep your microbiome thriving.
How Much Fibre Do You Need?
The current UK recommendation is 30g of fibre per day for adults. Yet most people are eating far less.
A major review in The Lancet (Reynolds et al., 2019) showed that people eating the highest amounts of fibre had a 15–30% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer compared with those eating the least.
That’s a huge impact for such a simple dietary shift.
Why Most Diets Fall Short
Modern diets are dominated by ultra-processed foods (UPFs). These foods are designed for shelf life, not health, and processing strips out much of the natural fibre.
White bread, fruit juices, refined snacks, and many ready meals may look convenient — but they’re leaving our guts undernourished. Without enough fibre, our microbiome diversity shrinks, inflammation rises, and long-term disease risk increases.
How to Get More Fibre (Without Overthinking It)
Boosting fibre doesn’t have to be complicated:
Add microgreens: Small but mighty, they deliver both soluble and insoluble fibre in a concentrated form.
Choose whole over refined: Wholegrain bread, brown rice, oats, beans.
Eat the skins: Apples, carrots, potatoes — much of the fibre is in the peel.
Mix it up: Different fibres feed different gut microbes. Aim for plant diversity each week.
Where Enriched Being Fits In
At Enriched Being, fibre is built into our mission.
Our fresh microgreen punnets provide whole-plant fibre — both bulk and fuel — harvested fresh and ready to sprinkle over any meal.
Our Big Shot fermented juice may be cold-pressed (so the bulk fibre isn’t there), but it still delivers soluble fibre and prebiotic compounds that your gut bacteria love. Add the benefits of wild fermentation, and you’ve got a double boost for your microbiome.
The Bottom Line
Fibre isn’t glamorous, but it’s powerful. Meeting the daily target of 30g is one of the simplest, most effective ways to support your digestion, energy, and long-term health.
👉 Now that you know the benefits of fibre, take a look at your plate: are you getting enough? A sprinkle of microgreens, a shot of Big Shot, and a few smart swaps can make all the difference.
📚 References
Public Health England & Food Standards Agency. (2015). The Eatwell Guide.
World Health Organization. (2019). Dietary fibre and health.
Reynolds, A., Mann, J., Cummings, J., Winter, N., Mete, E., & Te Morenga, L. (2019). Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The Lancet.
Sonnenburg, E.D. & Sonnenburg, J.L. (2019). Starving our microbial self: The deleterious consequences of a diet deficient in microbiota-accessible carbohydrates. Cell Metabolism.
Tan, J., McKenzie, C., Potamitis, M., Thorburn, A.N., Mackay, C.R., & Macia, L. (2014). The role of short-chain fatty acids in health and disease. Advances in Immunology.
