A quick note before we get into this week's article. Today is my birthday, and I can genuinely say that doing this work, coaching our members, writing to you every week, building this community, is one of the things I am most grateful for as I step into another year. Now let's get into something I think you will find valuable.
I was on the road in a 20-foot U-Haul last week, moving across state lines, eating Subway and Chipotle because our kitchen was packed in boxes somewhere behind me. And even in that moment, eating food I would never normally choose, I found myself thinking about fiber.
Not protein. Not calories. Fiber.
I recently sat down with Rip Esselstyn, former professional triathlete, former firefighter, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of Plant Strong Foods, one of the most trusted whole food brands in the world. Rip has been living this way since 1987 and we got into a conversation that I think every person over 50 needs to hear. Not because it is new information to me, but because it is the conversation that almost nobody in the mainstream fitness world is having right now, and that gap is costing people their health.
The topic was fiber. And the numbers are worse than most people think.
95 percent of people in North America are deficient in fiber. Not slightly under the recommended amount. Deficient. And when you look at how most people actually eat, 65 percent of calories from processed and refined foods, only 5 percent from whole plants like fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, it is not hard to understand why.
We have spent the last decade obsessed with protein. And protein matters. I have built my entire methodology around precision protein intake. But somewhere along the way the conversation got so loud and so oversaturated, protein water, protein popcorn, protein doughnuts, that we completely stopped talking about the nutrient that might actually solve more problems for more people than anything else.
Here is what fiber actually does for you. It slows digestion, which means it keeps you full longer and stabilizes your blood sugar. It feeds the bacteria in your gut that regulate everything from your immune system to your mood. It keeps you regular in a way that no supplement can replicate. And because fiber only exists in plants, if you are hitting a meaningful fiber target every single day, you are almost by definition also getting the vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients your body needs to function well.
The recommended daily intake is around 35 grams. The average person is getting 16 to 25. The challenge Rip and I aligned on in that conversation is this: what would happen if you aimed for 75 grams a day?
Not from a supplement. Not from a gummy chew. From actual food. Beans, lentils, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds. Because here is the elegant part about that target. You cannot hit 75 grams of fiber from whole food while also eating a diet full of processed junk. The two are incompatible. Which means the fiber target effectively cleans up everything else without you having to think about it.
You do not have to obsess over what to eliminate. You just have to focus on what to add. More beans with dinner. More vegetables on the side. Oats in the morning instead of something refined. You crowd out the noise by filling your plate with the things that matter, and everything else starts to fall into place.
I have been saying for years that sustainable nutrition is not about restriction. It is about building a relationship with food that you can maintain for the rest of your life. Fiber is the foundation of that relationship. Not because it is glamorous, but because it is the thing quietly doing the most work.
Start counting your fiber for one week. Not to obsess over it. Just to see where you actually stand. Most people are shocked by the gap between what they assume they are eating and what they are actually eating.
Close that gap and watch what changes.
Remember, Consistency compounds.
Sincerely,
Maxime Sigouin
Co-Founder & CEO, Mavy Wellness Host, Forever Fit Podcast · Author, Forever Fit
If you want to go deeper on the frameworks behind sustainable nutrition and body recomposition, upgrade to paid and join me every Wednesday for the private podcast and every Friday for the deep dive articles. Everything the free tier makes you curious about, the paid tier answers.
PS. Every month, through our coaching business I donate to support a cancer patient on their journey. This month we're supporting Judson https://gofund.me/b3af3c00e
PPS. I release a new podcast/youtube video every week. Check it out HERE
