Everyone in this industry wants to talk about protein right now. Grams per kilo, timing, whether you hit your number for the day. I get it, I talk about it constantly too, and it matters. But there ' s a nutrient sitting quietly in the background that deserves way more airtime than it gets, and that ' s fibre.
I know, I know. Fibre doesn ' t exactly scream exciting. Nobody is posting their fibre intake on Instagram next to their morning shake. But if you train hard and you want your body to actually recover, digest and perform the way you ' re asking it to, this isn ' t one you can afford to ignore.
What is the difference between soluble and insoluble fibre?
This is the question I get asked most, so let me answer it properly.
Soluble fibre dissolves in water and turns into a gel-like substance as it moves through your gut. Think oats, beans, lentils, apples and psyllium husk. Because it slows digestion down, it gives you a steadier release of energy rather than a spike followed by a crash. If you ' re training for anything endurance-based, that slower release is genuinely useful. It also plays a role in managing cholesterol and feeding the good bacteria in your gut.
Insoluble fibre works differently. It doesn ' t dissolve. It adds bulk and helps food move through your digestive system efficiently. You ' ll find it in whole grains, the skins on fruit and vegetables, nuts and bran. Not glamorous, but it ' s what keeps your gut regular and your digestion functioning properly, day after day, session after session.
Here ' s the practical part, and the bit I actually want you to remember. Most whole foods contain a blend of both types, so you don ' t need to sit there mentally sorting your grocery list into two columns. You just need fibre showing up consistently across your day.
Why fibre matters more right now than it used to
A couple of things happening in the industry at the moment make this conversation more relevant than ever.
The first is the rise of appetite-suppressing medications. When people are eating smaller volumes of food overall, fibre is often the first thing to quietly disappear, simply because fibre-rich foods tend to take up more space on the plate. If that ' s your situation, you need to be deliberate about where your fibre is coming from, or your gut health and your sense of fullness both take a hit.
The second is the shift away from the old obsession with the 30- to 60-minute postworkout protein window. I ' ve written about this before, and my current position is that total daily protein spread matters far more than that narrow window ever did. The catch is that as people restructure their meals around protein throughout the day, fibre can quietly get squeezed out if vegetables, legumes and whole grains aren ' t deliberately part of that same plan. Protein and fibre aren ' t in competition. They belong on the same plate, every day.
Does fibre timing matter around training?
Yes, and this one catches people out more than you ' d think. A high-fibre meal sits well two to three hours before a hard session, giving your gut enough time to actually process it.
What doesn ' t sit well is a big bowl of oats or a bean-heavy meal thirty minutes before you train. Most athletes learn this the uncomfortable way, usually mid-session, usually somewhere without a bathroom nearby. Keep fibre-rich meals well clear of training time and lean on something lighter and easier to digest in the hour or so beforehand.
The bigger reason this matters
NUTRITION
Here ' s something worth sitting with for a moment. According to the Cancer Association of South Africa, colon and rectal cancers are among the top three cancers affecting both men and women in South Africa, and CANSA notes there is clear evidence of an increasing number of younger individuals being diagnosed with the disease. This isn ' t a distant, older generation problem anymore. It ' s showing up in people our age, and younger.
CANSA lists a low-fibre, high-fat diet as one of the recognised lifestyle risk factors for colorectal cancer, alongside inactivity, low fruit and vegetable intake, obesity and alcohol use. Fibre won ' t guarantee protection on its own; nothing does, but a gut that ' s regularly fed a good mix of soluble and insoluble fibre is a gut that ' s working the way it should. Pair that with knowing your family history and not brushing off changes in bowel habits, and you ' re covering your bases far better than most people your age.
You can read more from CANSA here:
READ MORE FROM CANSA ON COLORECTAL CANCER
https:// cansa. org. za / colorectal-cancer /
How much fibre should an athlete eat in a day?
Somewhere around 25 to 35 grams a day, spread across your meals rather than crammed into one sitting. A realistic day could look like oats with berries for breakfast, a lentil or bean-based lunch, and a dinner built around vegetables with the skins left on where you can.
None of this requires a total overhaul. Choose the wholegrain option. Leave the skin on your sweet potato. Throw a handful of chickpeas into whatever salad you ' re having tonight.
Fibre will probably never trend the way protein does, and honestly, that ' s fine. It doesn ' t need to be trendy to be essential. Your gut, your energy and your long-term health are all quietly relying on it, so give it the attention it ' s earned.
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