Are You Eating Enough Fiber?

While many are obsessing over protein powder and biohacking gadgets, there's a silent epidemic destroying our gut health and cognitive performance.

97% of men and 90% of women are severely fiber-deficient.

We're consuming 15-18 grams daily when we actually need much more than than the recommended 25-31 grams. That's like trying to run a Formula 1 race on fumes.

Here's what caught my attention from recent research: When you're fiber-starved, your gut bacteria don't just sit there waiting. They literally start eating YOU, specifically the protective mucus lining of your intestines. This creates "leaky gut" (a condition in which the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged, causing undigested food particles, toxic waste products and bacteria to "leak" through the intestines and flood the blood stream), triggering chronic inflammation that shows up as brain fog, fatigue, and increased disease risk.

But here's the thing:

Your energy crash isn't about caffeine tolerance or blood sugar. It's your hungry gut bacteria sending distress signals to your brain because they haven't been fed the fiber they expected from your meals. We've trained our microbiome to expect consistent plant matter for millions of years, but now we're feeding them sporadically, creating internal biological panic that manifests as cravings, mood swings, and cognitive decline.

We routinely starve the trillions of organisms responsible for our immune function, neurotransmitter production, and metabolic efficiency.

The simple fixes that busy professionals can implement:

• Eat an apple before meetings

• Replace your afternoon snack with baby carrots or cucumber

• Add berries to your morning routine (fresh or frozen)

• Swap white rice for beans in your lunch orders

The fiber in whole foods comes packaged with polyphenols and phytonutrients that supplements can't replicate. Your gut bacteria need variety, not just volume.

The bottom line: While competitors are chasing the next supplement trend, you could be optimizing the foundation of human performance, your microbiome.