I’m not writing this from a pedestal. I’m in this too!
Over the past couple of years, I’ve paid much closer attention to how much protein and fibre I’m actually eating — not because I’m dieting, but because I realised I was under-eating both without meaning to.
And when I started looking into the numbers, it surprised me.
Most women over 30 aren’t eating enough protein. And most aren’t getting close to the recommended fibre intake either.
The average protein intake for women hovers around 45–60g per day. The recommended minimum is about 46g — but that’s the bare minimum to prevent deficiency, not to optimise strength, muscle maintenance or energy.
Fibre intake is even more concerning. Many women average around 15g a day. The recommendation is at least 25g — and many gut health experts now suggest closer to 30g daily for optimal digestive health.
With more young adults being diagnosed with bowel cancer, fibre intake is something we can’t afford to ignore.
So what’s going wrong?
The Protein Problem
Most of us build meals around carbs and add protein as an afterthought.
Breakfast might be:
• Toast and jam
• Cereal and milk
• A croissant and coffee
That’s maybe 6–10g of protein.
Lunch might be:
• A sandwich with a thin slice of chicken
• Soup and bread
• A salad with very little actual protein
Again — 10–15g protein, if that.
By dinner, you’d need a huge portion of meat to catch up.
The simple fix?
Aim for around 30g of protein at breakfast, and about 5 oz of cooked protein at both lunch and dinner.
That one change alone dramatically shifts your daily intake.
The Fibre Gap
Fibre is similar. We assume we’re eating enough because we eat vegetables “sometimes.”
But fibre adds up through:
• Beans
• Lentils
• Seeds
• Whole grains
• Fruit
• Root vegetables
Not just lettuce.
A side salad might only give you 1–2g of fibre. A tablespoon of chia seeds gives you about 5g. Half a cup of white beans gives you 6–7g.
The simple fix?
Include a fibre source at every single meal.
• Berries at breakfast
• Beans or whole grains at lunch
• Root vegetables at dinner
• Seeds in snacks
It’s not about eating huge bowls of bran cereal. It’s about steady layering.
What This Looks Like in Real Life
A realistic day might look like:
Breakfast
Greek yogurt, eggs, berries, chia
Lunch
5 oz chicken, white beans, vegetables
Snack
Cottage cheese and apple
Dinner
Salmon, sweet potato, broccoli
That lands you around:
100–110g protein
28–32g fibre
No powders. No extremes. No cutting food groups.
Why It Matters After 30
We naturally begin losing muscle mass in our 30s if we don’t prioritise protein. That affects strength, metabolism, and long-term health.
Fibre supports gut health, blood sugar balance and long-term digestive protection. With bowel cancer rates rising in younger adults, consistent fibre intake feels less like a wellness trend and more like common sense.
This isn’t about dieting.
It’s about structure.
The Simple Framework I Follow
• 30g protein at breakfast
• 5 oz protein at lunch
• 5 oz protein at dinner
• One protein-forward snack
• Fibre included at every meal
Once you understand the pattern, it becomes much easier to build meals around it.
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