If 2025 was peak protein, I was fully on board. I tracked it, prioritized it, mentally calculated grams while ordering lunch, and for a while, it felt empowering, like we were finally done with the “eat less” messaging and stepping into something stronger. That era mattered. Building muscle, protecting our bones, supporting our metabolism, all of it still matters.
But lately, the conversations I keep having with friends sound different. They’re less about hitting 100 grams and more about why we’re bloated, crashing at 3 p.m., or constantly thinking about sugar even when we technically “did everything right.” And more often than not, the missing piece isn’t protein. It’s fiber.
According to UCSF Health, women need around 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day, and many of us aren’t even close. Fiber supports blood sugar balance, digestion, cholesterol, and estrogen metabolism — which becomes especially relevant in our 30s and 40s when hormones start doing their own unpredictable dance (hi, perimenopause). It’s not glamorous. No one is bragging about their chia seeds. But it is foundational.
When I started paying attention, I realized I was building meals around protein and treating plants like an afterthought. So I began adding flax seeds to smoothies, berries to breakfast, and vegetables to basically everything. Nothing extreme. Nothing restrictive. Just more color, more variety, more intention.
What I noticed wasn’t dramatic, but it was meaningful: more regular digestion, fewer intense cravings, and steadier energy that carried me through the afternoon without the usual slump.
This isn’t about abandoning protein or chasing another wellness headline. It’s about caring for our bodies in ways that feel sustainable and grounded, the kind of care that doesn’t need to trend to be worth it.
If you’ve been feeling off, take a look at your plate this week. Not to critique it, just to understand it. Sometimes supporting ourselves starts with something as simple as adding one more plant.
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