Last year, many of us went protein-mad in the hopes of boosting our strength and fitness. But over the past few months, fibre has become the hot topic on social media - with only 4% of us getting the recommended daily amount.
Videos of people sprinkling chia seeds on top of porridge and nutritionists lauding the benefits of red kidney beans and chickpeas are filling up people's TikTok feeds.
The NHS recommends adults eat 30g of fibre a day but most people in the UK aren't eating even close to that, with the average daily consumption at around 16.4g a day, and women eating less than men.
Many nutritionists say the buzz over fibre isn't a bad thing. For a long time, fibre was seen as an "unsexy nutrient", explains dietitian Kate Hilton, mainly due to connotations with our bowels and flatulence, unlike protein which has long been associated with working out and getting fit.
"When I first saw all the posts on fibre, I was pretty thrilled," says nutritionist Kristen Stavridis. "It feels like the messages around gut health are finally getting through to people."
