Beyond protein: Where do you get your fibre?
Protein is one of the most talked-about nutrients in plant-based eating, but for most Australians, it is not the nutrient that needs most attention.[1] The bigger issue is fibre: despite clear evidence of its importance, most people still fall short of recommended intakes. That makes fibre the more useful and more urgent question.[2]
Yet still, one of the most common questions we get asked is:
“But where do you get your protein?”
The more important conversation is: The real deficiency is fibre. Australians are not short on protein they are short on whole plant foods. Fibre is the nutrient that most people need more of, and whole plant foods are the easiest way to get it.
What the evidence tells us
- 98.5% of Australians get enough protein[1]
- 83% of Australians do not meet fibre targets[2,3,4]
- 96% of adults do not eat enough fruit and vegetables[5]
So the real question is, “Where do you get your fibre?”
Protein comes from plants
All protein originates in plants. Animals eat plant material and store the amino acids in their tissues, which means that when people eat animal products, they are still consuming protein that was originally made from plants.[6,7]
Plant foods also contain all 20 amino acids, including all 9 essential amino acids.[7] If you eat enough calories and a variety of plant foods, it is easy to meet protein needs.[6,7]
How much protein do we actually need?
Most people need about 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight each day.[8] Needs can rise with age, illness, or training demands. Evidence also shows there is no added benefit above about 1.6 g/kg/day for muscle building in most people.[6,7]
Plant protein builds muscle
Plant protein is equal to animal protein for building muscle.[7,9,10]
You do not need animal protein to build strength, recover from exercise, or support healthy ageing.[6,7]
Fibre is the real priority
Fibre has been classified as a “shortfall nutrient” in Australia and New Zealand, meaning most people fall short of recommended intakes.[2,3,4]
Higher fibre intake is associated with:
- Lower risk of heart disease[6,11]
- Lower risk of type 2 diabetes[6]
- Lower risk of colorectal cancer[6,7]
- Better gut health[11,12]
- Lower all-cause mortality[6,7]
Instead of focusing on protein, we should encourage more whole-plant foods to address Australia’s fibre deficiency.
Replacing just 3% of daily calories from animal protein with plant protein can significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and early death. This small but important dietary shift is linked to a 10% reduction in overall mortality.[7]
Shifting focus
For most Australians, the focus should be on eating more whole plant foods that support gut health and are linked with a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and early death.
Protein is not the problem.
Fibre is the opportunity.
Download and share our PDF resource which includes some great plant sources of protein to boost your fibre intake.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2025). Usual nutrient intakes, Australia, 2023.
- Starck, C., Cassettari, T., Beckett, E., Marshall, S., & Fayet‑Moore, F. (2024). Priority nutrients to address malnutrition and diet‑related diseases in Australia and New Zealand. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, 1358732.
- Fayet‑Moore, F., Cassettari, T., Tuck, K., McConnell, A., & Petocz, P. (2018a). Dietary fibre intake in Australia. Paper I: Associations with demographic, socio‑economic, and anthropometric factors. Nutrients, 10(5), 599.
- Fayet‑Moore, F., Cassettari, T., Tuck, K., McConnell, A., & Petocz, P. (2018b). Dietary fibre intake in Australia. Paper II: Comparative examination of food sources of fibre among high and low fibre consumers. Nutrients, 10(9), 1223.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). Diet.
- Reynolds, A. N., Mann, J., Cummings, J. H., Winter, N., Mete, E., & Te Morenga, L. A. (2019). Carbohydrate quality and human health: A series of systematic reviews and meta‑analyses. The Lancet, 393(10170), 434–445.
- Huang, J., Liao, L. M., Weinstein, S. J., Sinha, R., Graubard, B. I., & Albanes, D. (2020). Association between plant and animal protein intake and overall and cause‑specific mortality. The Journal of Nutrition, 1509), 2733–2743.
- O’Leary, F., Grech, A., Sui, Z., Cheng, H., Rangan, A., & Hirani, V. (2019). European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 73(10), 1379–1387.
- Hevia-Larraín, V., Gualano, B., Longobardi, I., Gil, S., Fernandes, A. L., Costa, L. A. R., Pereira, R. M. R., Artioli, G. G., Phillips, S. M., & Roschel, H. (2021). High-protein plant-based diet versus a protein-matched omnivorous diet to support resistance training adaptations: A comparison between habitual vegans and omnivores. Sports Medicine, 51(6), 1317–1330.
- Monteyne, A. J., Coelho, M. O. C., Murton, A. J., Abdelrahman, D. R., Blackwell, J. R., Koscien, C. P., Knapp, K. M., Fulford, J., Finnigan, T. J. A., Dirks, M. L., Stephens, F. B., & Wall, B. T. (2023). Vegan and omnivorous high protein diets support comparable daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates and skeletal muscle hypertrophy in young adults. The Journal of Nutrition, 153(6), 1680–1695.
- Barber, T. M., Kabisch, S., Pfeiffer, A. F. H., & Weickert, M. O. (2020). The health benefits of dietary fibre. Nutrients, 12(10), 3209.
- Renall, N., Merz, B., Douwes, J., Corbin, M., Slater, J., Tannock, G., Firestone, R., Kruger, R., & Te Morenga, L. (2024). Dietary fibre intake, adiposity, and metabolic disease risk in Pacific and New Zealand European women. <Nutrients, 16(7), 1035.
- Effect of plant versus animal protein on muscle mass, strength, physical performance, and sarcopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Reid-McCann, R., Brennan, S. F., Ward, N. A., Logan, D., McKinley, M. C., & McEvoy, C. (2025). Nutrition Reviews.
- Animal protein versus plant protein in supporting lean mass and muscle strength: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Lim, M. T., Pan, B. J., Toh, D. W. K., Sutanto, C., & Kim, J. E. (2021). Nutrients, 13(2), 661.
- Similar effects between animal-based and plant-based protein blend as complementary dietary protein on muscle adaptations to resistance training: Findings from a randomized clinical trial. Hindermann Santini, M., Leitão, A. E., Mazzolani, B., Smaira, F., de Souza, M. S. C., Santamaria, A., Gualano, B., & Roschel, H. (2025). Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
- Effects of plant-based protein interventions, with and without an exercise component, on body composition, strength and physical function in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Stoodley, I., Williams, L., & Wood, L. (2023). Nutrients, 15(17), 3819. - Plant and animal protein for muscle mass and strength gains: A systematic review. Meshtel, A., Rybakova, P. D., Miroshnikov, A., Vybornov, V., Antonov, A. G., Khanferyan, R., & Korosteleva, M. (2023). Sports Medicine: Research and Practice.
- The role of the anabolic properties of plant- versus animal-based protein sources in supporting muscle mass maintenance: A critical review. Berrazaga, I., Micard, V., Gueugneau, M., & Walrand, S. (2019). Nutrients, 11(8), 1825.
- The anabolic response to plant-based protein ingestion. Pinckaers, P. J. M., Trommelen, J., Snijders, T., & van Loon, L. J. C. (2021). Sports Medicine, 51(5), 791–814.
- The skeletal muscle anabolic response to plant- versus animal-based protein consumption.
van Vliet, S., Burd, N. A., & van Loon, L. J. C. (2015). The Journal of Nutrition, 145(9), 1981–1995. - High-protein plant-based diet versus a protein-matched omnivorous diet to support resistance training adaptations: A comparison between habitual vegans and omnivores. Hevia-Larraín, V., Gualano, B., Longobardi, I., Gil, S., Fernandes, A. L., Costa, L., Pereira, R., Artioli, G., Phillips, S. M., & Roschel, H. (2021). Sports Medicine, 51(6), 1317–1330.
- No significant differences in muscle growth and strength development when consuming soy and whey protein supplements matched for leucine following a 12 week resistance training program in men and women: A randomized trial.
Lynch, H. M., Buman, M. P., Dickinson, J. M., Ransdell, L. B., Johnston, C. S., & Wharton, C. M. (2020). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10), 3522. - Ingestion of 20 g whey or canola protein does not further increase muscle protein synthesis rates during recovery from resistance exercise in healthy, young females. Boot, N., Hermans, W. J. H., Kuin, L. M., Malowany, J. M., Hendriks, F. K., Warnke, I., Senden, J. M., Overman, A., Goessens, J., Zorenc, A., Kornips, E., Verdijk, L. B., & van Loon, L. J. C. (2025). The Journal of Nutrition.
Debunking the plant protein paradox. Inamdar, A. V., Sethi, Y., & Sharma, U. (2025). Scientific Journal of Sport and Performance. - The impact of plant-based proteins on muscle mass and strength performance: A comprehensive review.
López-Moreno, M., & Kraselnik, A. (2025). Current Nutrition Reports. - Effects of plant-based proteins on recovery from resistance exercise-induced muscle damage in healthy young adults—A systematic review. Govindasamy, K., Parpa, K., Katanić, B., Clark, C., Elayaraja, M., Kambitta Valappil, I. N., Dulceanu, C., Geantă, V. A., Tolan, G. A., & Zouhal, H. (2025). Nutrients.
- The effect of animal versus plant protein on muscle mass, muscle strength, physical performance and sarcopenia in adults: Protocol for a systematic review. Reid-McCann, R., Brennan, S., McKinley, M., & McEvoy, C. (2022). Systematic Reviews, 11, 64.
The muscle protein synthetic response to the ingestion of a plant-derived protein blend does not differ from an equivalent amount of milk protein in healthy young males. - Pinckaers, P. J. M., Kouw, I. W. K., Gorissen, S. H. M., Houben, L., Senden, J. M., Wodzig, W. K. W. H., de Groot, L. C. P. G. M., Verdijk, L. B., Snijders, T., & van Loon, L. J. C. (2022). The Journal of Nutrition, 152(10), 2229–2240.
No difference between the effects of supplementing with soy protein versus animal protein on gains in muscle mass and strength in response to resistance exercise. - Messina, M., Lynch, H. M., Dickinson, J. M., & Reed, K. E. (2018). International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 28(6), 674–685. Plant-based diet: Is it as good as an animal-based diet when it comes to protein?
Ewy, M., Patel, A., Abdelmagid, M. G., Elfadil, O. M., Bonnes, S., Salonen, B., Hurt, R., & Mundi, M. (2022). Current Nutrition Reports, 11(1), 75–87. - The effect of plant-based protein ingestion on athletic ability in healthy people—A Bayesian meta-analysis with systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Zhao, S., Xu, Y., Li, J., & Ning, Z. (2024). Nutrients, 16(15), 2568.
- Plant proteins and exercise: What role can plant proteins have in promoting adaptations to exercise?
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