McDonald’s now puts protein badges on its menu. Your yogurt, coffee, cereal and even pasta promise “high protein.” The new federal dietary guidelines tell Americans to put protein at the center of every meal. You’d think protein was the nutrient Americans are most desperately missing. It isn’t. The nutrient most of us fall short on is fiber, and the gap is enormous.
Key Takeaways
- More than 90% of American women and 97% of men don’t get the recommended amount of dietary fiber. The average adult eats about 15 grams a day, roughly half the target.
- Most American adults already eat close to the new, higher protein targets in the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines. One important exception: some older women fall short.
- Eating 25 to 29 grams of fiber a day is linked to a 15% to 30% lower risk of early death, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, according to a major review in The Lancet.
- Closing the gap is cheap and simple: beans, lentils, oats, berries, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
- Add fiber gradually and drink more water as you do, to avoid bloating.
The protein boom
Protein is having a moment. In April 2026, McDonald’s began showing protein badges on 17 items in its app and ordering kiosks, and last month the chain said it’s exploring more protein-focused items, including grilled chicken wraps, egg bites and bowls. Chipotle has introduced a protein menu, and Papa John’s is testing a protein crust.
The federal government added fuel. The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in January, raised the protein target from 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day to 1.2 to 1.6 grams.
Yet most Americans were already eating plenty. According to a perspective in The Journal of Nutrition, most American adults consume about 1.1 to 1.3 grams per kilogram per day, close to or within the new range. Stanford Medicine notes that U.S. men typically eat around 90 to 100 grams of protein a day and women 65 to 75 grams. FactCheck.org reached a similar conclusion: many Americans already meet the new goal.
The nutrient almost no one gets enough of
Fiber is the opposite story. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 90% of women and 97% of men don’t meet the recommended daily intake. Most people get around 15 grams a day.
How much do you need? Recommendations are based on about 14 grams per 1,000 calories, which works out to roughly 25 grams a day for women and 38 grams for men. Because older adults typically eat fewer calories, targets after age 50 are a bit lower, about 21 grams for women and 30 grams for men. Even so, most people over 50 still fall well short.
Ironically, the new guidelines’ redesigned food pyramid places high-fiber whole grains at the narrow bottom, as the smallest food group, even though the written guidelines still encourage whole grains. Many nutrition experts worry the protein push could crowd out fiber-rich foods further.
Why fiber matters so much
Fiber is the part of plant foods your body can’t fully digest. Soluble fiber, found in oats, beans and apples, forms a gel that slows how quickly sugar enters your bloodstream and helps lower cholesterol. Insoluble fiber, found in whole grains, nuts and vegetable skins, adds bulk and keeps you regular. Fiber also feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
The evidence for its benefits is strong. A large series of reviews published in The Lancet in 2019, covering 185 observational studies and 58 clinical trials over nearly 40 years, found that people who ate the most fiber had a 15% to 30% lower risk of dying early from any cause or from heart disease. They also had lower rates of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, compared with people who ate the least. The biggest benefits appeared at 25 to 29 grams a day, and the data suggested more could be even better. In the clinical trials, higher fiber intake also lowered body