Have you noticed fibre where you didn’t notice it before recently? From “fibre-maxing” trends online to the sudden proliferation of snacks and cereals advertising their fibre content, our culture seems to have suddenly woken up to the nutritional benefits of the nutrient. There’s a lot of hype, but with how much true understanding?
To help untangle what fibre really is – and why it matters – we spoke to Anomarel Ogen, our master baker and resident expert in the science of bread. Here, he shares five ways to first understand and then think differently about this vital, often misunderstood part of our diet.
1. Fibre Feeds the Gut Microbiome… Sort Of
We’re often told that fibre “feeds the gut,” but that’s not quite the whole story. “Most of the fibre we eat isn’t something we can digest directly,” says Ogen. “We simply don’t have the enzymes to do it.” Instead, much of it travels intact through the digestive system until it reaches the colon, where, if the right microbes are present, some of it can be broken down.
That process produces compounds known as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs: bacteria-made fats that support digestion and health), which help strengthen the gut lining, reduce inflammation, and support overall health. But the majority of fibre doesn’t get fermented in the digestive system at all – and that’s no bad thing. “Even the fibre we can’t digest has a role,” Ogen explains. “It provides structure and bulk, keeps digestion regular, and helps everything move as it should.”
So fibre’s value in the gut is twofold: some of it “feeds” our microbiomes, and the rest can help keep our digestive system running smoothly.
2. Eat the Whole Grain
If we want more fibre, the simplest answer is to stop taking it out in the first place. In most grains, fibre lives in the outer layers – the bran, the aleurone – while the soft, white endosperm is mostly starch. “When we make white flour, we remove the very parts that contain almost all the fibre and nutrients,” says Ogen.
Modern roller milling can produce beautifully fine flour, but it also strips away the grain’s complexity. What’s left is soft, pale, and easy to bake with, but far less nourishing. Wholegrain flours, on the other hand, keep all parts of the kernel intact. That means more fibre, more flavour, and a slower, steadier release of energy.
“Bran is tough for a reason,” Ogen adds. “It protects the seed. For us, that toughness is what makes wholegrain bread so valuable as it slows digestion, moderates blood sugar, and feeds the right microbes when they’re there. A diet rich in whole grains is consistently associated with increased microbial diversity, higher short-chain fatty acid production, and improved digestive regularity.”
3. Don’t Avoid It, Ferment It
Fermentation is one of the most powerful tools bakers have, not only for flavour, but for nutrition too. When flour ferments slowly, as it does when making sourdough, the bacteria and yeasts don’t just transform the flavour; they transform the grain itself. Through acidification, they create the right environment for natural enzymes to get to work, helping to break down tougher fibre molecules and, in some cases, reformulate starches into denser structures known as resistant starch. These starches digest more slowly, offering a gentler release of sugars and better support for blood sugar balance.
Fermentation also changes how minerals are absorbed. As acidity increases, it activates enzymes that help to reduce phytates – naturally occurring compounds that can bind to minerals like iron, zinc and magnesium and make them harder to absorb. “Phytates are like little magnets,” Ogen explains. “They hold onto minerals and stop us from using them. Long fermentation helps loosen that bond.”
The result? Bread that tastes better, digests more easily, and makes grains fundamentally more nourishing.
4. Diversity Matters
Not all fibre is created equal. Each plant contains its own unique mix of fibres, with different structures, solubility, and effects on the body. Wheat bran is rich in arabinoxylans; oats and barley contain beta-glucans; legumes bring resistant starches; fruits and vegetables add pectins and inulins.
“This is why variety matters,” says Ogen. “Your gut microbiome doesn’t thrive on one single fibre source. It thrives on diversity.”
At GAIL’s, that principle guides The Way We Bake. We blend flours and grains not just for flavour and texture, but for the complexity they bring to the gut. Whole grains, seeds, pulses, rye, oats – each one feeds different microbial communities, helping to build a healthier, more balanced digestive system.
5. Fibre Is Good for the Land, Too
Fibre doesn’t only nourish people – it supports the soil and the farmers who grow our food. Whole grains, pulses, and fibre-rich crops play an essential role in more sustainable farming systems. “When you eat more diverse, fibre-rich foods, you support the kinds of crops that help keep land healthy,” Ogen explains.
Cereal crops like wheat draw heavily on soil nutrients, so farmers rotate them with legumes, rye, or oats – plants that replenish nitrogen and add organic matter back to the ground. The more we eat of these, the more viable those rotations become. “If the market values beans, lentils and rye,” says Ogen, “farmers can afford to grow them. That means richer soils, more biodiversity, and fewer chemical inputs.”
And when we eat the whole grain rather than just the refined part, we reduce waste too. Less is discarded, more nutrients reach our plates, and the effort that went into growing each crop goes further.
Fibre, in other words, connects the health of our gut to the health of our soil. It’s a reminder that what’s good for us can – and should – be good for the land.
Fibre, Reframed
Fibre is often treated as something purely functional, a mere number on the label next to fat and protein. But it’s far more than that. It’s structure, resilience, and connection: between people, the food we eat, and the soil that sustains it. As Ogen puts it: “When we bake with more fibre, we’re not just feeding people better. We’re feeding the whole system that makes bread possible.”
That’s why fibre is one of the reasons we’ve been adding as much wholegrain, heritage and regenerative grains to our breads as we can, along with seeds, oats, nut flours and other fibre-rich ingredients in certain loaves. Discover them all here.
