From macros to must-haves: Why protein and fiber are the new power couple

Consumers aren’t swapping protein for fiber – they’re stacking them. From proffee to fibermaxxing, meet the new duo driving the future of functional food.

🍽️ A New Power Duo

The other day I was standing in the cereal aisle and realized almost every box was bragging about protein. Granola, cereal bars, even popcorn – everything was flexing its macros. Later that night, TikTok fed me three back-to-back videos on “fibermaxxing.” That’s when it clicked: protein isn’t losing its crown – it’s gaining a partner in crime.

Just like peanut butter found jelly, protein now has fiber. And together, they’re proving something bigger: functional nutrients are becoming the way consumers define “healthy.” Food isn’t just fuel anymore – it’s expected to do something for you. And when consumers see unmet needs in their diets, they look for nutrients that can fill the gap.

Protein wrote the playbook. Fiber is the newest co-star. But both are part of the same story: the rise of functional nutrition.

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💪 Protein Takes the Crown as the First Functional Nutrient

Protein has been unstoppable for the past decade. In 2024, 61% of U.S. consumers reported increasing their protein intake, up from 48% in 2019. That’s a huge leap in just five years – and proof that protein has gone from a niche interest for athletes to an everyday nutrient priority.

Why? Because protein is easy to understand and delivers benefits consumers can feel. It’s tied to muscle growth and maintenance, weight management and satiety, and stable energy and blood sugar control.

Social media poured gasoline on the fire. TikTok turned “proffee” – protein coffee – into a viral hack, and soon protein was everywhere, from popcorn to yogurt. Influencers framed protein as self-care, and brands – from startups to giants – flooded the market with innovation: protein bars, shakes, cereals, even protein-packed pasta.

And consumers bought in. Today, 77% of protein consumption occasions are tied to nourishment – showing how protein has shifted from gym fuel to everyday wellness essential.

Protein became the first true functional nutrient hero of the modern wellness era: simple, credible, and everywhere.

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🌿 Fiber Gets a Glow-Up (and Fills a Gap)

If protein proved what a functional nutrient could do, fiber is proving why unmet needs matter. Because here’s the truth: up to 95% of Americans fall short of their daily fiber needs. And only about 7% actually meet the recommended levels. On average, Americans consume just 15–16 grams of fiber per day – far below the 25–34 grams recommended for adults.

That’s not just a nutritional shortfall – it’s a massive market opportunity. Consumers are catching on: 70% now say they’re trying to add more fiber, outpacing the share who say they’re adding protein.

Brands are responding too. “High in fiber” product claims have grown about 6% annually since 2019. And unlike the old-school prune juice and bran muffin era, today’s fiber formats are fresh and fun: chicory root breads, oat-powered smoothies, bean-based pastas, high-fiber tortillas, and a whole new category of “gut pop” sodas.

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📱 From Bland to Viral: Fibermaxxing

The real accelerator? Social media. Fiber has gone from “boring” to “viral” thanks to fibermaxxing – the TikTok trend of intentionally loading meals with fiber-rich foods to hit (or surpass) daily targets.

Posts featuring mega-salads, chia puddings, and colorful bean bowls have drawn millions of views and made fiber feel less like a chore and more like a flex. And it’s working – influencers are reframing fiber as cool, creative, and tied to the wellness benefits younger consumers actually care about.

No longer just “good for digestion,” fiber is now shorthand for:

Gut health → fueling the microbiome.
Metabolic support → helping regulate blood sugar.
Weight management → keeping you fuller for longer.
Heart health → lowering cholesterol.

Experts actually applaud the trend. After all, 93% of Americans don’t meet fiber recommendations – so if TikTok can help close the gap, it’s tackling a real public health problem.

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🤝 The New Power Couple: Protein + Fiber

Here’s the thing: this isn’t about one nutrient replacing the other. Protein isn’t losing its crown – it’s gaining a partner in crime. Fiber is joining protein, and together they’re becoming the new power couple of functional food.

Consumers aren’t choosing between them. They want both. According to data shared by Food Industry Executive, nearly 50% of respondents rated high protein as having “med-high” or “high” importance, and about 38% said fiber has “med-high” or “high importance.” That’s not a rivalry – that’s synergy.

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🍫 Snackable Synergy

We’re already seeing it in product innovation. Snacks and bars fortified with both protein and fiber hit the sweet spot: protein delivers fullness and strength, while fiber stretches satiety and supports gut balance. Yogurts, cereals, and even beverages are getting the same treatment – functional sodas with prebiotic fiber and protein-enriched smoothies are reshaping what “healthy convenience” means.

This is especially powerful in the age of GLP-1 medications. Millions of consumers are projected to use these drugs by 2030, and they need nutrient-dense foods that satisfy in smaller portions. Protein helps preserve muscle and keep hunger at bay, while fiber improves digestive comfort and keeps people fuller, longer. Together, they answer the unique needs of this fast-growing audience.

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📱 TikTok, GutTok, and Beyond

Culturally, we’ve seen this story before. TikTok made protein mainstream – “proffee” and #highprotein recipes flooded feeds and inspired grocery lists. Now it’s doing the same for fiber. The #Fibermaxxing trend is filling the algorithm, and it’s not just about digestion – it’s about lifestyle, energy, even beauty (thanks to the growing conversation around the gut-skin connection).

Fiber also fits neatly into #GutTok, where probiotics, prebiotics, and microbiome health content rack up millions of views. Fiber is the missing link – it’s literally the prebiotic fuel that helps probiotics thrive. That gut-health synergy makes it an even easier sell in wellness culture.

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👵 Boomers, Zoomers, and Everyone in Between

Different generations are coming at this trend in their own ways:

Gen Z and Millennials are driving fibermaxxing and experimenting with global flavors. They’re also more likely to discover new functional foods through TikTok – 32% say social media influences how they eat.
Millennials want functional balance – foods that deliver satiety, clean ingredients, and long-term wellness benefits. For them, protein = energy to power busy lives, and fiber = gut health + healthy aging.
Gen X tends to be practical health traditionalists – they care about labels and nutrient density. Protein means basics like meat, eggs, yogurt; fiber means whole grains and beans. They want straightforward claims like “heart healthy” or “supports regularity.”
Boomers are still protein loyalists – they represent 19% of restaurant visits, and 71% say taste is their top reason for eating meat. But as they age, fiber becomes more important for heart and digestive health.
Cultural groups show natural differences too. Hispanic Americans consume more beans and whole grains, so their fiber intake is higher compared to White and Black Americans. It’s a reminder that culture drives nutrient exposure as much as trends do.

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🔮 Functional Nutrition Is the Future

According to McKinsey’s Future of Wellness report, the global wellness industry is now worth $2 trillion, with the U.S. alone representing over $500 billion in annual spend and growing at 4–5% per year (McKinsey). Wellness is no longer a niche – it’s an everyday priority for 84% of U.S. consumers.

Within that landscape, functional nutrition is one of the six biggest growth pillars. Consumers don’t just want food to avoid negatives (like “low sugar” or “gluten-free”) – they want foods that deliver added benefits. Think: protein for satiety, fiber for gut health, vitamins for immunity, botanicals for sleep.

And here’s the kicker: consumers are highly aware of unmet needs. McKinsey notes gaps in gut health, metabolic health, and longevity – exactly the spaces where fiber shines and protein complements. That makes protein + fiber the perfect case study for how functional nutrients can fill critical consumer demand.

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🚀 Implications for Brands

For brands, this is more than a trend – it’s a blueprint for innovation.

Double up: Protein and fiber together check multiple boxes. Bars, yogurts, cereals, and snacks can easily stack claims: “High Protein + Good Source of Fiber.”
Go functional: Add nuance to claims. Protein evolved from just “high protein” to “bioavailable” and “fast digesting.” Fiber can follow with “prebiotic fiber for microbiome health” or “resistant starch for blood sugar control.”
Lean into culture: If protein had proffee, fiber has fibermaxxing. Use recipes, influencer collabs, and challenges to translate nutrition science into lifestyle.
Segment smartly: Gen Z wants bold flavors and TikTok-worthy gut hacks. Boomers want heart health, longevity, and satiety. The nutrients are the same, but the storytelling must flex.

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🧠 Where Suzy Fits In (and Speaks Out)

This is where Suzy comes in. Trends like fibermaxxing and the protein craze don’t just appear – they stick because consumers validate them with their wallets. But knowing which claims to test, which benefits resonate, and how to frame them across audiences? That’s where Suzy helps brands win.

With the Suzy platform, you can:

Pressure-test functional claims (“high protein,” “prebiotic fiber”) before launch.
Segment insights by generation and culture, so you know if a message resonates with boomers, zoomers, or anyone in between.
Track viral trends like #GutTok or #Fibermaxxing and separate flash-in-the-pan noise from true cultural shifts.

And with Suzy Speaks, you don’t just get numbers – you get the voice of the consumer. You can literally hear how shoppers describe their TikTok habits, what “gut health” means to them, and how they react to claims like “good source of fiber.”

That mix of quantitative scale + consumer voice gives you a 360° view. You don’t just know that 70% of consumers are trying to add more fiber – you know why, and in their own words.

That’s the edge brands need when a viral trend can either become a billion-dollar category – or fade out as fast as it started.

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✨ Closing Thought

Protein isn’t stepping aside. It’s still the king of satiety and strength. But now it has a partner in crime – fiber. Together, they’re shaping the future of functional food by meeting some of the biggest unmet needs in wellness today: satiety, gut health, weight management, and metabolic balance.

For consumers, this is about more than macros. It’s about feeling good day-to-day and investing in long-term health. For brands, it’s about innovating at the intersection of functional nutrients that actually fill consumer gaps. And for the industry, it’s a signal: this is what the next wave of wellness looks like.

Protein wrote the playbook. Fiber is running alongside it. And together, they’re rewriting the rules of nutrition.

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👋 Ready to Learn More?

Curious how consumers are really talking about protein, fiber, and the future of functional nutrition? With Suzy, you don’t have to guess. We help brands test claims, segment insights, and track viral trends so you know what resonates – and why.

And with Suzy Speaks, you can literally hear how people describe their habits and motivations in their own words – from how they talk about #GutTok to what they really think about fibermaxxing.

Because in a world where TikTok can create a billion-dollar category overnight, the brands that win are the ones that move with speed, confidence, and consumer truth.

👉 Let’s chat about how Suzy can help you stay ahead of the curve.

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