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With American’s Growing Focus on Microbiome Health, Will Fiber Gain Starring Role Next to Protein in Diets?

At CES last week, The Spoon hosted a panel of experts to discuss the role of personalized nutrition in addressing critical global health challenges, including obesity, diabetes, and chronic diseases.

Moderated by nutrition expert Carolyn O’Neil, the panel featured Noosheen Hashemi of January AI, Ranjan Sinha of Digbi Health, and Matt Barnard of OneBio. Together, they delved into how innovations in artificial intelligence, microbiome science, and biotechnology are transforming how we eat and improve our health.

O’Neil began the session by highlighting the significant impact of diet-related illnesses on public health and the increasing reliance on pharmaceutical interventions, such as GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic. While these medications offer effective solutions for managing conditions like obesity and diabetes, the panelists stressed the importance of addressing root causes, including poor dietary habits, fiber deficiencies, and the lack of personalized guidance.

Ranjan Sinha, founder of Digbi Health, emphasized the critical role that genetics and the gut microbiome play in metabolic health.

“Food has been the cause of many illnesses, but it can also be the cure,” Sinha explained. Digbi Health leverages advanced technology to analyze genetic data, gut microbiome profiles, and telemetry from wearable devices to create customized wellness plans.

Sinha also underscored the untapped potential of microbiome research, describing it as the “next pharmaceutical frontier.” He likened its trajectory to the evolution of electronics, predicting that microbiome-based treatments will dominate healthcare in the coming decades.

“Think about where electronics were in the 1990s, and then the leap to smartphones in the 2000s,” he said. “That’s where microbiome science is headed. In the next 15 to 20 years, your gut could effectively function as a pharmaceutical factory, producing compounds to prevent and treat illness.”

Both Sinha and Matt Barnard highlighted the essential role of fiber in health, directly linking it to the microbiome’s function. By nourishing the microbiome with the fibers it requires, they argued, we could unlock its potential to prevent and even reverse chronic diseases.

Barnard compared the importance of fiber to the early discoveries of vitamins and minerals, signaling a paradigm shift in how fiber is viewed in relation to health.

“One hundred years ago, we didn’t know the importance of vitamins and minerals,” Barnard noted. “Now, deficiencies are rare. The same transformation is happening with fiber. As we learn more, it will revolutionize our approach to chronic disease and metabolic health.”

Noosheen Hashemi, CEO of January AI, agreed with Barnard and Sinha on fiber’s vital role in supporting the human microbiome.

“One of the biggest drivers of inflammation in our collective microbiome is the lack of fiber,” she explained. “Our ancestors, just 12,000 years ago, consumed 100 to 150 grams of fiber daily. Today, our intake is drastically lower. Add to that antibiotics and other factors, and we’re collectively in a state of dysbiosis. It’s essential to ensure people get enough fiber.”

Hashemi also shared insights into January AI’s innovative technology, which predicts a food’s impact on blood sugar using a simple photo of the meal. By analyzing millions of data points, the AI can forecast blood sugar responses to meals, even without requiring wearables like glucose monitors.

The panelists collectively predicted a future where pharmaceutical interventions are complemented by greater reliance on dietary strategies. These strategies will increasingly be informed by technologies capable of analyzing a person’s biomarkers in near real time.

This panel left me wondering if we might see a more significant emphasis on fiber by Americans who, by nearly all accounts, have become overly obsessed with maxing out their protein as a way to feel full and hopefully lose weight. With all the emphasis on gut health and the clear connection to fiber, I think there’s certainly a chance some of it break through for everyday consumers looking for ways to stay health and maintain a healthy weight and microbiome.

That said, it’s likely Americans’ fixation won’t end soon. As Mike Lee said on a (separate) panel recently, “Protein is the Tom Cruise of the American diet.”

In other words, protein’s starring role won’t end anytime soon, but maybe there’s a chance fiber may someday get equal billing.

You can watch the full CES panel on personalized nutrition below

The Future of Personalized Nutrition in the Era of Ozempic

Enrichables Powdered Protein and Kale Packets Let You Make Any Meal “Healthier”

If I had my druthers, I would eat mac & cheese for dinner several times a week. However, since I’m adult and know that’s not exactly a healthy dietary choice, I usually opt for a more balanced meal.

But what if I could health-ify my mac & cheese? That’s the promise that offered by Pampered Chef, a kitchen equipment and dry goods company owned by Berkshire Hathaway, with its new Enrichables line. Enrichables are packets of nutrient-dense powders meat to be added to your normal meals, from smoothies to soups to dips, to make them healthier.

The line’s first two flavors, Pea Protein and Kale & Fiber, launched in October of this year. According to Sandy Wolner, Pampered Chef’s in-house food and trend innovator, the company decided to start with these two products because they’re universally appealing. “Right now, everyone is trying to get more protein into their diet,” she told me over the phone last week. “And everyone knows that kale is a very nutritious vegetable.” 

The pea protein packet contains 10 g of pea protein, and the Kale & Fiber pack has 2 cups of kale, which contains vitamins A, C, and K, as well as 8 grams of chicory root fiber. And that’s it. I like that the packets are made of super-simple, transparent ingredients, unlike lots of other meal supplements and protein powders. The Enrichables packets are also vegan and free from soy, gluten, and nuts.

Left: Enrichables Pea Protein. Right: Enrichables Kale & Fiber. (Photo: Catherine Lamb)

Pampered Chef sent me some Enrichables so I could try them for myself. The first thing I noticed after opening up the box was the size of the packets themselves. I imagined they would be a little bigger than a sugar packet, maybe the size of a tea bag. However, the Enrichables packs are about 5-inches by 4-inches — significantly larger than I’d expected. In fact, they were a little too large to fit into my pocket or slip into my outer backpack pocket, which made keeping them with me on-the-go slightly inconvenient.

Reading the back of the packets, I realized that Enrichables aren’t single-serve. Each one is meant to be incorporated into a recipe that feeds four. That might work well if you’re a parent trying to sneak some fiber and protein into your family dinner, but as someone who mainly cooks just for herself, it was slighly awkward to keep these partially-used packets around my kitchen or office kitchen.

So how did it taste? On the whole, not bad. In fact, both powders chiefly tasted like nothing — and that’s a good thing.

I tried them stirred into a plain lentil soup — one-fourth of a packet in each serving. The Kale & Fiber pack turned my soup vaguely green but didn’t really affect the flavor, which was nice. Similarly the Pea Protein didn’t taste like much and didn’t have the bitterness that sometimes goes along with pea protein. However, it did thicken my soup so much that it became a paste, which was slightly unappetizing. That could be an issue if I was adding the Pea Protein powder to smoothies or other liquids.

Left: Enrichables Kale & Fiber. Right: Enrichalbes Pea Protein (Photo: Catherine Lamb)

That hiccup aside, my lunch tasted good. I’m not sure how much of a difference 2.5 grams of protein powder and a half-cup of kale, the equivalent of one-fourth of each packet, will really make in my overall health. It could’ve just been in my head, but I did finish my lunch feeling uncharacteristically virtuous and full.

Placebo or no, I think Enrichables concept is an interesting way to tap into a few food trends we’ve been seeing here at the Spoon. First, it fits into the move towards so-called “clean label” products with shorter, more transparent ingredient lists. Enrichables is also taking advantage of growing consumer demand for protein, specifically plant-based protein. Finally, Enrichables plays into the overarching trend for mealtime convenience. Want more fiber in your meal? Just sprinkle on this powder and you’re set in an instant.

As for me, I think I’ll use the rest of my Enrichables packet on some mac & cheese for dinner tonight. Hey, it’s healthy!