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Australia has a protein obsession, but it is not the key nutrient we're missing

Doctors For Nutrition

Australia has a protein obsession — but according to national figures, 98.5% of Australians already get enough protein, while 83% do not meet recommended fibre targets.

Doctors For Nutrition is highlighting the issue ahead of Stanford nutrition scientist Professor Christopher Gardner’s presentation, “Protein Wars and Planetary Health,” at its Lifestyle Medicine Conference in Sydney on 28 November.

Most Australians are not eating enough fibre-rich whole plant foods, including legumes, wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Fibre supports a healthy gut microbiome, helps regulate blood glucose and cholesterol, promotes digestive health and is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.

Key facts:

• 98.5% of Australians get enough protein

• 83% do not meet recommended fibre targets

• 96% of adults do not eat enough fruit and vegetables

“Protein has become the answer to almost every nutrition question, but for most Australians, protein is not the problem,” says DFN’s CEO, Rebecca Stonor. “The more important question is: where do you get your fibre?” 

“Protein is not the nutrient Australians need to obsess over,” says Ms Stonor. “We need to encourage people to eat more whole plant foods—beans, lentils, peas, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables. These foods provide protein, but they also deliver the fibre and wider range of nutrients that support long-term health.”

 

Australia’s fibre deficiency is not a minor nutritional gap—it is a significant public-health concern. Most Australians are not eating enough fibre-rich whole plant foods, such as legumes, wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. This matters because fibre supports a healthy gut microbiome, helps regulate blood glucose and cholesterol, promotes digestive health and is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. While protein dominates nutrition headlines and supermarket shelves, fibre deficiency is the overlooked problem that deserves far more attention.

 

Fibre intake is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, as well as better gut health and lower risk of premature death. Yet it remains a shortfall nutrient in Australia and New Zealand.

 

Protein comes from plants

 

All protein originates in plants. Plants contain all 20 amino acids, including the nine essential amino acids that humans need from food. For most people, eating enough energy and a varied diet makes it straightforward to meet protein requirements without relying on animal products or protein supplements.

 

Most adults need approximately 1.0–1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day, although requirements can increase with age, illness or intensive training. Evidence indicates that consuming more than approximately 1.6 grams per kilogram per day offers no additional benefit for muscle building in most people.

 

Research also shows that plant protein can support muscle growth and strength. People do not need animal protein to build muscle, recover from exercise or support healthy ageing.

 

Protein Wars and Planetary Health

 

Doctors For Nutrition is highlighting the issue ahead of Dr Christopher Gardner’s presentation, “Protein Wars and Planetary Health,” at the upcoming Doctors For Nutrition Lifestyle Medicine conference in Sydney. Dr Gardner, PhD, nutrition scientist, and Professor of Medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, presenting remotely, will examine the powerful cultural and commercial forces driving protein anxiety—and why a healthier, more sustainable food system requires a broader conversation.

 

Event Details:

Conference:

Date: 28th November 2026  

Location: Sydney Masonic Centre, Level 24, 66 Goulburn St, Haymarket, Sydney, NSW 2000

 

Registration and Program Information:
Visit the Doctors For Nutrition website for full registration details and to secure your place.

 

Join us in Sydney to learn more about our obsession with protein and how it’s affecting our health and the health of the planet.

 

About us:

Doctors For Nutrition (DFN) is an independent, Australasian health-promotion charity founded in 2018 by medical and dietetic professionals. The organisation is dedicated to integrating nutrition-led lifestyle medicine strategies into healthcare as a preventive and therapeutic strategy against chronic diseases. DFN aims to inspire the healthcare sector, policymakers and society at large to integrate whole food plant-based nutrition and other lifestyle medicine principles as powerful tools for disease prevention and care. Creating a world free from preventable disease so that everyone can thrive and live to their full potential.

Contact details:

Rebecca Stonor, CEO
Doctors For Nutrition
[email protected]
0413309944