How Many Grams of Fiber Do the Hadza Consume Daily?

December 4, 2025 •

4 min read

Recent studies estimate that the Hadza, a hunter-gatherer tribe in Tanzania, consume between 80 and 150 grams of fiber per day, a dramatically higher intake compared to the average Western diet. This extraordinary fiber consumption has been a subject of great interest in understanding ancestral health and its impact on the human microbiome.

Quick Summary

The Hadza tribe's daily fiber intake, estimated at 80-150g, significantly surpasses modern Western levels due to a wild, plant-based diet, benefiting their gut microbiome and overall health.

Key Points

Daily Fiber Consumption: The Hadza consume an estimated 80 to 150 grams of fiber per day, significantly more than the 15-20 grams typical in industrialized nations.
Key Food Sources: The high fiber is derived from a diet of wild, unprocessed plant foods, including fibrous tubers, baobab fruit, and berries.
Impact on Gut Microbiome: This immense fiber intake directly contributes to a highly diverse and seasonally fluctuating gut microbiome, linked to their low rates of chronic disease.
Seasonal Adaptation: The Hadza microbiome changes with the seasons, with fiber-rich periods boosting microbial diversity, a pattern not seen in Western guts.
Health Benefits: The high-fiber, unprocessed diet is believed to be a major factor in why the Hadza have a low prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and autoimmune diseases.
Lessons for Modern Diets: While replicating the exact intake is impractical, focusing on a wide variety of whole plant foods and prebiotics can improve gut health.

A Glimpse into the Hadza Diet

The Hadza diet is composed entirely of wild foods, reflecting a lifestyle largely unchanged for generations. The bulk of their fibrous intake comes from a varied and seasonal rotation of wild plants. Staple items include:

Tubers: Starchy and fibrous roots dug from the ground year-round. Some, like the ekwa tuber, are so fibrous they are chewed for their nutrients and the quid is spit out.
Baobab fruit: Available year-round, its chalky pulp and seeds are high in fiber, vitamin C, protein, and fat.
Berries: Berries, though small, are consumed in large quantities, especially during the wet season.
Honey: Eaten with the comb, it is another seasonal food source.

While animal protein from wild game is also part of their diet, plant foods are the primary source of their exceptional fiber intake. The Hadza do not consume any processed foods or agriculturally farmed products.

Seasonal Shifts and Microbiome Diversity

Research shows the Hadza gut microbiome is not static but changes with the seasons, mirroring their dietary shifts. During the dry season, when hunting becomes more successful and meat consumption increases, some gut bacterial groups decrease in prevalence. In contrast, during seasons with higher plant food intake, particularly fiber-rich tubers, these microbial groups flourish. This seasonal cycling is considered a key factor in maintaining the profound diversity of their gut bacteria.

Hadza vs. Industrialized Diets: A Stark Fiber Contrast

The differences in daily fiber intake between the Hadza and individuals in industrialized societies are astonishing. While the Hadza consume well over 100 grams of fiber per day, Western averages fall dramatically short of recommended guidelines.


Feature	Hadza Hunter-Gatherers	Industrialized Populations (e.g., U.S.)
Daily Fiber Intake (Average)	80-150+ grams	15-20 grams
Dietary Sources	Wild, foraged plants (tubers, baobab, berries), honey, game meat	Processed foods, refined grains, limited fruits and vegetables
Microbiome Diversity	Extremely high and diverse, with seasonal shifts	Lower diversity, with some fiber-fermenting bacteria absent
Associated Health Outcomes	Near absence of obesity, diabetes, and autoimmune disease	Higher prevalence of chronic inflammatory diseases

This comparison highlights the significant role that a high-fiber diet, rich in diverse plant sources, plays in maintaining a healthy and resilient gut ecosystem.

The Great Fiber Debate: Unpacking Hadza Consumption Estimates

Some skepticism has arisen regarding the highest reported Hadza fiber intake numbers. A key point of contention is that early analyses of Hadza food sources sometimes included the entire fibrous plant matter, without accounting for what is actually consumed. For example, a tuber may be chewed and a significant portion of the indigestible fiber spit out. Critics point out that recalculating the edible portion might lower the total intake.

However, even with these refinements, the consensus remains that the Hadza's daily fiber consumption is far greater than that of modern, industrialized societies. The core takeaway is not necessarily the exact number, but the enormous relative difference in dietary fiber that separates their ancestral diet from our modern one. The high fiber intake, coupled with the wide variety of wild plant species consumed, provides a rich and complex fuel source for their gut microbiome, a diversity that is often missing in Western diets.

Practical Lessons from an Ancestral Diet

While mimicking the Hadza's 100+ gram daily fiber intake is not feasible for most in the modern world, valuable lessons can be applied to improve dietary health:

Eat more whole plant foods: Focus on unprocessed fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains instead of refined options.
Vary your intake: The Hadza consume many different types of plants seasonally. Aim for a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to feed a diverse set of gut microbes.
Incorporate neglected fiber sources: Beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds are often overlooked but are excellent fiber sources.
Prioritize prebiotic fibers: Plant foods rich in prebiotics, such as garlic, onions, and bananas, directly feed beneficial gut bacteria.

For more detailed information on boosting your fiber intake, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's The Nutrition Source offers excellent guidance on fiber sources and health benefits.

Conclusion: The Hadza's Fiber Legacy

By examining how many grams of fiber do the Hadza consume daily, researchers have unlocked a crucial piece of the puzzle connecting ancestral human diets to optimal health. Their consistently high and diverse fiber intake, sourced from a variety of wild plant foods, cultivates a robust and dynamic gut microbiome rarely seen in modern societies. While the exact numerical estimates may have nuances, the fundamental insight remains clear: a vast chasm exists between our contemporary fiber intake and that of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. By learning from this ancestral blueprint and prioritizing a diverse, whole-food plant diet, modern individuals can work to improve their gut health and potentially mitigate the rise of chronic, inflammatory diseases associated with low-fiber Western eating patterns.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Hadza primarily get their fiber from wild, unprocessed plant foods like fibrous tubers, baobab fruit, berries, and leafy greens. These foods are a core part of their ancestral hunter-gatherer diet.

Yes, research indicates that the Hadza's exceptionally high and diverse fiber consumption is directly linked to a much more diverse and robust gut microbiome compared to people in industrialized countries.

The Hadza consume 80-150 grams of fiber per day, whereas the average Western diet provides only 15-20 grams, which is significantly below recommended guidelines.

The controversy stems from the fact that early studies might have overestimated the fiber content by analyzing entire fibrous plant parts, even if the Hadza chew and discard the most fibrous portions. However, even conservative estimates show their intake is vastly higher than modern diets.

Yes, the Hadza diet, and consequently their fiber intake, fluctuates with the seasons. Their gut microbiome has also been shown to undergo seasonal shifts, corresponding to the availability of different food sources.

The varied and abundant plant fiber acts as fuel for a wide range of gut bacteria, promoting a high level of microbial diversity. In seasons with lower plant intake, their microbiome's diversity temporarily decreases.

The Hadza exhibit very low rates of chronic diseases common in Western societies, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, a benefit often linked to their high-fiber diet and healthy gut microbiome.