Global adoption of a Western lifestyle shifts traditional food patterns towards “Western diet” that is low in plant-based foods and associated with high risk of non-communicable diseases (NCD). Originally observed in high-income countries, NCD incidence is rising rapidly in Sub-Saharan Africa countries that adopt an urban lifestyle and dietary pattern. Dietary fiber intake is a major distinctive feature along the global Westernization gradient with highest levels of fiber consumption seen in rural communities of the Global South. These diverse plant-derived compounds are indigestible for human digestive enzymes, but can be fermented by specific human gut bacteria to short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) that have health-promoting function. Since low fiber intake leads to a loss of SCFA producing gut bacteria, a ‘functional bottleneck’ exists under Western diet conditions. Here, we will apply an interdisciplinary approach for dual functionalization of dietary fiber by food science/technology, nutrition and gut microbiome research to improve human health and evaluate diet-driven concepts to lower NCD risk, in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa.