You may have seen the word fibremaxxing on social media, in a magazine or on a supermarket shelf, and wondered what on earth it means. The short answer: it's a trend for eating more fibre. The longer answer is a bit more interesting, so here's everything you need to know if you're starting from scratch.
What does fibremaxxing mean?
The name comes from internet slang. Adding "maxxing" to a word means making the most of it, or pushing it as far as it will go. So fibremaxxing simply means maximising the fibre in your diet.
In practice, people who fibremax try to include fibre-rich foods in every meal. That might mean adding seeds to breakfast, swapping white bread for wholemeal, or building dinners around beans and lentils. Some people track how many grams of fibre they eat each day, much as others count steps or calories.
Where did it come from?
Fibremaxxing took off on TikTok, where people began sharing high-fibre meals, shopping hauls and daily fibre totals. It has since spread to Instagram, newspapers and magazines, and even supermarkets, some of which have started labelling high-fibre products more clearly.
For years, protein was the nutrient everyone talked about. Fibremaxxing is part of a shift in attention towards fibre, which most of us have been neglecting.
What is fibre, anyway?
Fibre is the part of plant foods that our bodies can't fully digest. Rather than being absorbed in the small intestine like most nutrients, it travels to the large intestine, where the bacteria that live in our gut break some of it down.
You'll only find fibre in plant foods. Meat, fish, eggs and dairy contain none. Good sources include:
- wholegrains such as oats, brown rice and wholemeal bread
- pulses such as beans, lentils, chickpeas and split peas
- nuts and seeds
- fruit and vegetables, especially with the skin on
Why is everyone talking about it?
Mostly because so few of us eat enough. UK government guidelines recommend that adults eat 30g of fibre a day, but the British Dietetic Association puts the average at about 18g. Writing in BBC Science Focus, GP Dr Nish Manek notes that more than nine in ten people in the UK fall short of the target.
That matters because fibre does a lot more than keep us regular. The British Dietetic Association says high-fibre diets are associated with a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer.
So the basic message behind fibremaxxing, that most of us should eat more fibre, is one that doctors and dietitians have been giving for years. Social media has simply made it fashionable.
Is fibremaxxing a good idea?
It depends on how you do it.
The good part. Eating more beans, lentils, wholegrains, seeds, fruit and vegetables is sensible advice for almost everyone. If the trend gets people cooking a pot of lentil soup instead of buying a ready meal, that's a good thing.
The less good part. Some fibremaxxers aim for 50g a day or more, far beyond the 30g recommendation, and some rely on fibre powders rather than food. Dr Manek warns that very high intakes can cause bloating, cramps and diarrhoea, and that chasing a big number can narrow your diet to just a few foods.
The sensible middle ground is to aim for the 30g the guidelines recommend and to get it from a variety of whole foods.
How to start
If you're new to all this, you don't need to count every gram. A few simple changes make a big difference.
Start with breakfast. A bowl of porridge oats with a spoonful of chia seeds or ground linseed is an easy first step.
Add pulses to meals you already make. Stir red split lentils into a soup or bolognese, or add beans to a stew or chilli.
Switch to wholegrain. Choose wholemeal bread, brown rice and wholewheat pasta instead of white.
Snack on seeds and fruit. A handful of pumpkin seeds or a piece of fruit is an easy swap for crisps or biscuits.
Go slowly and drink plenty. The British Dietetic Association advises increasing fibre gradually to avoid bloating and wind, and drinking plenty of fluid as you do.
If you have a digestive condition such as IBS or inflammatory bowel disease, speak to your GP or a dietitian before making big changes.
Want to know more?
If you'd like to go further, we've written three more guides:
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