What is “fibremaxxing”

Fibermaxxing means intentionally increasing fibre intake beyond standard recommendations and seeking opportunities to add more fibre throughout the day. It has trended on TikTok and Instagram, including within evidence-based gut-health circles, and often emphasises diversity of plant foods rather than a single fibre source.

Practical ways to do it

• Swap everyday staples: select multigrain or seeded breads, whole-grain cereals, and grains like brown rice and quinoa.
• Build variety into meals and snacks: make snack plates with different vegetables, add edamame, chia pudding, roasted chickpeas, or homemade energy balls with dates, oats, flax seeds, and nuts.
• Add legumes to regular meals.
• Rotate salad mixes and use frozen vegetable blends to boost plant diversity.

General fibre recommendations

According to the Australian Nutrient Reference Values, women should aim for 25 g per day and men for 30 g per day.

Benefit of going higher than general recommendations

Higher fibre intakes are associated with many benefits. People often experience more regular bowel movements and greater satiety, which can help with appetite control. Additionally, higher intake supports beneficial gut bacteria, can aid in blood sugar regulation, and may help lower cholesterol. Observationally, as fibre intake rises, chronic disease risk tends to fall.

Is there such thing as too much?

Potential drawbacks arise when intake increases rapidly. Rapid increases can lead to bloating, constipation, or feeling blocked up, especially if starting from a low-fibre baseline or if fluid intake is low. Focusing too hard on fibre could also displace other nutrients. Some raise concerns about reduced nutrient absorption; however, a varied, high-fibre diet typically comes with strong overall nutrient intake. Finally, very high satiety can make it hard for some people, such as athletes with high energy needs, to meet their total calorie requirements.

Considerations

• Increase fibre gradually over weeks rather than all at once.
• Balance fibre types for comfortable bowel movements by including soluble sources like chia seeds, flax seeds, sweet potato, and pumpkin alongside insoluble sources such as vegetables and legumes.
• Stay well hydrated.
• Keep an eye on the big picture so fibre doesn’t crowd out other nutrients or total energy needs.
• If you want a simple yardstick, you can build awareness by checking the fibre in common foods or by counting how many different plant foods you include; getting to higher diversity (for example, above 30 plant foods) can support gut bacteria.

Takeaway message

Overall, fibremaxxing looks like a positive trend. It’s important to build up slowly and avoid extremes, noting that most people still fall short of baseline fibre targets.