What is Fibermaxxing — and Should You Try It?

If you spend a lot of time on social media (it’s meee, hi!), you’ve probably heard of “fibermaxxing”, a wellness trend some creators are swearing by.

Fibermaxxing is essentially a viral trend that’s all about consuming as much fiber as possible. People claim this can boost your gut health and help with regularity and weight loss, which is why many of them are replacing their protein goals with fiber goals (though, to be clear, protein and fiber aren’t an either/or situation). In an attempt to reap these benefits, people are loading up on things like chia seeds, raspberries, beans (so many beans), and such to ramp their fiber intake all the way up.

As we’ve discussed, most Americans aren’t getting enough fiber. But is this social media driven fad a healthy way to counteract this….or a great way to overdo it and irritate your stomach?

Perhaps a bit of both, per registered dietician Anna Bohnengel, who is on hand to weigh in on the trend’s safety and validity.

"Dramatically boosting your fiber intake is rooted in sound science,” she says. “Fiber plays a critical role in slowing carb digestion, feeding beneficial gut bacteria, and supporting regularity, all of which translate to more stable blood sugar, hormone balance, and metabolic health.”

But going too hard can bring some icky side effects (think bloating, gas, and an upset stomach).

To get the benefits of fibermaxxing while minimizing the GI effects, Bohnengel offers up a few tips:  Get fiber from whole foods like beans, lentils, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Be careful of fiber additives (like inulin, chicory root, xanthan and guar gums). 

It's also a good idea to increase your fiber intake gradually. "Add [about] 5 grams of fiber per day every 3–7 days, not all at once," says Bohnengel.

Finally, increase your hydration too. For every 5 to 10 grams of fiber you add a day, you’ll also want to add 8 to 16 extra ounces of fluid.

So fibermaxxing? It can be a good thing. But maybe it’s worthwhile to think of it as being mindful of increasing your fiber intake rather than “maxxing” in an extreme way.