How to “FiberMaxx” Safely & Get the Most Benefits

Forgive me, I’m a millennial and I’m surprisingly not on the “health and wellness trends” side of TikTok so this was all new to me too.

First, what is fiber and why is it recommended to have more of it all the time?

Fiber is a non-digestible part of a plant that can come in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber reacts with water to form a type of gel texture and in-soluble stays bulky because it does not mix with water. Both can support your digestive system by helping your stools to be bulky and regular. Fiber can also help keep you full between meals and regulate blood sugar and your cholesterol levels.

With all of these benefits, it does not mean that more is better. So why are there nutrition recommendations constantly talking about getting in more fiber? That is because it has been found that the average American is not going to eat the recommended fiber intake for the day, which is 14g per 1,000 Calories. The reason I am talking about Calories is because the usual recommendations are based on different recommendations for men and women which is just based on the assumption that men take in more Calories than women, not that men have higher fiber needs. To me it is a more accurate picture of recommendations if you are looking at your overall energy intake, not your sex.

What is this new trend of “fibermaxxing”?

From what I found there are no specific goals to hit with fibermaxxing besides “meeting or exceeding the recommended fiber intake”. At first I thought this trend was going to have some outrageous recommedations, but I found that it could be balanced, if you don’t take it to an extreme.

More is not better with fiber, so trying to meet the recommended daily intake of fiber will help you with the health benefits you are looking for. It is in the “exceeding daily fiber recommendations” where I can see this trend heading in a bad direction. Here are my concerns:

• it is already difficult for some people to get the recommended daily intake, therefore when they fall short of exceeding, it will feel like they can’t be healthy

• since it is difficult to get in fiber, I can see this being a ripe area for fiber supplements, shakes, etc to help you meet that. To be clear I am not against supportive supplementation and such, but I am against products that make you feel like you can’t be “healthy” without them. Look out for marketing where they create a problem and then offer a solution.

• having too much fiber can actually lead to poor digestion, the opposite of what you want. You also need to make sure your fluid intake is adequate with taking in fiber.

• some people may try to take in excessive amounts of fiber at one meal in order to “get it all in”. However, like above, this can lead to poor digestion and as with everything in your body it is better to be taking things in moderation and spread out evenly as much as possible. This is where you get the most benefits from taking in fiber, not just eating one fiber-rich meal and then the rest has little to none.

How do I fiber maxx safely?

Like I said this trend was not as extreme as I originally thought. Stick with the recommended daily intake of fiber - 14g/1,000 kcal per day and don’t try to exceed this. Utilize these fibermaxxing videos to gain information on high-fiber foods and ways you can make a meal more fiber-rich but remembering that balance is key and it is better if the fiber is spread out between all of your meals/snacks.

I constantly hear recommendations to “eat more fiber” but then I don’t know where to start or how to keep it up.

• Start slowly, see what your guesstimate of how much fiber you are currently taking in, and then find little ways to add in more. Whether that be adding in veggies to a meal like pasta or a smoothie. (You also might be getting more fiber than you think.)

• Search “high fiber foods” online and seeing which ones you like. Start by adding them into meals and snacks

• Look for high fiber recipes just to get an idea of what dishes you could add fiber to. You can take a high fiber recipe and take one idea rather than maxing out the fiber in that one meal, which may be overwhelming.

• Remember that it isn’t just “eating more fiber for the sake of eating more fiber”. The recommendations are there because there have been proven health benefits to having fiber in our diets. Remind yourself of why you want to be doing this and also check in with yourself periodically to see if you are noticing any changes to your digestion/bowel movements, blood sugar levels, fullness, etc.

If you feel like more help and guidance in this area would be helpful for you, check out my services page on how to work together one on one!