“Fibremaxxing” (also spelled "fibermaxxing") is the latest wellness trend taking social media by storm.
Normally, I tend to roll my eyes at yet another wellness trend. I’m not a fan of anything encouraging us to believe that X is the solution to all our health problems. Whether that’s the ketogenic diet, matcha, creatine or NMN, it can all start to lean towards the extreme - or worse, the quick fix - if you only took this.
From my experience, achieving optimal wellbeing is never about one thing. Feeling healthy and energised comes from a combination of factors: a nutritious diet, adequate rest, healthy relationships, time in nature, meaningful work we enjoy and sometimes, targeted supplementation. There is no single food, supplement or diet that can compensate for everything else.
But underneath the marketing spiel, fibremaxxing highlights a genuine problem: most of us simply aren’t getting enough dietary fibre. In fact, only 4% of UK adults are currently meeting their daily needs (1). And what I see in clinic is a surprising amount of misunderstanding about what fibre is, why we need it and what it does for our health.
Because fibre isn't just about keeping you regular.
We know the gut plays a role in almost every aspect of health, from the gut-brain connection to immune function and hormones. The bowel contains trillions of bacteria, and dietary fibre provides an important source of fuel for many of the beneficial microbes living there. Fibre also helps keep things moving through the digestive system, supporting the body's natural process of eliminating waste.
So while fibre might not be the most glamorous topic in wellness, it’s doing considerably more than helping you go to the toilet.
In this article, we'll look at what fibremaxxing means, why so few of us are reaching our fibre target and, most importantly, how you can increase your intake without completely overhauling your diet.
What is fibremaxxing (or fibremaxxing)?
Fibremaxxing describes deliberately increasing your fibre intake, usually through whole foods such as oats, lentils, beans, wholegrains, fruit and vegetables. Like many wellness trends, people are tracking and sharing their intake on social media, in much the same way we’ve previously tracked steps, calories or protein.
And this is one trend I’m less inclined to dismiss.
It has landed at an interesting time. Since Chris van Tulleken's book release of Ultra-Processed People and the wider media conversation that followed, there has been a growing awareness of just how much ultra-processed food has become part of the modern UK diet. Fibre is one of the quieter casualties of that shift. As ultra-processed foods have taken up more space on our plates, naturally fibre-rich foods have often taken up less.
Seen in that context, fibremaxxing is less a revolutionary new health hack and more of a course correction - encouraging us to eat more of the foods we’ve gradually moved away from.
We’ve watched something similar happen with protein over the last few years. What was once largely a concern for gym-goers suddenly became something you couldn't escape in the supermarket, with protein added to everything from yoghurts to breakfast cereals. The trend itself might be driven by marketing, but it also brought a useful nutritional message into the mainstream.
And perhaps, fibre could be next.
Which raises a more interesting question: why are so many of us starting so far behind?
The UK fibre gap: why almost nobody hits their target
The headline statistic is worth repeating: just 4% of UK adults currently meet their daily fibre needs (1).
For most adults, that target is around 30g a day, according to NHS guidance (2). Yet the average fibre intake UK adults actually get is only around 16g a day, meaning many of us are eating little more than half the recommended amount.
Reaching 30g doesn't require anything particularly exotic. Oats, fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and wholegrains can all contribute. The problem is that these foods are increasingly competing with convenient, highly processed alternatives that are often much lower in fibre.
So why is fibre important beyond digestion? Certain types of fibre are fermented by gut bacteria, helping to support a healthy gut environment, while fibre can also slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream and contribute to feelings of fullness. Higher fibre intakes have also been associated with a lower risk of bowel cancer and cardiovascular disease (3).
Unfortunately, this isn't simply a matter of knowing that fibre is good for us and choosing to eat more of it. There is a socioeconomic reality underneath these statistics that often gets missed in the usual “eat more fibre” advice. Fresh produce can be expensive, and cooking from scratch requires time that not everyone has. For people dealing with tight budgets, long working hours, caring responsibilities or limited access to affordable fresh food, telling them to simply buy more fresh food isn't particularly useful and welcome advice.
Food deserts and time poverty are real barriers, not personal failings. If fibremaxxing is going to mean anything beyond another wellness hashtag, it needs to recognise that not everyone is starting from the same place.
Signs you're not getting enough fibre
Fibre deficiency doesn't always announce itself loudly, and the signs can be easy to dismiss. Constipation or irregular digestion are perhaps the most obvious, but some people may also notice bloating, unpredictable bowel habits, skin changes or feeling hungry again relatively soon after eating.
Other fibre deficiency symptoms include energy dips during the day or ongoing gut discomfort. However, these symptoms can have many different causes, so they shouldn't automatically be attributed to a lack of fibre.
What is clear is that getting enough fibre is an important part of a healthy, balanced diet, and if your current intake is low, gradually increasing it can be a simple place to start.
There is one important caveat, though: more isn't always better.
If you're currently eating very little fibre, suddenly adding large amounts of beans, oats and raw vegetables can trigger classic too much fibre symptoms: bloating and discomfort rather than better. Your gut needs time to adapt, particularly if you're making a significant change to your usual diet.
Forget the “maxxing” mentality - think gradual rather than extreme.
How to actually increase your fibre intake (without overhauling your diet)
This is the part that matters most. If you want to know how to increase fibre intake without overhauling your diet, the good news is you don't need to start tracking every gram of fibre or suddenly become the person who meal-preps twelve portions of lentils every Sunday.
Small changes that fit naturally into the way you already eat are far more likely to become habits.
- Start with breakfast: Swap a sugary cereal for overnight oats topped with berries and ground seeds . When you can, keep the skins on fruit and vegetables too - potatoes, apples and cucumber are easy examples. Even kiwi skin is perfectly edible, if you're feeling adventurous.
- Add fibre to lunch and dinner: Look for opportunities to add wholegrains or pulses without completely changing the meal. Choose wholegrain bread, brown rice or wholewheat pasta where you enjoy them, and try adding lentils, chickpeas or beans to meals you already make. A handful of lentils stirred through a bolognese or some chickpeas added to a curry can increase your fibre intake without turning dinner into a “health meal”.
- Upgrade your snacks: Swapping crisps or biscuits for a handful of nuts and seeds can add fibre alongside healthy fats and other nutrients.
You don't need to get every meal perfect. Learning how to eat more fibre is simply about starting to make a few different choices more often.
It’s also useful to understand that fibre isn't one single thing.
| Type of fibre | What it does | Good sources |
|---|---|---|
| Soluble fibre | Dissolves in water and can help regulate blood glucose and cholesterol. | Oats, beans, lentils, apples, chia seeds |
| Insoluble fibre | Doesn't dissolve in water and helps add bulk to stools and support regular digestion. | Wholegrains, nuts, seeds, vegetable skins, bran |
The takeaway: You don't need to calculate how much soluble versus insoluble fibre you're eating. A varied diet containing plenty of different plant foods will naturally provide a mixture of both.
And fibre doesn't have to be expensive. Tinned beans, porridge oats, frozen vegetables and own-brand wholegrains are all relatively inexpensive supermarket staples that can make a meaningful contribution to your daily intake.
Some of the most fibre-rich foods are also budget-friendly.
Fibremaxxing for vegetarians: does National Vegetarian Week make this easier?
Plant-forward and vegetarian diets tend to be naturally higher in fibre because foods such as beans, lentils, wholegrains, fruit and vegetables generally play a larger role. That makes National Vegetarian Week a useful opportunity to experiment with more plant-based meals, even if you have no intention of becoming fully vegetarian.
You don't have to make a dramatic change. Try a lentil dahl one evening, a bean chilli another, or add a few extra vegetables to a stir-fry. These small changes can increase both your fibre intake and the variety of plants you're eating without requiring you to rethink your entire diet.
And perhaps that's the more useful takeaway from fibremaxxing generally. Rather than obsessing over a number, think about increasing the variety of plants you eat across the week.
Final thoughts: the trend name is new, the advice isn't
Fibremaxxing isn't a wellness trend you need to feel behind on. If anything, it’s a useful reminder of something we’ve known for a very long time: most of us could probably do with eating more fibre.
The fact that only 4% of UK adults are currently meeting their daily fibre needs (1) says less about individual willpower and more about how far fibre has slipped down the priority list in modern diets. Our food environment, budgets, time and habits all play a part.
No need to try to transform your diet overnight. Start with one or two changes that feel achievable, whether that's choosing porridge instead of sugary cereal, adding lentils to dinner once a week or simply eating a little more fruit and veg. Then build from there.
The trend might disappear – but the fibre will still be good for you.
If you'd like personalised support with fibre, gut health or your wider nutrition, you can book a free 15-minute consultation, or a full one-to-one deep dive consultation if you'd like a more detailed plan.
Sources
- British Nutrition Foundation, 2026. Dietary fibre in 2026. https://www.nutrition.org.uk/media/5yygfqip/dietary-fibre-in-2026-5.pdf
- NHS, 2023. How to get more fibre into your diet. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/digestive-health/how-to-get-more-fibre-into-your-diet/
- Reynolds, A., Mann, J., Cummings, J., Winter, N., Mete, E. and Te Morenga, L., 2019. Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The Lancet, 393(10170), pp.434-445. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7589116/
- ScienceDirect, n.d. Dietary fibre and risk of cardiovascular disease. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002916523195980
