Looksmaxxing. Gymaxxing. Sleepmaxxing. Now there&rsquo;s fibermaxxing. But what is it and why is everyone suddenly talking about gut health?

Health trends tend to swing from the odd to the downright bizarre. One day it&rsquo;s ice baths. The next, fortified water. So, when a new term like fibermaxxing rises to the top of the feed, it makes sense to pause and figure it out, even for a second.
Fibermaxxing has slid into conversations once dominated by protein powders, greens blends and - more recently - creatine. Men who used to track nothing but macros and gym performance are now paying attention to something that has to do with plants and more roughage for a better-fed gut.
The surprise here is that fibermaxxing isn&rsquo;t hype. It&rsquo;s actually the simplest, most uncontroversial nutrition message right now. So, what&rsquo;s the deal and why is gut health part of the conversation?

Simply put, fibermaxxing is the push to eat more fibre on purpose - sometimes even aiming to reach (or exceed) the recommended amount. The idea behind it is that if gut health influences metabolism, immunity, mood and long-term disease risk, then feeding that system properly should be top of mind.
Fibermaxxing may be viral, but the science behind it has been around for decades.
Fibre is found in the plants we already know: vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains and nuts. The body can&rsquo;t break it down and that&rsquo;s what makes it so useful. Inside the gut, fibre regulates digestion, helps maintain stable blood sugar levels, supports healthy cholesterol and keeps bowel movements regular.

There are two kinds: the softer, gel-forming type, which contributes to metabolic and cardiovascular benefits, and the tougher, broom-like type, which adds bulk and structure to waste so it moves through smoothly. Most plant foods contain a mix of both.
There is also the cultural psychology behind the trend. For the longest time, wellness conversations focused on protein and fat, especially in men&rsquo;s spaces. The macros that build and fuel muscle overshadow the ones that keep you regular.
But now that gut health is being linked to performance, mental function and immune response, fibre has a new angle.

Are Filipinos getting enough fiber in their daily diet?

Let&rsquo;s be straight about our defaults. Rice sits at the centre of the Filipino table &mdash; and it will stay there. The problem, however, is not rice itself. The problem is what gets crowded out when every meal starts with a mountain of it.
Despite being an agricultural country, Filipino adults aren&rsquo;t getting enough fibre. Research summarised by Dr Leonora N. Panlasigui in &ldquo;Beyond &lsquo;Bahay Kubo&rsquo;: The Wonders of Dietary Fibre&rdquo; highlights a worrying diet pattern: rice, pork fat, and oil consistently outweighing fruits and vegetables on the average working Filipino&rsquo;s plate.
Many adults only hit 30% to 40% of the recommended daily fibre intake. That gap tracks with rising cases of diabetes, hypertension and other lifestyle-related diseases in the country.
It isn&rsquo;t because we lack options. Filipino cuisine is full of naturally high-fibre dishes: monggo, laing, pinakbet, ginataang gulay, lumpiang sariwa&hellip; the list goes on. Even the childhood song &ldquo;Bahay Kubo&rdquo; exists as a roll call of fibre-forward crops: sitaw, bataw, patani, talong, kalabasa.
In theory, we should be fibermaxxing by default.

Now, as with any wellness movement, there is always someone ready to take it too far. Consuming too much fibre too quickly can cause discomfort. We&rsquo;re talking gas. You can get cramps. Bloating is another issue, too. Fibre also works best when there&rsquo;s enough water in the system to help move things along, it can make everything feel worse before it gets better.
There is also the reality that fibre competes for space in the gut. When someone suddenly goes all in on high-fibre foods or supplements, it can temporarily interfere with how the body absorbs other nutrients. When you overload the system, the gut pushes back. It&rsquo;s better to adjust at a pace your body can actually handle.
But compared to experiments involving plunging into ice, popping unregulated supplements or cutting out entire food groups, fibermaxxing is fairly tame. Most people aren&rsquo;t even meeting the minimum recommended intake. For them, &ldquo;more&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t excess. They&rsquo;re just getting back to normal.

People are circling back to what was already there all along: plants.

Is fibermaxxing actually worth it?

A trend about eating more vegetables isn&rsquo;t exactly newsworthy&hellip; until you realise how far most people have drifted from the basics. When even fibre needs a rebrand, that says something.
Fibermaxxing is a sign that wellness has become too complex for its own good. Everyone wanted a hack and the simple stuff got pushed to the side.
So now people are circling back to what was already there all along: plants.

What Is Fibermaxxing?

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