Fibremaxxing – what should you believe?

Rhiannon Lambert

Published: July 8, 2026 at 2:18 PM

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Bestselling author and nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert reveals the truths and the hype behind the latest health trend

Wellness trends gained traction in alternative health and self-care philosophies. In the 1990s, lifestyle magazines began to promote wellness as aspirational, linking it with beauty, fitness and luxury. Today, social media – fuelled by branded content – has brought a wellness explosion. Today’s wellness trends reflect both its counter-cultural origins and its evolution into a multibillion dollar industry.

There has been a move on social media toward fibre as the next great hack – from bowls of pastel-hued oats to so-called detox drinks. Some practices are harmless and can support increased fibre intake (here's a list of high-fibre foods with handy recipes) but others distort the science or rely on unsupported claims. Below are some of the most prominent fibre-related wellness trends, assessed for validity and whether they genuinely benefit health or simply capitalise on cultural wellness phenomena.

Green powders

Often seen as a shortcut to better health, green powders are concentrated blends of dried and ground vegetables, herbs, algae and grasses. They’re promoted for their high vitamin and mineral content, and often boast long lists of nutrients.

However, they typically contain virtually no fibre and are not a substitute for the complex texture, bulk and nutritional matrix of fruits and vegetables in their natural state. Worryingly these products are not always subject to strict regulation and the accuracy of their nutrient claims can be difficult to verify, particularly when the powders are bought online from lesser-known brands that may lack independent testing or quality control.

While these powders may help fill the gap on days when fruit and vegetable intake is low, they cannot replace real food and won’t improve your fibre levels.

Sea moss

This trendy seaweed is promoted as a gut and skin saviour but the actual scientific evidence is extremely limited.

While it does contain some vitamins and minerals, claims around detoxification, immunity or fibre-related benefits are largely unproven. Like any single superfood, sea moss is unlikely to offer much without a balanced fibre-rich diet around it.

Gut cleansers

Often marketed as teas, powders or juice fasts, these products usually promise to reset or clean out your digestive system.

In reality the gut is not a pipe that needs cleaning. These cleanses rarely contain much fibre at all and can even disrupt digestion if they lack solid food or hydration. In addition to this, full juice cleanses typically exclude most other essential nutrients from the diet, including protein, healthy fats and fibre, making them nutritionally unbalanced and unsustainable in the long term.

Chia seed water

TikTok’s ‘internal shower’ drink has brought chia seeds newfound popularity. The claim is simple: 1-2 tbsp of chia seeds soaked in a glass of water, then drunk, are a natural laxative to flush out the gut and support weight loss.

It’s true that chia seeds are nutritionally dense (1 tbsp provides roughly 5g of dietary fibre, alongside small amounts of protein, omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients). Hydrated, they can bulk and soften stools to help relieve mild constipation in those with low fibre intake.

However, the online claims are far broader than evidence supports. The idea that chia water melts fat or significantly suppresses hunger is misleading. The plumped seeds may give a brief sense of fullness but the volume needed to meaningfully blunt appetite is impractical and the calories from those additional seeds negates any supposed weight-loss benefit.

Check out our chia seed recipes here.

Fibremaxxing

Popular in certain online wellness spaces, this involves aggressively increasing fibre through powders, seeds and fortified snacks.

While increasing fibre intake is something we all need to do, suddenly ramping up intake can cause bloating, cramps or constipation, especially without adequate hydration. A gradual increase in fibre intake from whole foods is far more effective and sustainable.

Here's how to add more fibre to your diet in a meaningful way.

Platter of hummus with an assortment of vegetables next to savoury biscuits and focaccia slices.

The plant points trend

Encouraging a wide variety of plant foods each week (such as aiming for 30+ types) is a positive trend backed by research for the American Gut Project. Greater diversity in plant intake supports a more diverse gut microbiome, especially when wholegrains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds are involved.

Here's how to sneakily add in extra plant points to your everyday diet.

A large platter dish with a carrot and walnut salad on top

Authors

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Rhiannon Lambert

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