Viral On TikTok, Fibermaxxing Trend Is A Solution To Lack Of Fiber In Eating Patterns

Illustration of eating healthy food (Photo: Freepik/Freepik)

JAKARTA - TikTok has again given birth to a new trend that is currently being discussed, this time it is not about extreme diets or strange recipes, but about fibermaxxing. Fibermaxxing is a lifestyle that focuses on consuming high-fiber foods. This trend is in the spotlight because it is claimed to be beneficial for digestive health, maintaining weight, and reducing the risk of serious diseases such as colon cancer.

Fibermaxxing is a term used to describe the habit of eating foods rich in fiber, with the aim of exceeding or at least meeting daily fiber needs. Examples can be in the form of a bowl of breakfast filled with chia seeds, goji berry, strawberries, and oats, as is often displayed by TikTok users @impamibaby, one of the pioneers of this trend.

"This trend actually has a positive impact because most people don't consume enough fiber in their daily lives," said Lauren Manaker, nutritionist and founder of Nutrition Now Counseling in South Carolina, quoted from the CNN website.

According to American Nutrition Guidelines, fiber needs for adults range from 22 to 34 grams per day depending on age and gender. However, the data shows that more than 90% of women and 97% of men did not reach that figure.

Dr. Kyle Staller, a digestive specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains that fiber has an irreplaceable important role in the overall digestive and health system.

"Serat has long been recommended by the medical world and its benefits continue to be proven. This is not a temporary trend like others," he said.

Some of the benefits of consuming sufficient fiber include improving digestion and preventing constipation, reducing the risk of colon cancer and rectum, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol levels, losing weight because it makes you full longer, to balancing the intestinal microbiome, which also has an impact on mood and mental health.

Jennifer House, a nutritionist from Canada, said fermented fiber in the intestines would produce short chain fatty acids such as grains, which function to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and suppress inflammation.

"Serat helps bring poison out of the body through feces. So technically, fiber can indeed help the body's natural detoxification process," added House.

Although it sounds positive, experts remind not to immediately change your diet drastically.

"If the body is not used to it, immediately eating a lot of fiber can actually make the stomach bloating and uncomfortable," explained Dr. Staller.

Suggestions from experts are to start slowly. For example, add berries to your breakfast, replace white rice with red rice, or snack with nuts and fruit. Also make sure to drink enough water, because fiber needs fluids to work optimally in the digestive system.

If it is difficult to get enough fiber from food, supplements such as psychedium husk can be an option. But still, natural food is better because it contains important vitamins and minerals that are not present in the supplements.

"Supplement can help under certain conditions, but not a substitute for whole food," said Manaker.

Fibermaxxing may arise from TikTok, but this trend is in line with the principles of a healthy diet. If done properly and gradually, increasing fiber intake can bring many tangible benefits to the body, from digestive health, weight, to the risk of chronic diseases.

"This is one of the TikTok trends that is really worth trying." Manaker concluded.