While everyone has become fibre conscious, upping your fibre intake straight away may be doing more harm than good according to an expert – and this is how you can relieve your symptoms
Fibre has become the latest wellness fix taking over social media – but how much is too much? We’ve gone from being protein obsessed to fibre obsessed, leading to the fibermaxxing trend, which sees TikTok users loading up on their fibre intake and often taking it to the extreme.
Fibremaxxing has taken off thanks to the knowledge that many of us aren’t getting enough of it in our diet. Eating lots of fibre is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer, and the NHS recommends we intake 30g a day. This can be through certain foods such as wholegrains, wholeweats, brown rice, beans, lentils or chickpeas and fresh fruit.
While it’s important to have a balanced diet, and making sure we have the right fibre intake, leading nutritionist, Rob Hobson, warns that we shouldn’t go all in straight away and start fibermaxxing. As most adults are only eating an average of about 20g day, we need to find ways of increasing our intake.
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However it may not be a good idea to overload your body with fibre straight away according to Hobson, who said: “If you go from a low to a very high fibre intake too quickly, it can lead to bloating, gas, cramps, and even interfere with the absorption of minerals like iron, calcium, and zinc.
“People with sensitive guts or conditions like IBS may also find that high-fibre diets, especially those rich in fermentable fibres, can trigger symptoms,” he told Bio Kult, UK supplement brand.
Signs that you’ve had too much fibre
Common symptoms of too much fibre include:
- bloating
- abdominal pain
- flatulence
- constipation
- temporary weight gain
- intestinal blockage in people with Crohn’s disease
- reduced blood sugar levels, which is important to know if you have diabetes
There are two main types of fibre, and each type plays a different role in digestion. Insoluble fibre adds bulk to your stool and can help your food pass quickly through the stomach and intestines according to Healthline. It can also help to balance the pH in your intestine, and may prevent diverticulitis, an inflammation of the intestine, as well as colon cancer.
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While soluble fibre attracts water, which then creates a ‘gel-like’ substance with the food as it gets digested. This slows down digestion and will help you feel full faster – and can help with weight management. It may also help lower your risk of heart disease, regulate your blood sugar, and help reduce LDL cholesterol.
What to do if you’ve had too much fibre
If you feel like you have had too much fibre, you can relieve your symptoms in a few ways, including:
- Drink plenty of water.
- Eat a bland diet.
- Remove fiber and fibre fortified foods from your diet until you feel better
- Engage in light physical activities, like walking, as often as possible.
- Consider keeping an online diary of your food intake to help you see how much fiber you’re getting each day.
- Spread your fibre rich foods out throughout the day
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