Fibre Layering vs Fibremaxxing
- Feb 22
- 2 min read
What is Fibremaxxing?
Fibremaxxing has been a recent popular social media driven trend to encourage increased fibre intake.
However, some of the solutions suggested include using large doses of single types of supplemental fibre, such as psyllium husk and inulin, or focus on just a few foods offering a lot of dietary fibre, such as chia seeds.
Is that the best way?
No. Probably not. At least not for most people.
Enter Fibre Layering?
In contrast, Fibre Layering is a newer term.
Yet to trend, but quite possibly deserving to.
It is the simple idea, just now given a name, that the diversity of the fibre you eat is just as important as the quantity and in some ways, even more so.
Fibre is not one thing
Fibre is not homogenous. Instead you have:
🍆 Viscous fibres, which form a gel within the digestive tract, potentially helping lower LDL cholesterol, moderate blood glucose rises post-meal, and increasing satiety
🥔 Fermentable fibres, which are preferred food sources for gut bacteria
🌾 Insoluble fibres, which facilitate the regular passage of food through the digestive tract
Fibre Layering may be a catchy new term, but there is scientific backing for the value of fibre layering.
In a study published in 2025 (link below) researchers tested & confirmed that different fibres led to different & predictable changes in gut bacteria and the outputs (metabolites) of gut bacteria activity.
For example, some fibres consistently boosted bacteria which produce short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, whilst others favoured the proliferation of bifidobacterium.
This may well lead to higher personalised, precision fibre blends for specific outcomes, such as gut barrier support, cholesterol modulation, metabolic health.
Right now, it simply supports the value of “Fibre Layering”,
Fibre Layering Simple 'How to?'
▶️ Consume a variety of dietary fibre sources e.g., vegetables, mushrooms, seeds, nuts, fruits and whole grains
▶️ Include fibre sources within each meal, rather than consuming a single large dose of a fibre supplement, this gives your digestive system and gut bacteria smaller doses to process, along with consistency and reliability that supports regular gut motility
▶️ Focus on diversity rather than quantity, knowing that if you add new sources, you’ll also be increasing your total intake
Reference
A diverse set of solubilized natural fibers drives structure-dependent metabolism and modulation of the human gut microbiota
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