From TikTok to the lab bench, fiber is having a moment—and it’s long overdue.
A new nutrition trend is sweeping social media, and this time, there’s more than a tinge of truth behind the push. Fibermaxxing, the practice of intentionally maximizing daily fiber intake, is gaining traction among health-conscious consumers, wellness influencers, and even clinicians.
Is it a fleeting fad? Maybe. But we can’t deny that fibermaxxing addresses a real and persistent issue that has been haunting Americans for decades: the fiber gap.
Fibermaxxing is a grassroots movement born on social media platforms like TikTok, where users share colorful, fiber-rich meals featuring whole foods like chia seeds, berries, legumes, and whole grains. These posts often highlight the grams of fiber per serving and anecdotal digestive benefits users experience—better regularity, improved energy, and enhanced satiety.
As the trend grows, it also brings an important consideration: increasing fiber intake too quickly can lead to digestive discomfort, including bloating and gas. That’s why many fiber-forward consumers are learning to take a more gradual, intentional approach—focusing on diverse, real-food sources that the body can adapt to more gently over time.
While “fibermaxxing” may sound like a social media buzzword, it reflects a real and growing consumer desire to support gut health through whole-food nutrition. And although the trend may not be rooted in clinical guidance, the underlying message is clear: fiber is back in focus.
Despite its well-documented benefits, fewer than 1 in 10 U.S. adults meet daily fiber intake recommendations. In fact, most Americans are getting only about half of the recommended amount, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025.
This shortfall—often called the “fiber gap”—is linked to missed opportunities to support digestive health. Dietary fiber is even officially classified as a “dietary component of public health concern” due to its chronic underconsumption and its critical role in overall health.
The answer lies in modern diets and the low consumption of nutrient-rich whole foods like whole grains, vegetables, and fruit—the very foods that nourish the gut and provide the diverse fibers our microbiome thrives on.
And while fiber supplements are widely available, current solutions don’t always match what’s missing from the diet. Many rely on isolated or purified fibers, often dosed individually and stripped from their original plant matrix. These purified ingredients often lack associated dietary components, such as fiber-bound polyphenols, which may play a role in supporting digestive and microbiome wellness.
Fibermaxxing may have started as a social media movement, but its message is clear: consumers are hungry for fiber—and not just any fiber. They’re seeking real food sources, diverse formats, and functional benefits that go beyond the basics.
For product developers, this is more than a trend—it’s a call to action. Meeting the demand means formulating with intention, using ingredients that reflect what’s missing from modern diets and what consumers are actively seeking.
Here’s how to align your next formulation with the fibermaxxing mindset:
NatureKnit brings this formulation strategy to life—going beyond isolated fiber ingredients to offer fiber diversity, digestive gentleness, and validated microbiome potential in a single, real food solution.
NatureKnit is a proprietary blend of fruit and vegetable fibers rich in naturally occurring bound polyphenols. It’s designed to reflect what’s missing from modern diets: real food fiber sources that retain their natural matrix and associated compounds.
In a recent study using the M-SHIME® model—a validated lab model that mimics the human gastrointestinal tract—NatureKnit was compared to purified fibers like inulin and psyllium. The results were compelling:
NatureKnit supports gut microbiota balance, increased production of postbiotic short-chain fatty acids, and digestive wellness—all while aligning with clean-label expectations, sustainability goals, and the growing demand for food-first, research-backed solutions.
Fibermaxxing may have started as a social media movement, but it reflects a deeper shift in how consumers think about gut health and functional nutrition. For formulators, it’s a call to innovate with intention.
NatureKnit delivers on that promise—offering a real food, research-backed approach to fiber supplementation that supports microbiota balance, increased production of postbiotic short-chain fatty acids, and digestive wellness.
As the conversation around fiber continues to evolve, products built with validated ingredients like NatureKnit can help bridge the gap between consumer expectations and scientific credibility—bringing meaningful gut health benefits to the forefront of functional food and supplement innovation.
Let’s Bring Fiber Innovation to Life
Whether you’re formulating for overall wellness, digestive comfort, or metabolic support, NatureKnit offers a flexible, research-backed solution that meets today’s fiber-forward consumer expectations. Contact our team to explore NatureKnit’s research, applications, and formulation support—and discover how it can elevate your next product innovation.