If you’ve spent time on social media lately, you may have noticed a new trend making the rounds: fibermaxxing. Put simply, the goal is to get as much fiber as possible into your diet. But the reality is that, while many people could use a little boost in fiber intake, you can, in fact, get too much of a good thing here.
A quick refresher: Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate found in plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, Jesse Bracamonte, DO, family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic, tells SELF. “Your body can’t break fiber down with the digestive enzymes, so it moves through the GI tract largely intact,” Dr. Bracamonte says.
There are two main types of dietary fiber—soluble and insoluble—and many foods contain a combo of the two. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel that helps slow digestion, providing a feeling of fullness and reducing post-meal blood sugar spikes, says Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, MS, RDN, CDCES, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and owner of 360Girls&Women and B.E.A.T. Gestational Diabetes. It’s found in foods like legumes, oat bran, nuts, and some fruits and vegetables.
Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, bulks up the stool and allows food to move swiftly from the stomach to the intestine, according to Anderson-Haynes. “Insoluble fiber is like a cleanup crew on a time crunch that quickly helps to get rid of the dirt, grime, and waste that is left behind after you move out of an apartment,” she says. This type of fiber is found in whole grains, wheat bran, and vegetables.
Both types of dietary fiber feed your gut bacteria, which improves your colon health, according to Dr. Bracamonte. It can even reduce your risk of colon cancer, Anderson-Haynes adds, which is on the rise among younger generations.
Research shows that 95% of the US population doesn’t meet the recommended intake of dietary fiber—about 25 to 30 grams per day for adults, according to Dr. Bracamonte. But that doesn’t mean swinging the pendulum in the other direction is the best solution. In fact, going too hard on fiber could not only leave you feeling bleh but also negatively affect your overall health.
Here are three signs you might be getting too much of this nutrient in your diet.
1. You’re suddenly bloated, gassy, or constipated.
Bloating, abdominal pain, and excess gas are all common consequences of increasing fiber intake, according to Rekha Chaudhary, MD, a hematologist-oncologist at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center and adjunct professor of hematology-oncology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. When you eat more of it, a bunch of gut bacteria get to work fermenting it, which creates gases that cause bloating, abdominal pain, and cramping, Joshua Edwards, RD, LD, a registered dietitian at UC Health Cincinnati, tells SELF.
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