I only heard the term "fibermaxxing" this week.

Turns out it's a whole thing online at the moment — people stacking fibre supplements, powders, husk shots, all trying to hit these massive daily fibre numbers. Marketed as "the new protein."

And look, I get it. Gut health matters. Fibre matters. But this is exactly the kind of thing that makes people think they need to spend money and overhaul their whole diet to get something their body has always needed.

Here's what's actually true.

Fibre is genuinely important. For digestion, for blood sugar stability, for keeping you fuller for longer, and — something that gets missed — for feeding the bacteria in your gut that help regulate hormones, including oestrogen. That gut-hormone connection matters at every age, but it becomes especially relevant through perimenopause and menopause.

But more isn't automatically better. If you suddenly go from a low-fibre diet to smashing 40-50g a day through supplements, your body isn't used to processing that. You can end up with bloating, constipation, or the opposite problem entirely. Fast increases in fibre without giving your gut time to adjust is a recipe for feeling worse, not better.

And you don't need the supplements at all. Real food does this better than any powder ever will. Oats. Fibrous vegetables — think broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, leafy greens. Legumes. A wide variety of plants, not just one or two things on repeat.

Why real food wins over a supplement stack:

• It gives you fibre and the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that come packaged with it — a fibre powder can't do that.
• Variety feeds a wider range of gut bacteria. Different plants feed different bacteria. A single supplement doesn't replicate that diversity.
• It's gradual by nature. Building fibre intake through food across the day is a far gentler way to get your gut used to it than one big supplement dose.
• It costs less. A bag of oats and a trip to the vegetable aisle will get you further than a subscription to fibre powder.

If you want to actually increase your fibre without upsetting your gut, the simple version is this: add it slowly, add it from food, and add variety rather than volume of one thing. Oats at breakfast. Vegetables at lunch and dinner. Legumes a few times a week. That's it. That's the whole plan.

You don't need to be fibermaxxing. You just need to eat like an adult who includes vegetables regularly — which, if I'm honest, is most of what good nutrition ever comes down to. The basics work. They're just not as exciting to post about as a supplement stack.

If you want a hand working out what that actually looks like for your week, a clarity call is a good place to start.