Fibrelayering: What Is It And Why Can It Help My Gut?

Getting enough fibre in your diet has been linked to lowering bowel cancer, dementia and heart disease risk, yet a whopping 90% of us fail to hit the recommended 30g a day.

In response to this, a new trend dubbed “fibremaxxing”, which is all about loading up on as much fibre as possible in a single meal, has cropped up on social media.

People on TikTok have been sharing how they max out their fibre intake at breakfast, for instance. But dietitians cautioned this can be a shock to the system, leading to digestive discomfort, bloating and even diarrhoea or constipation.

That’s where “fibrelayering” comes in.

According to Sasha Watkins, nutritionist and head of health at Mindful Chef, fibrelayering is more of a “slow and steady” approach.

She explained in a social media post that it involves spreading your fibre intake gently across all your meals and snacks throughout the day and week.

The idea is that you’re focusing on consuming diverse types of fibre that support a healthier microbiome, rather than simply loading up.

Dietary fibre is a carbohydrate found naturally in plants. Per the British Nutrition Foundation, it aids in keeping our digestive systems healthy, helps us maintain a healthy bodyweight and prevents constipation.

But different types of fibre can behave very differently in the body, as Dr Emily Leeming, dietitian and author of Fibre Power (now available to pre-order), told Marie Claire.

“Some help to slow the release of sugar into your bloodstream, some tackle ‘bad’ cholesterol helping to support your heart health, others add bulk to your food which stretches your stomach and sends signals to your brain that you’re full and satisfied,” she said.

Registered dietitian Dalia Weinreb noted that as these different types of fibre do different jobs in the body, we don’t simply need “more fibre”, which is what the aim usually is with fibremaxxing.

“We benefit from a variety of fibres feeding different gut microbes and supporting different physiological processes,” she explained.

That’s why she prefers the idea of fibrelayering, because it reflects how the gut works – it’s also a more balanced approach to improving fibre intake.

“Encouraging people to think about diversity rather than just volume shifts the focus from chasing numbers to building balanced, realistic habits,” she told HuffPost UK.

“That’s important, because when nutrition trends become about optimisation or perfection, they can unintentionally create pressure – and that’s often where people disengage or worse, develop disordered eating.”

If you’re looking to consume a more diverse range of fibre, Weinreb has suggested a “pick ‘n’ mix” approach from the following categories throughout the day.

Think: oats, chia seeds, flaxseeds, lentils, beans, apples and carrots.

“This type forms a gel-like substance in the gut. It helps regulate blood sugar, lowers LDL cholesterol, and supports satiety,” explained the dietitian.

“It’s also readily fermented by gut bacteria, producing beneficial short-chain fatty acids.”

Think: wholegrains, brown rice, quinoa, nuts, seeds, leafy greens and vegetable skins.

Insoluble fibre adds bulk to stools and supports bowel regularity, she explained. “It’s crucial for motility and digestive comfort.”

Think: onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, slightly green bananas and oats.

Prebiotic fibre acts as food for beneficial gut bacteria, therefore promoting gut health. “These selectively feed beneficial bacteria,” said Weinreb.

“While many soluble fibres have prebiotic effects, certain fibres such as inulin and resistant starch are particularly supportive for microbial diversity.”

Think: cooked and cooled potatoes or rice, legumes, green bananas and oats.

“This behaves almost like a hybrid between soluble and insoluble fibre and is especially valuable for producing butyrate, which supports gut lining integrity and metabolic health,” she added.

If you layer these across meals – for example, oats and seeds at breakfast, legumes and leafy greens at lunch, and a mix of wholegrains and vegetables at dinner – “they naturally create microbial diversity without needing to overthink it,” said Weinreb.

“That said, I think it’s really important that fibrelayering doesn’t become another perfection-driven checklist. The gut thrives on consistency more than intensity.

“If someone currently eats very little fibre, adding one extra serving of vegetables or one portion of legumes a day is already a win.”

She added that we should celebrate incremental progress, rather than implying there’s a “perfectly curated fibre portfolio” people must hit daily.

If you’re hoping to diversify your fibre intake, Weinreb noted you might see some benefits including:

• Improved digestive regularity
• Reduced bloating over time (once the gut adapts)
• Better blood sugar stability
• Improved cholesterol markers
• Greater satiety and appetite regulation
• Enhanced gut microbiome diversity.

“Ultimately, if fibrelayering encourages people to eat a wider variety of plants, move away from ultra-processed ‘high fibre’ marketing claims, and take a gentler, more balanced approach to gut health, then I think it’s a beneficial movement,” she concluded.

“The key message I’d emphasise is: variety over volume, progress over perfection, and whole foods over expensive supplements.”

That said, if you notice that upping your fibre intake increases uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms, you should see a specialist as you may have an underlying condition that needs treating in the gut.