This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they’re going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here.
“I will explode your butthole with this poopmaxxer pesto,” a calm Gen Z voice announced from my phone’s speakers. “And don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like poop, unless that’s what you’re into … I don’t know if Italians will approve of this, but it’s for my … a-butt-a-hole-a!”
What followed in that video was actually a pretty good recipe. Two cups of blanched peas mixed into a fairly standard pesto recipe for a yield of 18 grams of fiber. Never mind my spouse’s flabbergasted face as the video played over and over while I blanched and blended in the kitchen.
Not all TikTok fibermaxxers are as disturbingly whimsical as @hallysicle, a self-described “chaotic wellness” creator responsible for the poopmaxxer pesto; the cognitive dissonance of her deadpan scatological narration, cottagecore kawaii aesthetic, and actually good recipes is very much her own creation. That said, many of TikTok’s fiberheads are gleefully unhinged when preaching the benefits of the criminally underappreciated and underconsumed macronutrient.
There’s Liam, a friendly nutritional fad debunker who’s also gained fame as “the Bean Guy” for his love of beans and fiber. He is regularly summoned in the comments of any bean recipe. (Once showing up as an actual ghostly beanfather.) On the other side of the spectrum, there’s Fiber Daddy — a dry influencer who says you’re being “a total dumdum” for throwing away your broccoli stems. He claims to poop four times daily and sells a supplement called Liquid Salad. But perhaps more surprising are the fiber-obsessed healthcare providers also jumping in on the trend.
Considering that roughly 95 percent of Americans fall short of the daily recommended amount of fiber, you’d think fibermaxxing is unequivocally a good thing. But as with anything on the internet, “maxxing” doesn’t always tell the whole story.
Why is the internet suddenly obsessed with fiber and pooping? There’s no single reason, but rather a few larger-scale health trends converging with the influencer content economy.
Take GLP-1 usage. The so-called Ozempic economy is one big reason why you’re seeing a huge push for fresh foods and proteinwashing at the grocery store. Because GLP-1s can suppress appetite, people on these medications have to prioritize protein and fiber in their diets to prevent muscle loss and alleviate gastrointestinal side effects. (One example: those Grüns gummy bears appealing to GLP-1 users in their marketing.) This affects an increasingly large portion of the population. A recent Gallup survey has found that in the US, GLP-1 usage has skyrocketed to 11 percent in 2026 from 3 percent just two years ago.
There’s also been a rising number of videos featuring young people in their 20s and 30s sharing their stories of battling colon cancer. These videos are often bolstered by social media-savvy gastroenterologists and dietitians who are also trying to raise awareness of this trend and early-onset symptoms. There are likely several reasons why colorectal cancer is on the rise, but one common refrain: Partaking in a fiber-rich diet can help reduce risk compared to the typical American diet.
The scary thing is that this isn’t baseless fearmongering or a viral trend taking science out of context. A recent study has found that mortality from colorectal cancer in people under 50 has been increasing by 1.1 percent per year since 2005, making it the leading cause of cancer-related death in this cohort. Today, the American Cancer Society estimates that 45 percent of new diagnoses come from people under 65 years old, a significant increase from 27 percent in 1995.
So all things considered, yes — fiber (and therefore, pooping) is on a lot of people’s minds. That, in turn, makes it ripe for contentmaxxing online.
In some respects, this could be a good thing. While RFK Jr.’s MAHA movement has zeroed in on protein — a nutrient that the vast majority of Americans are not deficient in — fiber is an important and consequential macronutrient that virtually everyone gets too little of. Put plainly, dietary fiber is a type of complex carbohydrate that the body can’t digest and primarily comes from plant foods. It also comes in two types: soluble and insoluble. The former dissolves in water, forming a gel-like substance in your gut that helps lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels. The latter helps add bulk to your poops, making them easier to pass and helps prevent constipation.
On top of these benefits, a high-fiber diet is associated with greater satiety — good for weight management — and overall bowel health by helping prevent hemorrhoids, feeding the beneficial bacteria in your gut microbiome, and, again, reducing overall colorectal cancer risk.
But as with any health trend, more is not always better. Not all fiber is created equal.
To be fair, the majority of fibermaxxers online tend to focus on fiber-rich diets featuring whole foods. Inspiration for palatable ways to sneak in veggies, oats, beans, or leafy greens during busy weeks, sometimes in quirky ways. That kind of fibermaxxing content is relatively harmless. You just might hear a lot about poop and see numerous poop emojis.
But social media often erases nuance to sell you something. And it’s only a matter of time before companies hawking fiber supplements hop on the bandwagon.
Three supplements I’ve previously covered in Optimizer are already doing this. There’s AG1, which has a whole fiber page to promote its Essentials Gummies product. (It’s more famous greens powder only has 2g of fiber, after all.) Huel, a meal replacement drink, sells a fiber boost bundle. And then there’s the aforementioned Grüns, which prominently features its 6g of fiber per pack in its marketing. Considering how the commercial food industry is stuffing protein into every product, it wouldn’t take much for fibermaxxed versions of ultra-processed foods to start hitting shelves — if they haven’t already.
As part of a diverse diet, fiber supplements aren’t the worst thing. The problem is you need both soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet to get all the benefits. Supplements tend to overindex on inulin, psyllium husk, or tapioca fiber — all of which are soluble and, in excess, can cause a lot of gas. (Turns out, a soluble source is generally easier to incorporate into various forms.) Fiber supplements have their time and place! But it’s also in the name. They’re meant to supplement in a pinch, not be the convenient way to get fiber while avoiding plants in your diet.
Speaking of gas, some fibermaxxers are actually advocating for fartmaxxing with absurd goals like 60 to 100g of fiber per day. Technically, there is no official upper limit to fiber. The unofficial limit is what your digestive system can handle. Just as a diet full of diverse fiber sources can alleviate gas and bloating, going ham on fiber intake too quickly can cause gastrointestinal distress. (Beans have a reputation for a reason.) The daily recommended amount of fiber is roughly 14 grams per 1,000 calories — or 25 to 38g per day depending on age and caloric needs. Health experts and the literature largely agree that’s what most people should aspire to, slowly, gradually, and with lots of water to mitigate negative side effects until the digestive system adjusts.
Lastly, not everyone can boost their fiber intake willy-nilly. Those with Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or bowel obstructions need to consult their doctors. The same goes for people on certain thyroid, cardiovascular, diabetes, and depression medications. Fiber supplements, for example, can interfere with absorption and make a drug less effective, so meal timing becomes more important.
Of all the “maxxing” trends, fibermaxxing has been one of the less problematic. (So far.) Most dietitians and gastroenterologists would likely rejoice if more people strolled into their appointments asking for help in boosting fiber intake. But in the wellness wild west, things can get stupid real fast. Part of why maxxing hits so hard with health trends is that it taps into fearmongering — often about genuine concerns based on a modicum of science — with an easy black-and-white solution. Social media creators, including well-intentioned ones, hop onto sound bites to gain views, and then affiliate partnership deals to keep the lights on. Nuance is tragically less viral.
The truth is, doctors have been telling us all to prioritize fiber for decades. Eat the rainbow. Prioritize whole foods. Make sure to eat a serving of veggies with each meal. Whole grains over refined grains! All of these could be considered the OG fibermaxxing commandments. They’ll also still be true once the fibermaxxing moment has given way to the next eye-searing, brain-breaking health fad.
