NEW YORK: First it was protein, now it´s fibre: the “maxxing” mindset has permeated social media, as wellness influencers insist that loading up on certain nutrients is the key to vitality and a life-changing gut glow-up.
These viral diet trends rooted in extreme optimization are impacting how people eat and what companies sell -- but are they actually healthy?
The concept of “proteinmaxxing” insists that more is better when it comes to the macronutrient found in foods like meat, dairy and nuts, which is essential to a vast array of bodily functions such as repairing tissue or enhancing immune function.
Meanwhile dietary fibre is on track to be 2026´s online trend of choice: ingest as much as possible and you´ll be less hungry and more regular, say online advocates who wave bowls of chia seeds and oats at the camera.
Brands have taken note: if you can buy it, there´s probably a protein-boosted version of it -- even the sugariest cereals are touting their high protein content.
And blue chip companies like PepsiCo and Nestle along with newer firms like Olipop are jumping on the bandwagon, highlighting the fibre content in prebiotic sodas or chips.
“I think fibre will be the next protein,” said PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta in an earnings call late last year.
A survey from the consulting firm Bain & Company showed nearly half of US consumers are trying to eat more protein.
Across the United States, Europe and Asia, it´s Gen Z and Millennial consumers primarily driving the fad, according to the survey.
The same goes for fibre: according to London´s GlobalData, 40 per cent of Gen Z and 45 per cent of Millennials reported they´re trying to improve their gut health.
Nutritionists say there are grains of truth to the fibre craze.
Andrea Glenn, an assistant professor of nutrition at New York University, called the movement surrounding fibre a “pretty tame wellness trend compared to the other things out there.”
Samantha Snashall, a registered dietitian at Ohio State University´s medical centre, said protein has been “the special child” in recent years -- and fibre has been “pretty undervalued.”
“I´m glad it´s having some light shed on it.”
But those experts along with Arch Mainous -- a professor of community health and family medicine at the University of Florida, who has researched the use of social media in health communication -- said more isn´t always best, especially when it comes to protein.
Mainous said eating according to the recommended daily values is one thing -- but “if you say one´s good, five´s better? I´m not really for that.”
He voiced concern that people are putting too much stock in the one-size-fits-all health advice of influencers.
It´s part of a broader trend that has resulted in a “lack of trust in health experts,” he said -- a “I´ll do my own research” mentality that has also been fueled by the likes of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has spread anti-vaccine misinformation for years.
