Name: Why everyone’s now obsessed with fibre (and cabbages) - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service
Uploaded: 2026-02-28T08:23:30.000Z
Duration: 11 min 36 s
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And when we look at the data more broadly, fiber intake tends to be low across many countries, especially in Western diets.

Relative clauses (Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive)

This is the fiber gap that young people are trying to fill with the fiber.

But the choice being cabbage, I personally think is based on few things.

Hey, I'm Ikra and this is what's in the World from the BBC World Service.

You guys might remember, this is the podcast that told you all about whether we're eating too much protein.

That episode is linked right here if you to check it out.

But I've had the humble cabbage thrown into my hands as times have changed things up because Vogue has declared 2026 the year of the cabbage.

It's all part of the viral fiber maxing trend.

So why is fiber and why is the cabbage so cool these days?

Your algorithm has been serving you a lot of cabbage lately.

I mean I noticed there's like, whenever you're scrolling on TikTok, there's like a lot of recommendation of people just like making cabbage soup, making cabbage dumpling and all that.

But I think the funny part is that when I saw that post on Instagram of Fog doing this photo shoot in the middle of a cabbage field and the Post was titled 2026, the year of Cabbage.

So that was just so interesting but so in serious to me I was just like doing a lot of research, just like reading on the Internet about it.

And this has started like a few years, but it's not a consistent thing.

And I wouldn't exactly call cabbage a glamorous vegetable, but

Vogue, the magazine have declared it to be in at the moment.

So most of our trends are not only based on TikTok but also on Pinterest.

So when you go on Pinterest you see even like a lot of fashion houses are having bags inspired by cabbage.

Also you see those like aesthetic plates that mimicking like a cabbage leaf.

This has been like a trend that a lot of fashion houses are playing around with the aesthetic of vegetables and fruits.

But also I think it has a lot to do with wellness trend around the world and especially amongst Gen Z.

Gen Z are a little bit more obsessed about being healthy and being fit and eating well, but

also without spending much, because we do struggle with spending much, especially with like the groceries prices and all that.

So we've been talking a lot about cabbage, but scaling it back a little bit more.

People are wanting to increase their fiber intake, and

so we' asked a nutritionist about that, about the health benefits of fiber maxing.

All right, so how much fiber should we actually be getting?

So for most adults, the general Target is around 25 to 30 grams per day.

The interesting thing though, is that most people aren't getting anywhere near that.

And when we look at the data more broadly, fiber intake tends to be low across many countries, especially in western diets.

And that's because modern eating patterns are often higher in refined or ultra processed foods, which naturally contain much less fiber.

Now, is it possible to have too much fiber?

There isn't a strict toxic upper limit like we have with some vitamins and minerals.

But yes, I would say it is possible to have too much.

What I see more often though is that people tend to increase fiber too quickly.

So if someone suddenly jumps their intake, especially through supplements or very high fiber foods, and

they're not drinking enough fluids, they can experience bloating, gas, IBS like symptoms, loose stools, or just general digestive discomforts.

And very high intakes over time may also interfere with the absorption of certain minerals like iron, calcium and zinc.

So the key is really building up gradually and making sure hydration comes with it as well.

of course, for some people with specific medical conditions, digestive conditions, very high fiber is not always suitable.

So it's always about tailoring it to the individual.

And that brings us to another really important question.

Are some ways of eating fiber better than others?

Actually, fiber from whole foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, nuts, whole grains, they tend to be better than relying on isolated fiber supplements or fiber enriched processed foods.

And that's because whole foods don't just give you fiber.

They also provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and plant compounds that all work together.

We also have different types of fiber which do different jobs in the body.

So soluble fiber dissolves in water and it forms some sort of gel.

It helps slow digestion, stabilize blood sugar.

You'll find that in foods like oats, legumes, like beans, lentils, fruits and some seeds.

And then we have insoluble fiber, which does not dissolve, it just adds bulk to the stool and it helps keep Digestion regular.

And that's found more in whole grains, nuts, seeds and loads of vegetables.

Now, something else that I'm going to add is that one of the newer perspectives in nutrition is that it's not just about total fiber, it's about fiber diversity.

So eating a wide variety of plant foods across meals and across the week, it helps feed a wider range of gut microbiomes and that's linked to better gut health and better overall metabolic health as well.

But over social media, everything become a term.

So there's two terms like fiber maxin and fiber gap.

So technically, health wise, we are committed to eats 25 grams according to a study that was sponsored by the World Health Organization.

But people recently and like in the past year have not been eating enough fiber.

And this is also based on another study that was sponsored by the same organization that says people eat mostly around from 12 to 15 grams.

So this is the fiber gap that young people are trying to fill with the fiber maxin.

First of all, cabbage is not an expensive vegetable.

It's something that you can go to the supermarket and buy it for cheap.

Like you won't eat much of cabbage to have like a full meal.

Obviously, often health trends encourages to spend more of our money.

So it feels like this is kind of going in the reverse, right?

So I think for, for a long time, like, especially you would see, I'm not sure if it's only my for your page, but

you'd see like all these videos of like influencers going to Erwan, which is this very health and wealth expensive store in the US and being like, I bought a ginger shot for like $20 and it made my skin look better or it changed my life.

And people would try to find ways to get that.

But I think now there's some sort of awareness that we don't need to spend much to get good quality things.

And also, most like young people, they cannot really afford spending that much.

And I think now there's even awareness over social media that people would call out people who encourage those unhealthy spending behaviors and be like, no, you can make this yourself at home.

So we've seen that cabbage is popular not only in the traditional cooked form, but Also fermented form.

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