To reduce his cholesterol levels, 43-year-old Bryan Rucker switched to a mostly vegetarian diet and started to eat more fiber-rich foods. 

“Because of my vegetarian diet, I naturally added more fiber — lots of legumes, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains,” said Rucker, who writes the substack “Back to the Garden,” a newsletter about old vegetarian cookbooks. 

But getting enough of the nutrient each day is tough, which is why he began supplementing his diet by purchasing high-fiber tortillas.

After a year and half on his new diet, Rucker’s cholesterol is lower, his digestion has improved and he’s lost about 30 pounds. 

Ninety-five percent of Americans are fiber deficient, according to national surveys. But more Americans, especially younger consumers, are adding fiber to their diets thanks to increasing awareness about its health benefits. 

Users on TikTok are trying to pack more of the nutrient in their meals by assembling oatmeal bowls loaded with chia seeds; snapping open cans of Olipop and Poppi (two popular brands of so-called “gut pop”) on the beach, and meal prepping “dense bean salads,” a term coined by content creator Violet Witchel to describe a high-fiber dish packed with legumes, vegetables and protein. 

Creators on the app have touted the benefits of fiber, pointing out that it can help lower the risk of colon cancer, which has been on the rise among young adults.  

Fiber intake is also associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer, along with lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. 

Fiber may also help alleviate some of the gastrointestinal side effects of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which have exploded in popularity in recent years.

Depending on their age, women should consume between 22 and 28 grams of fiber a day, while men should consume between 28 and 34 grams, according to guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Companies are paying attention to market demand and now using fiber as a selling point, experts told Marketplace. 

Mission Foods proclaims that its low-carb tortillas have “high fiber,” while the premium cereal brand Magic Spoon prominently highlights the exact amount of fiber in some of its products. And Olipop and Poppi are advertised as drinks that contain prebiotics, a type of fiber that can help nourish the good bacteria in your gut.

Experts are wary about the health claims made by companies like Olipop and Poppi, and say that consumers should try to up their fiber intake by eating whole grains, fruits and vegetables instead. Poppi recently settled an $8.9 million class-action lawsuit that alleged its products are not as gut healthy as it claims. 

But the increased scrutiny didn’t stop PepsiCo from purchasing Poppi for almost $2 billion this year. Nor did it stop the multinational food company from announcing plans to launch its own prebiotic soda this fall. 

How gut health became cool

While protein has been “the darling of American food culture” for at least two decades, fiber competes with protein as the ingredient people are most actively trying to add to their diets, said Shelley Balanko, senior vice president at the Hartman Group, a consumer research and consulting firm.

Almost 70% of consumers are trying to increase their daily fiber intake, up 7% since 2023, Balanko said.

Sales for products with high-fiber claims have increased 6% each year in the U.S. between 2019 and 2024, which signals “good growth,” according to Euromonitor, a research and consulting firm.  

Companies that target mainstream audiences have historically been reluctant to push fiber-related products, even though American diets lack fiber, said Matthew Barry, the global insight manager for food, cooking and meals at Euromonitor. 

“Fiber, put bluntly, just isn’t very sexy,” Barry said.

But the demand for fiber is growing and companies are starting to develop more high-fiber products because people have a greater understanding about how important your microbiome is to your overall health, Barry said. Fiber helps support your microbiome — a collection of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microbes located in your gut. And a healthy microbiome can support your immune system, cardiovascular health and maybe even your mental health, Barry said. 

There’s been a gradual cultural shift toward this idea that being interested in your microbiome is something you can be proud of, he explained. 

“Maybe it’s even cool, I dare say,” Barry said. 

More people are also on GLP-1 medicines, like Ozempic and Wegovy, and look for high-fiber products because fiber may be able to alleviate the digestive issues that are common side effects of these medications, Barry said. 

Not your grandparents’ Metamucil 

While well-established brands like Metamucil are associated with older Americans, newer companies on the market are trying to attract Gen Zers and millennials. Their products come in social-media friendly packaging that is designed to be shown off, Barry said. 

Olipop and Poppi use eye-catching colors for their soda cans, while the gut health company BelliWelli — which wants to target “the Stanley cup generation” — sells fiber supplements in hot pink jars.

“It’s not something you hide away. If you think about Metamucil, you're not proud of showing it off. You're not gonna post it on Instagram, and say, ‘Look, I’m taking my Metamucil,’” Barry said. 

Millennials and Gen Zers came of age at a time when U.S. food culture started becoming strongly oriented around health and wellness, which explains why brands are marketing fiber-related products to them, Balanko said. 

“Young consumers are actually thinking about their longevity and their vitality,” Balanko said.

While fiber is gaining popularity among younger consumers, there are still untapped demographics. Barry said he thinks that going forward, companies are going to place a greater emphasis on marketing fiber toward demographics that haven’t been traditionally as interested in fiber, like men. 

Women have typically been more comfortable talking about gastrointestinal issues – think of the “Hot Girls with IBS” trend, Barry said. Women have used hashtags like #IBStiktok and #hotgirlswithIBS to share stories about what it’s like living with irritable bowel syndrome — a gastrointestinal disease that can cause “uncomfortable or painful abdominal symptoms” according to the Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit academic medical center. 

“We haven't seen a whole lot of direct targeting of fiber toward men, even though, if you look at the stats, fiber deficiencies are higher among men,” Barry said. 

Not all fiber is created equal 

While there are a bevy of options available to consumers, you should eat whole, minimally processed foods and aim to get your fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, said Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

“There are now dozens of synthetic or purified fibers that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration as additives, and those are not the same as the fiber that's naturally part of the plant,” Willett said. 

To be called a fiber according to the FDA’s definition, you just have to show it provides laxation, which means more frequent bowel movements, or it helps lower blood cholesterol levels, Willett said.

“But it doesn't have to have all the minerals and vitamins that would come with the natural forms of fiber,” Willett said. 

Bryan Rucker said he enjoys a can of Olipop here and there because he enjoys the taste, but he tries to make as many meals at home as he can. 

Just like how companies have cashed in on America’s protein craze, he expects companies to release more products with claims of high fiber, which we may not be able to trust. 

“My advice to anyone is to just cook yourself and eat as many real foods as possible,” Rucker said.