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Episode details

World Service,26 Feb 2026,9 mins

Fibremaxxing: Why are we now obsessed with cabbage?

What in the World

Available for over a year

Vogue and Business Insider have declared 2026 the ‘year of the cabbage’. The vegetable has gone viral amid the rise of ‘fibremaxxing’ - with young people posting reels praising it for its versatility and trying to glamourise it with healthy gourmet-style meals. So, why has the humble vegetable had a rebrand? And what does it tell us about Gen Z finances? BBC reporter Basma El-Atti explains the trend - and tells us about the fibre gap. And Zara Hiridjee, a nutritionist in the UK explains how much fibre we need, whether you can have too much and the different types of fibre you need in your diet. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Benita Barden, Chelsea Coates and Emilia Jansson Video producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

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