Getting Enough Fiber on a Low Carb Diet

[HANSEL]

Most of us are trained to get our fiber from carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, fruits and cereals. On a low carbohydrate diet, these foods are restricted. It becomes necessary, therefore, to find alternative methods to increase the fiber in your diet.

However, many vegetables have as much fiber, or more, per serving than a slice of bread. Good veggie sources of fiber for low-carbers include spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, and celery.

In addition, psyllium husks and flax meal, either mixed with water or sprinkled on food, are inexpensive and excellent sources of fiber. There are also flax meal cereals, such as Bob’s Red Mill brand, that can be made into porridge with excellent fiber and no carbohydrates.

If necessary, a synthetic form of fiber such as Metamucil should be utilized. Remember, you are not only expediting your weight loss, you are also protecting yourself from potential health problems.

 

[sk*]

Don't fibers have carbs? It's hard for people on a no carb diet.

-sk

 

[HANSEL]

the carbs in fiber are not digestible so they are inert.

 

[sk*]

the carbs in fiber are not digestible so they are inert.

WOW never knew that, gonna start adding chicken caesar salad to my meals now without the crutons. Can someone else verify this though?

-sk

 

[kidvilla]

most food that has fiber has some carbs, but the amount is usually negligible (as long as you don't go to extremes, like trying to eat a pound of lettuce).... your typical small salad with lettuce, carrots, nuts, cheese, shrimp (i like meat), and dressing may have 12 grams of carbs, but the high fiber content diminishes the impact of these carbs too, so you are unlikely to get knocked out of ketosis (unless you are one of the unlucky few who is super sensitive to even small carb amounts).

it's still well worth it to eat salads and as a matter of fact, i eat them every other day regardless of whether im on a diet ... being creative with them makes them super-tasty, and they almost never are sinful (so long as you are smart in how you prepare them).....

psyllium is also a great way to get fiber, but keep in mind, do not use too much (no more than 2-3 glassfuls a day) because although there is no scientific evidence, it is widely accepted that too much fiber will also be unhealthy because your intestines get pounded and your beneficial bacteria get wiped out too, thus leaving you with a slightly compromised immune system .....

i guess the idea is moderation....

 

[kidvilla]

a better way to look at it is there are many different types of carbs .... there are simple digestible (sugar, dextrose, fructose, lactose, quick and elevate your insulin rapidly), Disaccharides (sugar, milk, maltose, almost as quick and also fast on insulin), complex digestible (grains and legumes, and in very small amounts, meat; slow in raising insulin levels), partially digested complex (vegetables , beans, legumes, also slow to raise insulin), and indigestible complex (fiber, psyllium, cellulose, don't affect insulin because they can't be digested, nutritional deadweight with a purpose). most leafy greens like lettuce contain a mix of indigestible and complex, and a very small amount of simple carbs.... so of 30 grams of carbs in a salad, only 12 affect insulin, and of those 12, only about 4 are sugars/simple (but even the sugars get slowed down due to the high complex fiber content because high fibers act as sponges, which slow down the release of the sugars)

 

[satchboogie]

try pure bran.

1 tablespoon has 1g protein, 1g carb, .5g fat and 3.1g fiber!

 

[Daisy_Girl]

try pure bran.

1 tablespoon has 1g protein, 1g carb, .5g fat and 3.1g fiber!

I use 100% bran to make protein pancakes - instead of using the mix, I use bran and protein powder. Doesn't taste GREAT, but is a nice change. Add sugar-free syrup and you have an okay meal!

 

[adonis1]

what about fiber one cereal??....it seems the fiber content is too good to be true...just wrote another post about this before i could read this one

 

[satchboogie]

I use 100% bran to make protein pancakes - instead of using the mix, I use bran and protein powder. Doesn't taste GREAT, but is a nice change. Add sugar-free syrup and you have an okay meal!

personally, i mix a spoon with water and chug it down after every meal. that's 4g of fiber after every meal and ultimately 26g of fiber a day (to to include the fiber from my diet)