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Friday, April 20, 2007

There Are Plenty Of Low-Carb Fiber Options

Low-carb diets get a bad rap for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the assumption that this way of eating does not encourage the consumption of fiber. WHAT?! How absurd! If you are livin' la vida low-carb and NOT eating enough fiber, then don't come whining and complaining to me that you are all stopped up and constipated. That's ridiculous!

Let's be straight about something: fiber itself IS a carbohydrate, but you don't have to count fiber in your total carb consumption. So when I mention low-carb, that doesn't mean you don't consume fiber carbs. You do. However, you get to subtract fiber away from your carb counts to get your net carbs. It's that easy.

Nevertheless, there's confusion about fiber as it relates to low-carb as evidenced by this recent e-mail I received from a reader who wanted to know how she could possibly get more fiber in her diet:

I hate taking pills (that's why I'm not a diet pill popper). I was wondering how do you get enough fiber into your diet when you give up carbs (especially since we are suppose to be taking in 25-38 mg daily)?

I would appreciate your input. I know that carbs made me chunky and I took them out last October...although I lost slowly and hit tons of plateaus, I feel so much better!!!


THANKS so much for writing with you EXCELLENT question about fiber. First let me congratulate you on making livin' la vida low-carb your way of life now. It's the best thing that ever happened to me, too.

I'm a strong proponent of eating plenty of fiber when you are on a low-carb diet. It's too important not to be a major part of your healthy low-carb lifestyle.

Regarding fiber-filled foods, there are many other ways besides Fibercon (which I wouldn't call a "diet pill," but I get what you're saying). Here are just a few of my favorite sources of fiber you'll enjoy:

CHOCOPERFECTION BARS--16g fiber

NEXGEN MUFFINS--24g fiber

COCONUT FLOUR--9g fiber

ATKINS ADVANTAGE BARS--5-10g fiber

KONJAC SHIRATAKI NOODLES--9g fiber

GOLOWER NUT BARS--9g fiber

I personally use all of these products and LOVE THEM! You'll have NO trouble eating over 50-75g daily like I do if you incorporate these into your diet. Of course, there are a plenty of other low-carb fiber options to enjoy, but this is a list of my favorites.

The next time somebody asks how you eat enough fiber on your low-carb lifestyle, you tell 'em you get over 50g daily. You'll blow their mind!

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3 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Let's not forget the high fiber veggies too. Ok, romaine lettuce doesn't have a lot of carbs if you eat a tiny little salad, but you can have a whole head of romaine for very few calories and 4-6 *total* carbs, of which at least half are fiber. (I might be off, it's been a while since I looked). Brocoli and cauliflower are also high in fiber. So are nuts, and they fill you up. You might have forgotten what a real vegetable serving is, if you've been on a low fat/low calorie diet for a while.

4/20/2007 4:12 PM  
Blogger Kevin M. said...

For those who do not cook, try General Mills' Fiber One cereal, one of the rare cereals produced with zero grams sugar, lots of fiber, and good taste. There are also now generic versions coming out. Of course, there are many other fiber cereals. Try with Hood Calorie Countdown milk (formerly Carb Countdown) - only 3g of sugar per cup instead of the 12g of regular milk. Yummy and crunchy. There are also other fiber or bran based cereals with only 4-7 grams of sugar per cup, including Nature's Promise, South Beach, and regular wheat, corn and oat cereals. You can't avoid all carbs in cereal, but you can keep the added sugar to a minimum. Check the labels.

4/20/2007 10:38 PM  
Blogger Kudzu said...

It seems to me that as long as you are consuming some vegetables with your meat and eggs, that you should not have to worry about how many grams of fiber you are consuming overall.

If eating low-carb for the last 7 years has taught me anything, it's just to use my head and think logically about diet, without giving too much weight to the so-called experts, who tell you to eat so many grams of this or that. I mean, how did the caveman ever go #2 without wheat bran or Metamucil to help him along?? Quite naturally, it just happened as it was supposed to because he ate the diet that mother nature provided. Physical excercise helps get things moving, too. Not too many caveman/couch potatos I'd bet...they were too busy foraging for their next meal! We weren't meant to be sedentary creatures.

Not that anyone asked, but I feel the same way about water consumption. I aim for drinking enough to remain well-hydrated, but not so much that I'm in the bathroom constantly. I know that many believe in drinking tons of water every day but it just doesn't seem natural to me to force excess liquids.

I'll get off my soapbox now. Love your blog, Jimmy. Congrats on hitting the 2-year mark!

4/22/2007 6:51 AM  

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