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Constipation on the Ketogenic Diet

By February 27, 2010December 19th, 2022Nutrition Education, Supplements

Testimony of the Day

My heart fills with joy with stories like this:

“Hey all! I waited to have a full three months of success maintaining my weight because in all honesty that has never happened for me after losing weight. I have experience with WW and exercising my brains out, and any time I met my goal weight, and backed off my regimen, I gained weight back. Super frustrating. I have always been an active person that enjoys fitness but I also continually weighed the heaviest healthiest weight for my height. A year after having my third baby, at my heaviest weight, and age 40, I started working with Maria, and now I have been in the middle of my healthy weight range and am wearing the same size jeans I did in high school and college. That is amazing for a 41 year old woman who wore two sizes larger that last 12 years.

I was skeptical in the beginning about everything, especially the supplements. I decided that since she was only asking me to take them until I healed my body, it was worth the investment. I have to admit I did accumulate some debt changing over my entire pantry and purchasing all the recommended supplements. At about three months I decided I wasn’t going to repurchase an expensive supplement, but I was super crabby and short with my kids and decided I should get one more bottle because I just knew going off the supplement was the reason for feeling so edgy. Sure enough after a few days back on the supplement I was calmer and less irritable. After completing that bottle it had been six months and though I was afraid to not take it, I didn’t have any issues.

Healed? I think so! Maria also helped me identify a health issue the doctors kept labeling heart burn. She gave me delicious meal plans to keep the “heart burn” away. Too much dairy and I get a burning in my intestines I really feel in the late hours of night or early morning. No dairy no burning. I also learned that when I indulge in diary my skin breaks out. I suffered from adult acne until I ate the Maria way. Because of my burning tummy issues I also went dairy free for 4 months and had the most beautiful skin. Now I know the secret to beautiful skin for me.

I know I won’t be happy unless I I take care of myself, like Maria recommends. My biggest issue before working with Maria was not sleeping well. And that is what is most challenging not taking my supplements.

My honest testimony of my experience working Maria. I did it all. I put it to the test and now I know what is good for me, what makes me feel good. I couldn’t do it without Maria’s help. In summation, I lost 30lbs, my acne went away, my stomach pain went away, my mood lifted, I am a better Mommy and better person, my husband enjoys this improved version of me, and I have great hope for a long happy life. Oh, and my numbers from my annual physical in June were perfect. Thank you Maria!”

Most people I consult are doing keto totally wrong. Get fast results with the my NEW Keto School!

Click HERE to check out my NEW Keto School!

Constipation on the Ketogenic Diet

There was a time when I didn’t go #2 daily and was told by my doctor that my body was just different and didn’t need to go everyday. At that time I was eating a Standard American Diet (SAD) of healthy “whole grains.” But at about age 20, I started to get severe Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). When my dog, Teva, started losing her hair in patches, the first thing my veterinarian asked me was, “What are you feeding her?” Yes! What a good question! But you know what? I have never been asked that question at the doctor. Not once. My doctor just told me to take that neon-orange powder called Citrucel and said it would cure me. You know what, it helped  a lot for a while, but then I started realizing all the food dye and fake stuff I was putting in my body couldn’t be good. It was killing my intestinal flora and creating a dependency on fiber.

MIRALAX AND CONSTIPATION 

Are you or your children using Miralax for chronic constipation? This is not only not recommended for more than 7 days for adult, it isn’t FDA approved for children!

Stop treating the symptoms and start treating the cause.

There isn’t a day goes by that I get asked “Don’t I need fiber to go #2?” Fiber has been hyped as a critical piece of a healthy diet which I once believed. A common mistake I see many clients do is subtract fiber from the carbohydrate count to get “net” carbs. We see clients kicked out of ketosis all the time with too much fiber.

The theoretical health benefits of a high-fiber diet have not been proven by research. On the contrary, many studies have confirmed that a high fiber is harmful for intestinal health and you become dependent on the irritant that fiber is to the gut in order to eliminate daily, which causes further damage.

If you think about it, babies that are breast-fed don’t get any fiber and they eliminate multiple times a day! If they don’t it is often foods that the mother is eating causing the constipation.

We have also been mistakenly told by our trusted doctors that a high-fiber diet is a great defensive against the change of diverticulitis and IBS. On the contrary, it has been proven that a high-fiber diet decreases gut flora and irritates the lining of the gut; which increases risk of this disease. It has also been found that there is no link between the diverticulitis and intake of a high fat diet or consumption of red meat, which are other factors commonly blamed to cause diverticulitis.

Too often people on the ketogenic diet are eating way too much dairy and nuts instead of focusing on protein. Dairy and nuts cause constipation! That is why I wrote 4 books that are dairy and nut free!  The 30 Day Ketogenic Cleanse, Easy Dairy Free Ketogenic Recipes, Protein Sparing Modified Fast recipes as well as my specialized meal plans that I make for clients.

When people start a ketogenic diet, along goes a lot of water loss. Carbohydrates retain water so as you eliminate those, water retention goes. This is great for blood pressure, but it isn’t great for energy, moods, headaches or constipation. This is why you need to add in salt. The colon needs salt! Salt will help you retain some of the water you need for the colon. If you think about all of the breads, pasta, rice, desserts you are no longer eating; those foods have copious amounts of sodium in them!  A McDonald’s milk shake has more sodium than their french fries! When you start cooking at home, most of the time we use very little salt on our eggs or meat and too little salt will cause constipation.

And instead of giving your children pear or prune juice which is filled with sugar and further causes deficiencies (it takes 54mg magnesium to process 1 gram of sugar, even “natural fruit sugar”), please click HERE to do an assessment for proper doses of good gut bacteria and minerals needed for healthy stools.

 Another cute testimony! 

Hi Maria! Thank you for your supplement recommendations! I added probiotics and it has helped me A LOT! I’m actually down 4 pounds. I need to add the vitamin c and magnesium. I ordered online so just waiting.

But those probiotics work magic. I’ve taken antibiotics every years since I remember. I have always been i’ll with allergies, sinus infection, bronchitis, colds, etc. My friends would call me “Dolores” in high school, that’s Spanish for pain. I was always sick and in pain. I’ve had constipation issues forever. I’ve taken fiber to help, but never work and when desperate Xlax was my way out. Since last week I’ve become regular. It’s a miracle. My 5 year old also has issues and I started adding 1 probiotic pill to her milk in the morning. I open the pill and mix in her milk. It’s also helping her. Thank you Maria. I keep learning so much by following you on FB and your blog and reading your books too. – Angie”

 

Most people I consult are doing keto totally wrong. Get fast results with the my NEW Keto Packages!

Click HERE to check out my NEW Keto Packages!

Maria Emmerich

Maria is a wellness expert who has helped clients follow a Ketogenic lifestyle to heal and lose weight for over 20 years. She has helped thousands of clients get healthy, get off medications and heal their bodies; losing weight is just a bonus. She is the international best selling author of several books including "Keto: The Complete Guide to Success on the Ketogenic Diet.".

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