Fiber and Constipation

On my weekly support meeting on keto-adapted.com, someone asked about constipation on the keto diet. This member of keto-adapted.com was new to eating keto. Often times when starting the keto diet, people get constipated. This is NOT because they aren’t eating enough fiber.

You might be thinking, “I thought we needed fiber to be regular and feed our gut flora.”

New born babies do not get any fiber and they poo all the time! You do not need fiber if you are constipated and fiber will cause more issues to your gut!

Let’s take a closer look at human digestion and fiber’s role.

There are two types of dietary fiber: insoluble and soluble.

Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve in water. It is the tough stuff that makes up tree bark and nutshells. There is a lot of it in grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables, and certain fruits. It passes through our entire digestive tract practically untouched. Not even the bacteria in our gut flora can easily digest it. Insoluble fiber is said to be good for us because it can “bulk up our stool” and help “keep things moving,” but there is growing evidence that fiber can actually be detrimental to digestive health. It can elongate and irritate the bowel, which can cause serious issues.

Studies have shown that reducing fiber consumption actually reduces constipation.

A high-fiber diet also has been shown to make diverticulosis (a condition that causes small, bulging pouches to form in the digestive tract) worse, not better. There even is a study that refutes the supposed heart-healthy claims about fiber; the subjects of this study showed no reduction in heart issues with increased fiber intake.

Soluble fiber dissolves in water. It gels when added to liquid—think Metamucil. It also feeds some of your gut flora, as it is fermentable by the microbes in the gut, and thus is thought tobe good for the health of the gut microbiome. But is dietary fiber necessary for a healthy gut microbiome?

First, the cellulose and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) in plants are not the only fermentables that can feed the gut flora (aka prebiotics). There are many others, including many animal sources.

As you can see, fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are the most fermentable foods. But they are found only in certain vegetables and fruits, and typically in small amounts. Tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant, carrots, cauliflower, and many other types of produce have no FOS. The highest FOS contents are found in foods like scallions and white onions.

White onions have 2 grams of FOS per 100 grams (about the size of one medium onion). Most vegetables and fruits, if they contain any FOS, contain less than 1 gram per 100 grams.

There are other prebiotics in plants, but they are much less fermentable. (Cellulose is 1.53 compared to FOS at 10.37.)

• After FOS, the next most fermentable products are animal sources:
  • Collagen (found in connective parts and joints of animals)
  • Casein (milk protein)
  • Glucosamine (found in cartilage)
  • Chicken cartilage
  • Glucosamine chondroitin (found in cartilage)

These animal sources are not far behind FOS in their ability to feed the gut flora. So you can feed your gut flora with animal foods. In addition to the above, butyric acid (found in butter and cheese) feeds the gut flora along, as do other animal sources. Therefore, we can safely say that eating carnivore doesn’t mean depriving your gut flora of food, as many people would lead you to believe. There is growing evidence that large amounts of plant fiber are not only unnecessary but may actually be detrimental to health. We don’t see how shoving loads of a nutrient that our bodies largely cannot digest through the GI tract, causing elongation of the bowel as well as irritation, could possibly be healthy.

If you are constipated and need help healing, click HERE to get personalized help! 

Learn much much more on how to heal your gut and maximize your health on our new Carnivore Course! 

Click HERE to check it out! 

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