How many grams of fiber....
 

i was wondering the same thing. i don't come even close to the "recomended" ammount, and i feel like i eat a ton of veggies!!

I don't buy the "25 g fiber" recommendation any more than I buy the "300 g of carbs" recommendation. :thdown:

I take some psyllium if I know I've been negligent in the vegetable department, and/or if I have occasional PMS related constipation, but that's it. On average, with no fiber supplement, I'll be at 10 g per day. No complaints in the Southern hemisphere.

Kristine, that's kind of what I was wondering, if the 25 g of fiber is not needed if we are low-carbing. I'm not overly concerned about the bowel movement of the issue, I don't generally have a problem with that even on less than 10 g of fiber a day, I was thinking more of the the theoretical health benefits of lots of fiber, whether now don't need that many grams of fiber since we aren't polluting our bodies with carbs.

Valerie

This is from an old post of mine ...


25 - 35 grams of fiber per day is a MYTH, promulgated by the same "experts" who want us to believe we must have 6 - 12 servings of breads and cereals every day in order to get it.

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Fiber intake of 30g or more per day can interfere with absorption of important nutrients, in particular calcium, iron and magnesium. Especially bran fiber from grains .. these contain substances called phytates which are anti-nutrients. You might find Barry Groves' (author of Eat Fat, Get Thin) essay, The Bran Wagon to be illuminating. Also this article .. The Tail End of the Fiber Myth, from JunkScience.com.

IMO, when you're eating all kinds of refined starch carbs such as white bread, rice krispies, white rice, twinkies, cake etc etc etc ... you need 25g or more fiber to keep all that gluey sludge moving along. A hundred years ago, white bread was a folk remedy for diarrhea because of its well-known ability to plug you up.

Meats and fats leave little residue when properly digested. Vegetables, nuts, seeds and low-carb fruits provide plenty of fiber, although it's true your intake will be limited while eating very low carbs, such as Atkins Induction. A fiber supplement might be helpful, such as psyllium husks. Ground flax seeds are excellent too.

Make sure you're consuming adequate fats & oils, and drinking lots of water; dehydration can lead to constipatioin no matter how much fiber you eat. If you're eating a carb-controlled diet of natural, minimally processed proteins and fats, along with plenty of leafy greens and other vegetables, then a fiber intake of 15g per day is quite adequate.


my 2.5¢ ;)


Doreen

As a member of the minority ;), I do get in 25 - 30 gms of fiber per day. That's only because I choose the majority of my carbs from veggies and I also eat flax meal every day :). There is a mention (not a requirement, mind you) of meeting 25 gms per day in PPLP - and I found when I aimed to meet that goal, I had less carb options, forcing myself to eat more whole foods. E.g. instead of a dessert, I'll eat berries or a salad with a (homemade) dressing. I eat a lot of broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, looseleaf lettuce, eggplant, mushrooms, asparagus and so on and so forth (not all in one day, mind you :lol: ).

I'm not saying this is the "right" way - it's just what works for me and helps me keep away from carbage and frankenfood while ensuring I eat a lot of whole, natural foods :).

Excellent - thank you for your responses.

Intuitively, I was thinking along the same lines as Doreen's post, but wasn't sure if I was on the right track or not. Thanks for your info Doreen!

I probably could get close to 25 by eating lots of veggies, but I'm just not much of a veggie fan. Even 15 grams a day is high for me, I average about 10 probably. I'll probably do better by the time I get to maintenance as I'll up my consumption of fruit a tad and add more higher carb veggies.

I think I'll look into the flax seed option. I have psyllium husks at home, but they just look SO unappetizing.

Valerie

Valerie, I also get around 10 per day, sometimes a bit less. I don't worry about it unless I get constipated. Pretty rare these days with all the water and fats I take in. I also wondered about this, so am glad Doreen posted!

Thanks!

shadow-- could you post a day's menu, or at least the fiber part. i am wondering how one can possibly get 25g of fiber from veggies. i think i eat a lot now....i couldn't imaging doubling my veggies which is what i would have to do to even come close. how much flax do you eat?? thanks for the help.

also on pg 391 of the protein power book it says
"...people usually need at least 25 grams a day."