High fiber diet and keto

(Mike Clarke) #1

So my doctor insists that I eat a high fiber diet to keep hemorrhoid’s at bay. I want to go keto, but i know the high fiber wont get my carbs low enough. Any ideas?

#2

I’d have to agree given that I have permanent damage now thanks to nearly no fiber for years, nothing but issues crapping correctly, always bought into the “We don’t need fiber” thing, a colonoscopy in my 30’s showed the damage. YEARS of trying to work around it not believing it was the lack of fiber. Was crapping normally again after a couple DAYS supplementing fiber back in after being chewed out by the Doc that did my colonoscopy.

Fiber has nothing to do with your net carbs, we don’t process fiber the same, which is literally why we call it fiber, it’s indigestible carbs. Aside from a couple bouts with hemorrhoids, I also now have diverticulosis which could get worse and become diverticulitus. Not worth it IMO my man!

Nothing wrong with trying, but if your crap goes to crap, put it back in! Don’t buy into that “we make less waste” argument that got me. You’ll get many replies telling you it doesn’t matter, it absolutely does for some of us! Doc said he was seeing more and more of that since Keto and Low Carb as a whole was getting bigger the last couple years from that time.

(Bob) #3

Get your fiber from vegetables. Keto is meat and low carb veggies. Insoluble fiber goes straight through you without being absorbed. It’s the soluble fiber that will get broke down and digested.

My experience is the opposite of what is written here. My stool returned to normal, my hemorroid’s don’t bother me much anymore, and my ulcerative colitis went away when I started keto and improved even more when I went carnivore/ketovore.

#4

Nothing wrong with supplementing your steak, fish, fowl etc. with some crucferous veg and mushrooms. Cabbage is very good.

I tried not to eat veg for a while, but realised a good ‘clear out’, with no strain, can be achieved with non stodgy veg with the meat.
It’ll keep your dropped grapes at bay, after time. And still be keto.

I sh*t you not!
:wink:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

Fibre is indigestible, by definition, so you don’t need to count it against your carb limit, should you choose not to.

But fibre as a cure for haemorrhoids makes no sense. It fills up the intestine, causing us to have to strain to get it out. And it’s straining that causes haemorrhoids in the first place. So I personally would ignore your doctor’s advice.

The need for fibre appears to be variable, however. I would encourage you to experiment to find out what works best for you. There are some forum members who find they need some fibre in their diet, while others find it to be detrimental. Many members who had Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome have found that their symptoms cleared up on fibre-free keto. Most of us don’t seem to have an issue, one way or the other.

(Chuck) #6

I have found adding a half teaspoon of salt to my water first in the morning, then adding salt to my meals has been a great help for me. It has even proven to help improve my kidney function. If you are worried about water retention at pure lemon juice to your water and also green tea is a good diuretic.

#7

I add chia to my food when I think it doesn’t have enough fibers. 100g of chia has 34g of fiber.

(Eve) #8

I use soaked linseed, chia and psyllium. And are all very helpful.
If you try some, work up slowly I.e. start with teaspoon measures, and see how it goes

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #9

I use lots of salads, all low carb veggies, nuts, and chia seeds for fiber. I rarely go over 50 carbs a day.

We are all different try out various veggies and see how you go.

(Ohio ) #10

Agreed. If I had that diagnosis. My first plan of action would actually be bone soups/broths and dial in fasting cycles. Zero out caffeine. AIP etc.

(Michael) #11

I do MUCH better with zero fiber. Was high fiber with severe IBS for over a decade. Zero fiber fixed my issues, well zero plants anyway, which takes me to zero fiber. Loving life without it. Of course, do what works for you though.

(Polly) #12

I had really bad haemhorhoids after having six pregnancies. I relieved the pain and soreness when I cut out more plant fibre. I have not experienced discomfort in 13 years, whilst treating plants as a garnish to my meat and fish based diet.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #13

I haven’t read the study myself, but Dr. Chaffee claims that it found that subjects who ate fibre had no remission of their Crohn’s or IBS, wheras the subjects who ate no fibre at all went on average 50 months without a flare up and without medications.

(Geoffrey) #14

I’m an example.
I had IBS for over 30 years and I was diagnosed with Crohn’s.
In the last couple of years I started having very debilitating pain in my gut that would last for hours on end, just forcing me to curl up in a fetal position and wait it out. Then when to pain would subside I’d have severe diarrhea for the rest of the day. In the beginning it would happen once or twice a month and then it progressively got worse until it was happening three or four times a week. Doctors put me on a high fiber diet with lots of grains and vegetables and that only made it worse.
In 30 days of going carnivore it was all over. I was cured.

(Edith) #15

I think you are just going to have to experiment. I don’t need a lot of fiber, but I need some or I get the runs. I only need a serving or two of fruit or veggies a day to keep things firm. The serving or two certainly isn’t a ton of fiber but the little bit sure makes a difference.

(Jane) #16

This is me also. I just take a psyllium capsule once a day and all is good. Some days I don’t eat any vegetables.

(Bob M) #17

I fall on the low fiber end of the spectrum. Don’t seem to need any fiber really, though I do eat some – sometimes. Just had my colonoscopy done, and don’t have to go back for 10 years, meaning they didn’t find anything. Keto for 10 years as of 1/1/24.

(Bob M) #18

I guess this shows you how variable things are. @lfod14 has to eat fiber, whereas I don’t eat much at all. Often, very little to none.

#19

You need to resolve the underlying cause of your hemorrhoids to eliminate them. Adding more fibre to your diet can improve constipation and help you strain less when defecating. As a result, you get less irritation of the veins in the anus and rectum, and the hemorrhoids heal.
My idea would be as follows;
I eat my fibre-rich foods first, followed by proteins and then carbs. For example: 1st salad, 2nd steak, and then a small portion of sweet potato. I have never had issues down there and have one-two bowel movements per day on average.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #20

There are those of us, and I am one of them, for whom fibre does exactly the opposite. I’m like Dr. Mason’s example of the traffic jam: “Too many cars are trying to get off at a one-lane exit, and you think it will help to put more cars on the road?”

Fibre has been shown, however, to speed up transit times through the colon, and given the poisons in a diet of processed foods, that is probably an excellent idea.