Carbs in Fiber Tablets???

[riosmom]

Do you think there are carbs in fiber laxative tablets? I know there are in the powders you mix with water and drink; they have the nutrition info on the label. But tablets like Fiber Con, and the Walmart Equate brand, do not have nutrition labeling. DH is a bit "clogged up" due to his new low carb diet, but I don't want to dose him up on carbs in fiber tabs!

[fgummett]

Carbs creep in all over as starch and fillers... hard to say without nutritional info but I would treat as suspect until proven otherwise.

As for the current issue I haven't had any problems with constipation when going very low carb... plenty of fat and staying well hydrated with water ;)

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The fiber con website lists these inactive ingredients: caramel, crospovidone, hypromellose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol, silicon dioxide, sodium lauryl sulfate.

Yikes! There's a couple that end in "ose" plus the caramel... not to mention the "sodium lauryl sulfate"... isn't that used in hair-care products? And isn't "polyethylene glycol" used as car-radiator anti-freeze?!?

[princesslinda]

I had a lot of constipation initially when I started low-carb eating...all that meat and cheese bothered me at first.:o I upped my water intake and did take Metamucil for a little while, w/o problems blood-sugar wise. I think anytime we alter our "usual" eating habits we can experience "bowel issues."

Drinking plenty of water and getting regular exercise tends to keep things moving.

[Evermont]

Do you think there are carbs in fiber...

Carbs are one of three categories of macronutrients, the other two being fat and protein. Each of these can be broken down into sub categories. Carbohydrates include many different types of sugars, also polysaccharides or starches (which digestion breaks down into sugars). These things affect BG. Carbs also include two types of fiber. Soluble fiber, like the heart healthy stuff found in oats, and insoluble fiber which is not digestible and aids with digestion.

So basically, the "fiber" that helps with the plumbing is in fact carbohydrate. It is carbohydrate that "doesn't count" when considering BG effects. When you read product labels you will see carbs broken down this way and typically, we disregard all fiber from consideration of BG increase.

So if it has fiber it absolutely has carbs because fiber is carbs, but don't worry about carbs, worry more about non-fiber carbs.

In this case I would opt for relief, take the fiber, and test, test, test to see if there is any ill effect - if so, next time use a different product.

I agree with Frank and Linda about the water too.

[Funnygrl]

Fiber IS a carb, but it's not one that raises bg as humans do not have the proper enzyme in their stomach to digest it, hence why it "pushes" stuff through.