Low carb diet & constipation

[LizR]

I have been following a low carb diet for about a week and was wondering if anyone had hints to avoid constipation.
Thank you.

[Ronin]

Hi Liz!

In a word -- salads. The majority of leafy things like lettuce are indigestible fiber, they retain moisture and sweep out your intestines.

[LizR]

Thanks, Ronin. I will increase my salad intake. By the way, is the niacin helping your cholesterol levels?

[cyberus]

I use the walmart sugar free orange fiber drink mix 2-3x a day depending on what I've eaten for the day.

[princesslinda]

Make sure you drink plenty of water in addition to the other suggestions.

[art]

For me it's Fibercon and a lot of water.

Art

[Ronin]

Hi Liz!

Regarding Niacin: Yes it helps my cholesterol a lot. That being said, a theraputic dose is at least two-grams (that is 2000 mg/day) and the resulting "Niacin Flush" puts a lot of people off. (Note: the theraputic dose need not be done in a single swallow.)

In addition mixing Niacin with Statins has to be done very carefully. I'm one of the lucky folks that has no negative reaction to the statins, even in combination with Niacin. There are people who cannot tolerate statins or when mixed with Niacin get the negative side effect of sore muscles, which, if ignored, can lead to heart muscle damage.

If you try it, build up slowly start with 500 mg/day then add till you get to a theraputic dose and be careful if you take statins. Any sign of leg muscle pain -- STOP THE NIACIN IMEDIATELY!

My dosage is 1000 mg at Breakfast, 1000 mg at Lunch and 500 mg at dinner.

[LizR]

Thank you all for your helpful hints. Just wondering if it would be ok to also take stool softeners?

[PERKDOUG]

Consider a product called MiraLAX. This is an interesting laxative which consists of a chemical called Polyethylene Glycol not to be confused with the common auto antifreeze Ethylene Glycol which is a poison. This is a white tasteless powder that you dissolve in water and drink. It keeps the stool hydrated and therefore soft. My sisters both suffer from constipation and have used this product daily for many years with no ill effects. My sisters are health nuts and if there was a better solution to this problem they would know about it. It was a prescription drug until a few years ago, but is now available over the counter. I use it occasionally. It works!!

As an aside, many low carbers eat to much protein and not enough fat. I include several tablespoons per day of heavy whipping cream usually with coffee and berries in my low carb diet. I think this aids regularity a lot. Eat more fat!

Since we are all different the above ideas of increased fiber may work for you. If not, give my ideas a try.

[LizR]

Yes, I have MiraLax, I'll have to try it. I also have Dieter's Tea which is senna in tea form. I eat alot of nuts, I wonder if that's binding. You mention that you have berries - I would love to have fruit, but in addition to lowering my sugar, I'm also trying to lose about 30#. Do you think I could eat some fruit?

[Caravaggio]

Yes you can eat some fruit. I eat fruits every day. They are a good source of vitamins and other nutrients. They also add a variety to foods you eat.

Of course you have to be careful of which fruit to eat and how much because fruits have sugars and may affect your BG.

I suggest testing your blood sugar to know how fruits affect your BG. If certain fruits spike your BG a lot, try eating a lesser amount to see if the amount you eat matters.

[PERKDOUG]

Do you think I could eat some fruit?

Maybe!

The best single item of advice on the Forum is to use your meter to find the correct answer to any diet/glucose question. You notice I include heavy cream with berries, this flattens the glucose curve, slowing the glucose uptake and lowers my glucose peak. Read the carb tables and you will find that most berries (blueberries, rasberries, blackberries, strawberries) are all fairly low in carbs compaired to other catagories of fruit. I eat no fruit with the exception of berries. Play around by testing with bananas, peaches, plums and you may find that these are little handgrenades regarding blood sugar. But for you perhaps they are OK in moderation. The meter knows!

There is one fruit I have neglected and is perhaps the worlds best and that is the avocado. It is relatively low in carbs and can be eaten in moderation with little glycemic penalty. But the avacado fails to pass muster because it does not satisfy the real hidden agenda of fruit and that is the never ending search by most of us for sweets in the low carb diet. We are all a bunch of addicts I think, always chipping and nipping and trying to wring out one more little tidbit of sweet or starch to feed this monkey on our backs. It's like a reformed alcoholic walking by a saloon and smelling the spirits, he inhales deeply and hopefully keeps on walking. We don't keep walking, we keep chipping and it gets may of us into trouble!

[LizR]

I need to buy a meter. I have no idea what to get. Then I will monitor what fruit does to me.

I find my sweet tooth satisfied to some degree by adding stevia to my tea. I wish someone made desserts with stevia.

[Ronin]

Hi Liz!

The issue of a meter is one of personal taste as well as the depth of your wallet. The meters are cheap, the strips can be expensive.

I've been using a "True Track" and CVS sells a private lable version as well as the strips for a "reasonable" price. Be very wary of the brands that advertise a lot on televison -- somebody has to pay for those advertisemets and it's likely to be the people who purchase the test-strips.

[angelsbridges]

I wish someone made desserts with stevia.

I'll have to ask my friend, but you should check out vegan dessert cookbooks! I've been getting a lot of advice from a friend who is vegan and doesn't eat sugar (mind you, I eat meat). She also has a dessert cookbook with no sugar additives. If I find out the name, I will post it!

I've also been having issues with constipation since starting this new diet. It's been rough, but I find if I eat red meat, it helps...

[Kanga]

Go green :cool: green leafy salads, spinach, green beans, brussell sprouts and drinking plenty of water all do it for me. Since low carbing I have not needed any ahem help. ;)

[Mindfleur]

Thanks a lot for the suggestion. I think I must not have been eating enough fat.