What is the right fiber for a Ketogenic diet?
Do I need to supplement fiber when eating a Ketogenic diet? How do I know what is the right fiber for a Ketogenic diet?
The answer is not that simple.
In my experience, I would say that most people do need the added supplementation of fiber to their keto way of eating, as not everybody is constantly focusing on getting low carb vegetables and fermented vegetables in quantities large enough to maintain a health bowel environment.
Let’s not forget that fiber does more than just add bulk to our stools, it also provides food and lodging for those coveted beneficial bacteria that inhabit our intestinal tract.
What kind of fiber?
When it comes to adding fiber to a Ketogenic diet either as a supplement or as an integral part of our recipes we have a few different choices:
- psyllium fiber
- coconut flour
- chia seeds, ground or whole
- flax seeds, ground or whole
- then there is unmodified potato starch
These fiber sources are listed here in order of fiber content. You can find the exact nutritional content in this post.
Are all fibers created equal?
One very interesting  fact I discovered working with different patients trying different foods is that not all fibers work the same for everybody.
These are some of my findings:
As a general rule unmodified potato starch spiked blood glucose by an average of 15 points and lead to weight gain in about 65% of my patients.
Psyllium fiber spiked glucose levels by 10 to 20 points in about 40% of patients.
Those patients who had problems with psyllium, seemed to have no reaction to ground flax seeds as far as glucose level spikes or weight gain, but did get good results in bowel movement frequency and ease.
On the contrary some of the patients (about 20%) had a reaction from using the flax seeds and got good results with the ground chia seeds.
Conclusions
There is not such things as a “one size fits all” approach when it comes to your body. every single one of our organisms functions a bit differently, and we all have different sensitivities, which change with time and the foods we eat.
In my opinion the best way to find what works for you is to monitor your own individual reactions. That is why my recommendations are always just a starting point, before I get the feedback from the individual patient on their body’s reactions.
This highly individualized approach is the base of how I work with my clients, investigating in to what works forr your individual physiology and what does not.
I recommend you also test different products and keep an eye on your body’s reactions, to determine what works best for YOU!
You can read more about fiber and find a great fiber containing recipe HERE.
Flax has lots of fiber and omega-3 fats but it also has astronomical amounts of plant estrogen, hundreds of times more than soy. In my opinion, it should be treated like a drug rather than as a food. I have more info on flax on my blog. http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2013/02/wheat-belly-cookbook-review-is-flax-new_3.html
Judy, honestly the research goes both ways and proves points both for and against flax. I really don’t think that a tablespoon of raw flax seeds here and there will cause an imbalance or make a significant difference in the diet. I would not say to use flax every day, but it is one of the options people on a low carb diet have to get some more fiber in their life.
Thank you for pointing this out to me and my readers though, so they can be more conscious of that specific effect.
Thanks Vivica, I appreciate your help in getting the word out that we need to be careful about the overconsumption of flax. I’ve heard of studies that show that flax has a positive effect and ones that show it has a negative effect, but I’ve never heard of any that said it had no effect. It has 700 times as much estrogen as soy, which is used as hormone replacement for menopause symptoms.
Most people know that the overconsumption of soy can cause problems, but they don’t realize that flax has a much bigger effect, especially for children. After I posted the article about it, I heard from a woman who had 3 miscarriages in one year after starting a Paleo diet with lots of flax. She changed doctors and the new one told her to cut out the flax,
Some health advisors set an upper limit on flax consumption of 2 tbsp. a day, but I’ve seen many recipes, especially for gluten-free breads, that have one-half cup or more per serving! I think it is important to inform people that it has a potent effect so they will recognize the cause if they have symptoms. Plants have chemicals that mimic the hormones of mammals as a way to protect their species from predators (like us) by disrupting our ability to reproduce.
Thank you so much for the information Judy! I will keep it in mind and inform my patients about it!!
Thank you, Vivica.
I used to have 1 table spoon of flax seed every morning that created extreme hot flash day and night. During the day I would suddenly feel like I am in the oven, at night I would wake up from awful hot flashes. I was for sure believe that I was i early menopause until my sister told me that cause by flex seed. ward to menopause after that experience). No flex seed for me for sure!
Lots of good info. Thanks. Now I need to figure out what works for me! 🙂
You are welcome, Leah. There are lots of dietary fibers that don’t have as many issues as flax. Chia also has good omega-3 fats, It doesn’t go rancid as easily as flax, and it doesn’t have so much estrogen. It can also be used as a gluten or egg replacement instead of flax.
Flax seeds works for me well but I get extreme hot flashes from from. Last summer I didn’t this and I thought I am in early menopause until my sister told. After stop having flax seeds my day and night hot flashes stop. It was awful!
Great feedback Ozlem!! Thank you! Did you switch to chia or psyllium instead?
Great post!
Super post. I have lost a LOT of wt via keto woe but lately as I close into my goal, I am needing the fiber to help. Curious, I think I am preferring chia seeds from the remarks and your “report” but how much per day? I am under 20 carbs per day and avoided chia – thinking they added carbs. Did I miss the qty per day? Thanks again!! GREAT GREAT POST!
Hi Teej,
I prefer Chia seeds as well at this point, ad coconut flour. Ideally we would consume at least 20 gr of fiber per day. At the end of the day you really have to test your individual tolerance and which fiber will work best for you. These are just general guidelines, so your work is to dig deeper 🙂
Thx so much. I’ll definitely give chia and coconut flour a try.Sure appreciate your articles! Yummy recipes, too!!!
Thank you <3
It’s hard to come by educated people on this subject, but you seem like
you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Thank you for sharing a very informative articel! I learned a lot while reading it.