Fibre and Constipation page

[gazb]

Hey people,


I've seen "Fiber Menace" mentioned a few times here. In the last week or so I've been getting constipation. So I had a look at the site, and it's suggesting that the constipation is because when I was eating my "healthy diet" before going Primal (which was full of whole grains and fibre) my digestive system basically became dependent on fibre, and so it's not quite working properly with a low carb, low fibre diet. Apparently this is very common when people suddenly switch to a low carb diet.


The solution is to stick to the low fibre diet, and use his recovery program of supplements. However, his recovery program is expensive, not to mention the extra $40 for international shipping. Fortunately the site goes into a lot of detail about which supplements are involved, so I reckon I can save myself a load of money by just buying the essential components, or equivalents.


His program involves:


IntestiPacks: An "Enterophilus" capsule (acidophilus and other bacteria that help with digestive function), along with a multivitamin, a fish oil, and an antifungal. From what I gather, the only "essential" component is the bacteria, so the acidophilus supplements from the health food shop should do the job.


Hydro-C: A Vitamin C powder that basically works as a laxative, but without the side effects of most types of laxative. I've read over the page and I don't see anything hugely special about his formula. It does say that it's buffered to be non-acidic. Closest equivalent I can find is "Ester-C with Bioflavonoid", which comes in caplet form, or just plain old Vitamin C powder. Not sure if it has to be taken in powder form for best effect or what. Did a little Googling and I did find one forum post (about halfway down this page suggesting the use of Ester-C for constipation relief.


GI Recovery: supplement for gastrointestinal recovery. The main ingredient is L-Glutamine, which is of course a commonly available supplement on its own.


Any thoughts, or anyone here experienced similar issues? I'll give these supplements a try and report back.

[SassaFrass88]

I just took extra amounts of Magnesium nightly and drank a couple cups of Senna tea 2x a week and now, I am fully 'transitioned'.


I still take the Magnesium nightly, purely for health benefits and drink the Senna tea once a week as it helps with increased weight-loss when I am really in Ketosis.

[OnTheBayou]

Not trying to be too graphic, but I didn't have any trouble of transitioning. The amount of stool diminishes radically and one might go from several times a day (LOTS of fiber!) to every other day.


With very little fiber in the diet, just go when ya gotta! Forget when "you are supposed to".


Stool softeners, which are NOT laxatives, might ease the transition. But ultimately your large intestine will find the correct amount of water to keep in the stool.

[Crystal W.]

Are you eating vegetables, lots of fiber.


I agree with the other supplements you mentioned but 400-900mg of magnesium/day should help...and it's cheap. I'd try magnesium citrate and take what you need to bowel tolerance(diarrhea) and then back down to previous dose and stay there.