KETO and Constipation?
Scochrane86
Posts: 374 Member
Does anyone suffer from constipation while eating Keto? What do you do to help? usually I would say drink water, but I am drinking WAY MORE than I use to and still no help. Normally, if I was having a lot of trouble, I would use a bottle of citro-mag from the drug store but 1) I don't know if this is ok on Keto and 2) I do not want to become dependant on this.
Any help is appreciated!
Any help is appreciated!
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Replies
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I used to have issues with constipation when I was following low carb many years ago. This time I am doing a better job keeping my electrolytes up (especially magnesium) and am not having any issues. The best way to be sure you're getting enough magnesium is to increase your dose slightly each day until you start having loose stool. Then back off to the point of comfortably soft stool. Now I go at least once daily, sometimes more but never less often than every other day.
You should also check out the Launch Pad for some really valuable tips and information.6 -
I try to eat a few avocados each week, seems to help. Also try adding more salt.8
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I use a electrolyte replacement (Ultima) but find that if I keep my fat intake up, I have no bowel issues. I am also a moderate drinker so the bile output from the liver probably contributes as well.2
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Try increasing salt intake - see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AGiUFzldwk - from about 5 1/2 minutes in. 6 -
I've been having REALLY bad constipation. Starting this week I'm eliminating cheese from my diet for 2-3 weeks. If that doesn't work then, one at a time for 2-3 weeks, I'm cutting all dairy except butter, increasing my magnesium, eliminating nuts and seeds, increasing my veggie variety, eating more fermented foods.3
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Thanks all. I have ordered some supplements, including Magnesium (they should be here today) and I hope that will make a difference. I will also try increasing my salt!2
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I second the magnesium and cutting out cheese. I found I have to eat more fiber so i upped the veg a little and added a fiber supplement. Since my fiber has been added to, I haven't had problems.4
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I have been on Keto for one week and have not had constipation. Only had one day without BM but back to daily. Look up Eric Berg on YouTube. He has a lot of great info on Ketogenic diet. He suggest eating at least 7-8 cups of leafy greens daily to help with Keto flu and constipation. I haven't been able been able to hit 7-8 but eat leafy greens with every meal and I drink a low carb green smoothie in the morning.4
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I have been on Keto for one week and have not had constipation. Only had one day without BM but back to daily. Look up Eric Berg on YouTube. He has a lot of great info on Ketogenic diet. He suggest eating at least 7-8 cups of leafy greens daily to help with Keto flu and constipation. I haven't been able been able to hit 7-8 but eat leafy greens with every meal and I drink a low carb green smoothie in the morning.
I am more towards the carnivore Keto (very little veggies) so I know I wont be able to get in 7-8 cups of leafy veggies. And that much would put me around 9 net carbs and that's my entire day pretty much.
I have started taking magnesium and might cut back on the cheese. But I am hoping this works
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Dr. Stephen Phinney's video above from Nov in Australia does point out we need a lot more sodium than we might think. Remember that salt is only 1/2 sodium.4
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A little bit of exercise never hurts most people and often helps with "movement". Walk around the block or jog around the house for a while. Don't sit when you don't have to. Move to "move". May help.9
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Magnesium helps, yes.
So does smooth move tea, if you're really in a bind.
Starting each day with a cup or two of warm/hot water also helps a lot.
And watch your fiber intake--I was taking 3-4 psyllium pills a day and had to stop. A little fiber (on keto) can be too much when volume is so much lower.2 -
TomKershawUK wrote: »Try increasing salt intake - see:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AGiUFzldwk - from about 5 1/2 minutes in.
Thanks. I just watched the whole video.1 -
Keep in mind that going less often doesn't mean constipation. That comes with symptoms of a heavy gut and abdominal discomfort and usually hard stools once you can go as well.
If you feel completely fine and are just going less often, that's not constipation. Without carbs and processed foods, you'll have a lot less waste in general. Eating more fat and protein makes digestion a slower process too.
So, even though everything above is great advice on ways to deal with constipation, especially the sodium and magnesium, you may not be...8 -
You will 'go' less, because there's less bulk in your food but as a fellow sufferer I'd recommend chia seeds in full fat yogurt, coconut oil in coffee, plenty of liquids, vitamin c ( high dose) and magnesium tablets.3
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canadjineh wrote: »Dr. Stephen Phinney's video above from Nov in Australia does point out we need a lot more sodium than we might think. Remember that salt is only 1/2 sodium.
Right-o! Easy to forget.
If you're someone who tolerates fiber well, Phinney has also observed that spinach, kale etc, not only have plenty of fiber but also magnesium.
One of the few points on which the Keto gurus and the plant-based, eat-your-natural-carbs guys like Greger and McDougall might agree is that adding green leafy stuff to anything is a nutritional improvement (if you can handle the fiber).3 -
canadjineh wrote: »Dr. Stephen Phinney's video above from Nov in Australia does point out we need a lot more sodium than we might think. Remember that salt is only 1/2 sodium.
Right-o! Easy to forget.
If you're someone who tolerates fiber well, Phinney has also observed that spinach, kale etc, not only have plenty of fiber but also magnesium.
One of the few points on which the Keto gurus and the plant-based, eat-your-natural-carbs guys like Greger and McDougall might agree is that adding green leafy stuff to anything is a nutritional improvement (if you can handle the fiber).
That's a very good point.
I was one that did have recurring issues that included the heavy gut and discomfort and I was sure it was due to eating too much cheese and protein. I used high doses of magnesium to minimize the issue.
I dealt with it that way for my first 11 months keto. Then I participated in a month of eating all animal products and no plants. It became undeniable that my issue was fiber. As soon as I eliminated fiber by not eating vegetables, I was back on a daily routine with zero digestive disturbance.
Since then, I only experience any tummy trouble if eat more than 3 bites of veggies. Seriously. I can only handle about 2-3g of fiber without it blocking me up.
Yesterday I was working with a client of mine in her home office and she offered me a protein shake when she realized I didn't bring any lunch. She was excited to let me know that it was low carb. I would normally have no problem turning down this stuff but she is crazy nice and was so proud to be able to offer me a low carb item that I drank it. 4g fiber and my stomach is still grumbling over 18 hours later! Apparently I'm going to have to take food when I'm working with her.
So anyway, just thought I'd share my story with that because I never suspected fiber could've been the issue. I only tried the all animal challenge out of pure curiosity. I never expected to see any changes.8 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »canadjineh wrote: »Dr. Stephen Phinney's video above from Nov in Australia does point out we need a lot more sodium than we might think. Remember that salt is only 1/2 sodium.
Right-o! Easy to forget.
If you're someone who tolerates fiber well, Phinney has also observed that spinach, kale etc, not only have plenty of fiber but also magnesium.
One of the few points on which the Keto gurus and the plant-based, eat-your-natural-carbs guys like Greger and McDougall might agree is that adding green leafy stuff to anything is a nutritional improvement (if you can handle the fiber).
That's a very good point.
I was one that did have recurring issues that included the heavy gut and discomfort and I was sure it was due to eating too much cheese and protein. I used high doses of magnesium to minimize the issue.
I dealt with it that way for my first 11 months keto. Then I participated in a month of eating all animal products and no plants. It became undeniable that my issue was fiber. As soon as I eliminated fiber by not eating vegetables, I was back on a daily routine with zero digestive disturbance.
Since then, I only experience any tummy trouble if eat more than 3 bites of veggies. Seriously. I can only handle about 2-3g of fiber without it blocking me up.
Yesterday I was working with a client of mine in her home office and she offered me a protein shake when she realized I didn't bring any lunch. She was excited to let me know that it was low carb. I would normally have no problem turning down this stuff but she is crazy nice and was so proud to be able to offer me a low carb item that I drank it. 4g fiber and my stomach is still grumbling over 18 hours later! Apparently I'm going to have to take food when I'm working with her.
So anyway, just thought I'd share my story with that because I never suspected fiber could've been the issue. I only tried the all animal challenge out of pure curiosity. I never expected to see any changes.
Thanks to you, I no longer harbor the fiction that fiber is a panacea for all mammals.
I wonder how many different Official Microbiome Types we'll have when the American Gut Project wraps up its studies....3 -
TMI: In November I went to the ER because there was A LOT of blood in my stool and it was very late at night (no urgent care facility was open) as my family has a history of colon cancer. They diagnosed it as severe constipation which I was having at the time and nothing more serious. I checked my bill over the next few days and weeks and it look like I didn't have a payment, that my insurance was covering all of it. Out of curiosity I checked my bill yesterday...I owed $750!!! All for someone to stick their finger in my bum. That's outrageous. Today for the first time since then I had REALLY severe bleeding. I'm pretty sure it's a small tear. I haven't been straining, been letting things come out naturally even though one bowel movement took me over an hour because I refused to "push". I'm not going back to the ER or urgent care because the bill is so expensive. I figure it will take a few weeks for the tear to heal on it's own, I just hope it doesn't become chronic. I am working on reducing my constipation. If it continues I will go to a primary care physician.
Sorry just wanted to rant about my expensive bum probing. So reality check: DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO STOP THE CONSTIPATION lol3 -
MCT oil, salt and magnesium citrate
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The magnesium has been doing wonders! maybe too much so.... I am going to cut back a little. But for now, my problem is solved!
@bowlerae ... crazy that they charge that much! I live in alberta, Canada and so thankful all our healthcare is paid for. I couldn't imagine that. I would be terrified to ever go to the ER.2 -
Yup; Magnesium will do it - Folate and Potassium too.1
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Here are Dr. Fung's words of wisdom:This is very common to have less bowel movements. Less going in, less coming out. During the world record fast of 382 days, the fellow only had a bowel movement (BM) every 30-45 days! It is only a problem if you have abdominal discomfort. If your bowels are empty, and that is the reason you do not have a BM, that’s normal. But if you are having discomfort, you can try standard laxatives – milk of magnesia is often available over the counter.1
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I don't know if I missed this but I was wondering why anyone hasn't suggested ground psyllium husk...maybe a reason I don't know about....1
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rugged1529 wrote: »I don't know if I missed this but I was wondering why anyone hasn't suggested ground psyllium husk...maybe a reason I don't know about....
Apart from folks who can't tolerate fiber, I haven't heard anything negative.
FWIW, I take it (almost) daily, have for years, and have no complaints.
Note that keto gurus Phinney, Volek and Westman recommend quite a bit of high-fiber, low-net carb vegetables every day.
Both roads (+ electrolytes +fluids) lead down the porcelain path (eventually).3 -
I seriously encourage everyone to read this from Dr Mike Eades of Protein Power. He's been at the low carb game for a long time.
https://proteinpower.com/drmike/2006/08/30/a-cautionary-tale-of-mucus-fore-and-aft/
"Into our bowel-regularity-worshipping society there has come a substance that ensures regularity. It’s called fiber. It is sold everywhere in diverse forms. All manner of ‘experts’ from our doctors to our grandparents encourage us to consume plenty of fiber. If we can’t get enough from the foods we eat to achieve regularity, we are encouraged to buy supplements. Everyone is on the regularity bandwagon and, by extension, the fiber bandwagon. The much despised Jane Brody has written countless times on the virtues of fiber, WebMD encourages us to get our share, even C. Everett Coop exhorts us to keep the fiber coming. And, despite numerous studies showing that fiber doesn’t really do squat for us healthwise, everyone continues to recommend it."4 -
Here's another related
http://highsteaks.com/fiber/1 -
Not drinking a gallon of water a day will cause me an issue for time to time.0
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im just starting on all of this.. its a learning experience thats for sure.. im having troubles giving up sweets.. but ive noticed im not really that hungry for em as much.. since ive been doing Low carb.. im gonna do some more reading on KETO.. I need a great big boast to lose some weight.. ive been going UP on wws N yo yoing.. been also dealing with alot of stress too.. so im gonna keep reading these to keep me up beat & motivated 0
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Fiber-Famished Gut Microbes Linked to Poor Health
While probiotics receive more attention, key fibers remain the workhorses in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiber-famished-gut-microbes-linked-to-poor-health1/
"Diet is one of the most powerful tools we have for changing the microbiota," Justin Sonnenburg, a biologist at Stanford University, said earlier this month at a Keystone Symposia conference on the gut microbiome. "Dietary fiber and diversity of the microbiota complement each other for better health outcomes."
In particular, beneficial microbes feast on fermentable fibers—which can come from various vegetables, whole grains and other foods—that resist digestion by human-made enzymes as they travel down the digestive tract. These fibers arrive in the large intestine relatively intact, ready to be devoured by our microbial multitudes.
Microbes can extract the fiber's extra energy, nutrients, vitamins and other compounds for us. Short-chain fatty acids obtained from fiber are of particular interest, as they have been linked to improved immune function, decreased inflammation and protection against obesity.
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