How do people get enough fibre on a low carb diet?

[2016NotATeen]

How do you eat enough Fibre on a low carb diet? I’m finding it impossible to hit the recommended 25g a day. I thought introducing whole meal bread at breakfast might be worth doing but even two slices of the brownest, most high-fibre bread only gives me 5g and I need to deal with the spike the 30+g of carbs gives me. I’d need to eat 10 slices to hit my daily target.

So they say, eat the skin on things - a jacket potato for instance. Again a 200g potato delivers a measly 5g of fibre and over 40g of carb. I haven’t touched a jacket potato in years.

There are days when I struggle to get to 10g - I’ll get a minuscule amount eating a huge salad and a bit more with added avocado.

I don’t want to resort to taking fibre supplements because I hear they can play havoc with your digestive system.

I’ve been diagnosed type 2 for 5 years. I came off medication (didn’t seem to do much apart from upset my guts) and am trying to control with diet alone but I’m falling off the wagon by adding in bits of carbs and I fear my next HbAC1 will be considerably higher than the 45/46 I’ve been maintaining for the last 2 years.

Any tips?

How much veg are you eating with your meals? Just a salad isn’t going to cut it! A low carb diet does not mean you drop all veg.

I've started having 50g prunes, dried figs or apricots.

Web search gave the following suggestions:

• Leafy Greens: Spinach, kale, and Swiss chard offer very low carb counts with substantial fiber and nutrients.
• Cruciferous Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are rich in fiber, vitamins C and K, and antioxidants.
• Other Non-Starchy Veggies: Asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers, and mushrooms provide fiber and volume with low net carbs.
• Avocados: Although technically a fruit, avocados are often grouped with vegetables and are exceptionally high in fiber and healthy fats.

I like these instead of bread - I add some chia seeds into yogurt too

Are you diabetic? I couldn't eat that quantity of dried fruit without a huge spike.

Can you add black beans, spilt peas or lentils to your meals? These are all high in fibre.

You can also buy good low carb bread, which gives you a lot of fibre:

https://srsly.health/products/keto-and-low-carb-bread

3g fibre per slice.

I’m not diabetic but I think chia seeds low in carbs?

No, no advice for diabetics, I guess! I have no idea what is too much or enough and how to get the required fibre. Carbs are sugar, so there will always be a risk for insulin spike, I presume. That being said, the search did state that these were 'low carb' options. I don't know how you get fiber with no carbs. Maybe someone else has better suggestions.

… but they’re not low carb

Are you not eating pulses and legumes, @2016NotATeen? They contain complex carbohydrates and are considered beneficial to people with diabetes:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/living-with-diabetes/eating/pulses-and-diabetes

This is the site you need in order to access decent amounts of fibre easily and consistently:

https://hodmedods.co.uk/

Yes, chia seeds.
Lidl make a lovely low carb, high fibre bread. My relative is diabetic and buys it.
I find that carrots and green leafy veg provide a lot of fibre. Spring greens are good if you chop and eat the stalks. I also eat the stalks of cabbage and broccoli. I know that some people don't!

I'm not diabetic.
What is the max carbs that you r trying to eat? Per day or per meal (assuming 3 meals/day).

How many kcal/day do you need to maintain your weight?
Why wouldn't eating below foods be low enough in carbs and yet high enough in fibre?

brocoli, kale, parsnip, spinach, lettuces, cucumber, cauliflour, grapefruit juice, pecans, lentils, whole peas, seaweeds, avocado, blueberries, green beans, mange tout peas, chickpeas, haricot beans, tomatoes, peanut butter

Almonds, avocados, pistachios, have u been told to go low carb? I thought fibre and managed carb was the recommended approach so yes to pulses but tricky to manage maybe better for lunch than dinner depending on Ur release pattern.. brown rice same as can take agess to break down .

My experience is t1 not t2 though... Do you have a glucose monitor... That maybe a way of checking timing.. would also check in wigh your diabetes nurse/team or ask gp for referral to nutritionist

You can eat things like wholegrain bread as long as you eat it with protein at the same time, which reduces the GI. Basmati rice is okay for T2 as well, but since you say your score is 45/46 you aren't diabetic at the moment anyway. You are just below the threshold of 47.

Also - eat a lot of vegetables.

The fibre recommendation is just that, a recommendation for healthy people. Fibre in itself is not an essential for humans, but it can be healthy for healthy people. You, as a diabetic, are not a healthy person. It sounds mean to state it like that but you need to follow advice for diabetics, because that will kill you or shorten your life, and that means you need to prioritize controlling your blood sugar. And if you cannot control your blood sugar and eat 'enough' fibre, forget about the fibre.

If you are interested in learning about how and why fibre made into our healthy eating advice hop over to you tube and search Zoe Harcombe and fibre, she has a few talks where she gives the history of the fibre advice. It's a funny story.

Hi fellow type 2👋

well done on keeping your blood sugar below type 2 levels; it is a struggle!

I also low carb and don’t manage to meet the daily fibre targets but I think as long as I am trying and not struggling with my bowels, I cut myself some slack.
I tend to go down the seeds route and always have milled seeds on Greek yoghurt for breakfast & M&S have some fab super seeded crackers which I have with lunch . You can also buy low carb bread and can make no grain bread, granola and crackers. Unfortunately a healthy low carb diet is not cheap although I do eat loads of veg.

you might find it useful to get a trial continuous glucose monitor eg libre or dexcom and experiment. I am a current user and it has been really interesting what does and doesn’t spike me and in particular what combinations work (eg eggs with one slice of sourdough doesn’t give me a big spike and I can manage a few chickpeas added in a curry as long as other protein & veg added and no rice).

I also walk for at least 15 mins after each meal and this also helps flatten the spike.

Thanks all. I think the answer is - you can’t hit the fibre recommendation AND low carb. I’ve been off and on the Low-carb bus for years. Was on some of the 1st Zoe Harcombe threads on here back in 2009/10. Have been anything from 9st 12 - 15st 4 in the intervening years. My most ‘familiar’ weight on the scales this past decade or so has been 13st 2 - I have to really reduce down stupidly to 1000 cals or so to get anything off below that.

Was pre-diabetic for about 10 years and then Type 2 hit during Lockdown.

BIWI (boy are you a familiar name to me from the lowcarb threads 🤗) I do try and eat as much veg as I can but am always disappointed that you need soooooo much to get a paltry 3g of fibre here and there with such gigantic portions. Typically I have a late breakfast/lunch (often a 16/8 gap) which today was 4 scrambled eggs and bacon and black coffee. Had 2 biscotti biscuits (I know, I know but they were free with a coffee I had on my walk) Just did 10k steps and my blood sugar reading was 7.2 - 4 hrs after eating. I’m having a chicken roast for dinner with piles of Kale, roast cauliflower, 1 roast carrot and chicken breast with skin. I’ll still be well shy of the fibre target with that. I might try some of that SRSLY low carb bread again though.

Anyway - I know the answer is to ignore the fibre recs - do low-carb PROPERLY. Or choose to eat bread but reduce calories and maybe get back on medication. I’ve tried 2 diabetes meds - I might explore whether I’m a candidate for GLP via tablets? I don’t want injectables for various reasons.

Chia seeds
Flaxseeds
Lentils
Beans
Quinoa
Oats
Avocado
Almonds/almond butter
Dark chocolate
Carrots
Cavolo nero
Broccoli

Try Mission carb balance wraps . 9 grams carbs each , high in Fibre .
They are pricey at £1.80 but worth it in my opinion.

Those wraps look good Lizzy

I like a soy natural yoghurt with blueberries and pumpkin seeds and I love avocados.

I’ve just ordered up some low-carb bread too. Time to get back on it 😊