7 High Fiber Foods You Must Add to Your Keto Diet
Read this first if you’ve been living under a rock
Just in case you missed this lesson in high school health class or you’ve never watched a day of the news in your life, humans require fiber in their diets. Fiber helps with:
Colon health because
it makes poop nicer to eliminate (preventing hemorrhoids)
it promotes a healthy microbiome which positively affects your whole body and mental health
improves natural immunity since most of your immune system is in the gut
it decreases allergies of all kinds by reducing leaky gut
Lowers blood sugar
Reduces LDL cholesterol
Helps you feel fuller which obviously contributes to weight loss
Fiber is a carbohydrate and comes from plants only. There’s no fiber in animal products because there’s no carbohydrates in them. If you’re a low carb eater, don’t panic at the mention of “fiber is a carb”! Fiber is the only type of carbohydrate that DOES NOT raise blood sugar because we just can’t digest and absorb it. Sooooo, the takeaway here is that you need to eat fiber for the health benefits mentioned above, plus it won’t affect your blood sugar levels! If you’re keto, low carb or trying to reverse diabetes, you’ll be thrilled to hear this. Thrilled, I say!
Types of fiber your colon wants
Effect of low and high fibre diets on gut microbiota composition, diversity, and function in host physiology. (1)
There’s two types of fiber in plants: soluble and insoluble fibers. They are both beneficial, they exist in varying amounts in different foods, and we should try to eat a range of foods with fiber daily. When you eat them, they pass through the whole gastrointestinal tract without getting digested or absorbed, until they reach the colon. Each type of fiber is needed, and this is what they do:
Soluble fiber: gets fermented by the bacteria in your gut, the bacteria then produce short chain fatty acids which gets absorbed by colon cells. This keeps your colon healthy!
Insoluble fiber: this does not get fermented, it bulks up the poopies and makes it easier to eliminate
Scroll down and grab a free printout of all this information plus lists of high fiber, low carb foods you can add to your diet on your next grocery stock up!
How much fiber should I eat on a keto or low carb diet?
The generally accepted goal is 25-30 grams daily
Most people consuming the standard American diet or any type of low carb diet (keto, paleo, low-fodmap) are going to be naturally getting fewer fibers in their diets- unless they know to include them!
7 high fiber foods that are easy to add to your diet
AVOCADO - 1/2 large avocado = 7 grams of fiber and 2 grams of net carbs.
BROCCOLI - 1 cup of chopped, cooked broccoli = 5 grams of fiber and 6 grams of net carbs.
MACADAMIA NUTS. - 3/4 cup = 9 grams of fiber and 5 grams of net carbs.
SPINACH - When cooked, 1/2 cup = 4 grams of fiber and 1 gram of net carbs.
PECANS - 3/4 cup of pecans = 10 grams of fiber and 4 grams of net carbs.
PSYLLIUM HUSK - 1 Tbsp = 8 grams of fiber and less than 1 gram of net carb. All of our Keto Katz breads are high in fiber because we use psyllium, check them out here.
RASPBERRIES - 2/3 cup = 6.5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of net carbs.
IF YOU’RE GOING TO INCREASE FIBER, PLEASE DO THESE:
Increase your fiber slowly over a period of days or weeks. We don’t want to have too much at once and cause a bowel obstruction or anything!
Drink more water because that’s what’s going to help “activate” the fiber and also prevent clogging the pipes.
Vary the high fiber foods you consume (per the list in the handout) to be sure you’re getting a variety of nutrients and fiber types.
Listen to your body- it, will tell you what it likes and doesn’t like. Don’t force it to do what it doesn’t want to do.
CAVEAT: if you have IBS or IBD symptoms, you may not handle fiber well at all and should contact me or your dietitian about what to do regarding your diet and fiber.
Download your FREE fiber handout below 👇🏽
1: McKeown N M, Fahey G C, Slavin J, van der Kamp J. Fibre intake for optimal health: how can healthcare professionals support people to reach dietary recommendations? BMJ 2022; 378 :e054370 doi:10.1136/bmj-2020-054370