One thing that’s often missing from the keto diet? A little bit of roughage. The popular diet, which typically requires you to get up to 80 percent of your calories from fat and only 20 to 50 grams (g) of carbohydrates per day, is often criticized for its lack of fiber.
However, that’s only part of the story, and you can still meet your daily fiber requirements by including some of these high-fiber, low-carb foods in your diet.
Why Is Fiber so Important if You’re on Keto?
If you don’t plan your keto diet the right way, you might wind up short on fiber. “A poorly planned keto diet is at risk of being deficient in fiber,” says Dana Elia, RDN, an integrative and functional medicine dietitian in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She notes that dietitians frequently see patients who complain of constipation when they start eating keto.
The thing is, most Americans don’t get enough of the GI-friendly nutrient anyway, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). More than 90 percent of women and 97 percent of men don’t meet the recommended daily amount of fiber. Ruling out most carbohydrate sources, including whole grains, fruits, and legumes, increases the likelihood of fiber deficiency.
Why Do You Need Fiber?
Fiber plays a key role in digestive health. Because your body doesn’t digest fiber, it passes through your system and keeps you regular by softening and adding bulk to your stool. And some fiber has benefits beyond bowel movements: It feeds the good bacteria in your GI tract, aiding healthy digestion and nutrient absorption. It also helps lower cholesterol by increasing the excretion of the cholesterol you eat.
“The digestive tract is where your body’s second brain is, and it’s home to the majority of your immune system,” says Elia. “If you’re following keto, it should be one of your biggest priorities to make sure you get adequate fiber to keep your gut healthy and happy,” she adds. And, she notes, high-fat diets slow digestion and decrease GI motility, making it crucial to get enough fiber.
Particularly if you’re on specific drugs, like proton pump inhibitors for heartburn, you may notice changes in your digestion if you transition to a high-fat diet, says Elia.
How Much Fiber Do You Need Every Day?
That said, maintaining a low overall carb intake keeps you in ketosis, the metabolic state that causes your body to burn fat instead of carbs. Here are 12 foods that can help keep your fiber intake up without derailing your keto goals.
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