If you’re on the ketogenic diet, you know how much of a pain it is to get the nutrients you normally receive from carbohydrate sources.
One of these “nutrients” is fiber, the all-magical substance that helps…keep you regular.
On top of that, fiber allows your digestion system to move indigestible food from your stomach through your GI tract and beyond.
So even though you don’t consume high-fiber foods in the form of carbs, it’s still vital to get ample amounts of fiber.
Thankfully, there are multiple ways you can solve this problem.
In a hurry? Here are the best keto fiber supplements:
| Image | Product | |
|---|---|---|
Ancient Recipe
| NOW Supplements Psyllium Husk Capsules
| View on Amazon |
Complete Supplement
| Ancient Nutrition Keto Fiber Powder
| View on Amazon |
Pure Fiber Only
| Garden of Life Raw Organic Fiber Powder
| View on Amazon |
Enzyme/Probiotic Blend
| Ancient Nutrition Keto Digest Capsule
| View on Amazon |
Best Keto Fiber Supplements For Optimal Health
- NOW Psyllium Husk (Helps with constipation and loose stool)(Capsule)
- Ancient Nutrition KetoFIBER Powder (Made from Chia and Flax Seeds)(Powder)
- Garden of Life Raw Organic Superfood Fiber (Pure Vegan Organic Fiber)(Powder)
- Ancient Nutrition KetoDIGEST (Enzyme forumla for high fat/protein, low carb keto diets) (Capsules)
In this article, we’ll go over what fiber is, what it does for you and your body, what a keto fiber supplement is, how to subtract fiber from overall carb count, and ketogenic foods that are actually high in fiber.
We’ll also show you the best fiber supplements on the market that are conducive to a ketogenic lifestyle.
Read Also: Ketogenic Diet – The ultimate guide for beginners
Now, let’s learn about some fiber!
What’s In This Guide?
Best Keto Fiber Supplements For Optimal Health
What is a Ketogenic Fiber Supplement?
What is a Fiber Supplement Used For?
How Much Fiber Should I Have on a Keto Diet?
Do You Subtract Fiber From Carbs on Keto?
Keto Foods That Are High in Fiber
Top Fiber Supplement Reviews for a Ketogenic Diet
What is a Ketogenic Fiber Supplement?
Essentially, fiber supplements help you maintain a healthy intake of dietary fiber. However, typical fiber supplements are laden with carbohydrates.
Enter ketogenic fiber supplements. These bad boys get you the fiber your body needs to keep you regular, while reducing the amount of carbs found within the product, making it keto-friendly.
Plus, when it comes to the ketogenic diet, some people have issues with their bowels due to the high fat content and low-carb (a.k.a. low-fiber) intake.
With a keto fiber supplement, you’re able to stay regular on the ketogenic diet and avoid the nasty side effects.
Read Also: How to manage hunger while on Keto Diet
What is a Fiber Supplement Used For?
As stated previously, fiber supplements are to make sure your bowels stay happy and healthy.
While most people who use it don’t get enough fiber in their diet just because they eat without any thought, it’s a necessity for those on the ketogenic diet.
Fiber supplements replenish your body’s soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber attaches itself to water in your digestive system and turns into a gel throughout digestion.
This process helps to slow digestion overall, and soluble fiber is found in a lot of natural foods. INsoluble fiber, on the other hand, does not attach to water.
In fact, it doesn’t attach to anything. Its job is to make the stool bulky. Basically, the things we don’t digest and have to excrete combines with insoluble fiber; the more you have, the easier it is to go to the bathroom (to a point).
Read Also: The Best Ketone Strips To Test Your Keto Levels
Fiber supplements should give you more of both. The trick is to find a supplement that has soluble and insoluble, so that you get the most bang for your buck.
Fiber Supplement Benefits
By adding more fiber to your diet in the form of a supplement, you get the following advantages:
- Normalized bowel movements: Dietary fiber does a lot of things to your bowel movements. It bulks up your stool, while also softening it. The result is a more pleasant bathroom experience than if you were to just “rough it” with the ketogenic diet. Fiber will decrease your chances of constipation, which is a common side effect with going keto.
- Increased bowel health: Funny enough, your gut has a lot to do with your overall health. With in influx of fiber, you get to steer clear from things like hemorrhoids and diverticular disease, which is this really fun condition where you have pouches on your colon. Seeing as some fiber actually ferments in the colon, it’s possible that fiber can keep your colon and the rest of your GI tract healthy and devoid of disease.
- Lower cholesterol levels: Fiber also lowers LDL cholesterol, also known as the bad kind of cholesterol. High-fiber foods have also been found to reduce blood pressure and lower inflammation, all related to the heart and your immune system. More fiber = Better internal health.
- Enhanced blood sugar regulation: When you consume something sugary, your blood sugar tends to spike up, which could eventually lead to excess inflammation, insulin resistance, and even diabetes. Fortunately, if you eat something fibrous with your spike in sugar, the fiber will slow the absorption and will level out your blood sugar.
- Help with losing or maintaining weight: Fiber is incredibly filling, way more filling than simple sugars or other carbohydrate sources. As a result, you’ll likely eat less and remain full longer. Eating less is one of the major components associated with weight loss and maintaining a healthy body fat percentage. Plus, high-fiber foods and supplements are not calorically dense, meaning you can consume more and intake less calories. Win-win.
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These are just a few of the benefits of either eating fibrous foods or taking a ketogenic fiber supplement.
But it’s obvious to see, additional fiber does a lot of good for your entire body, especially when you have to excuse yourself for #2.
Read Also: Sucralose & Keto Diet: A comprehensive guide
How Much Fiber Should I Have on a Keto Diet?
Experts say you should get 30-38 grams per day if you’re an adult male, and 25 grams per day for women who are between 18 and 50 years old. (When past 50 years of age, women only need 21 grams per day.)
On top of that, 10-15 of that amount should be soluble fiber.
On a ketogenic diet, you’ll definitely want to get that much fiber in you every day.
Without a healthy amount of fiber, you will potentially feel the consequences of too little fiber, which could mean constipation, loose stool, and more complications.
Read Also: Best Creatine Supplements On The Market To Boost Your Workouts
Do You Subtract Fiber From Carbs on Keto?
In a traditional ketogenic diet, the rule is less than 50 grams, with a standard range being 20-30 grams or 5% of your total calories.
The term “carbohydrate” means multiple things; carbs can be in the form of sugar (simple carbs), starches (complex carbs), fiber, or oligosaccharides, which fall between sugars and starches.
The main one you want to avoid – to the best of your ability – is sugar. Starches should also be eliminated as much as possible.
However, fiber is considered healthy and even necessary on a ketogenic diet. So, when you count your carbs, it makes sense to check the nutrition label for your foods and subtract the “fiber” content from the overall “carbohydrate” content.
For prepackaged food items, fiber content should be found underneath the total carbs, making this calculation easy.
For natural foods without labels, look up the nutrition profile online to get a good estimation.
So, the short answer is yes, you should subtract fiber from your carbs (your fiber intake will not count toward your daily carb intake).
Read Also: Kidney Pain and Keto Diet: Everything you need to know
Don’t be afraid to eat a ton of fibrous foods just because they have carbohydrates in them. In terms of the ketogenic diet, not all carbs are created equal.
Keto Foods That Are High in Fiber
Here are some natural foods that include a decent amount of fiber but don’t have you sweating whether you’ve broken ketosis or not.
These foods are low in sugar and starch, leaving all of their carbs as fiber.
These are the best keto foods for fiber, along with their fiber content per serving:
- Flax Seeds (2.8g)
- Chia Seeds (10g)
- Celery (8g)
- Lettuce (0.5g)
- Cabbage (raw or cooked; 0.6g)
- Raw Coconut (7g for 1 cup shredded, but also has 5g of sugar so be careful)
- Spinach (2.2g)
- Avocado (10g)
- Broccoli (3.8g)
- Cauliflower (2.1g)
- Eggplant (2.5g)
- Asparagus (2.8g)
- Mushrooms (0.7g)
- Bell Peppers (2.1g)
- Radishes (1.9g)
- Zucchini (1.2g)
- Tomatoes (2g)
Hopefully, you’re implementing a bunch of these into your nutrition plan already.
But if you aren’t, it’s super easy to throw most of these into stir fries, topping meals with seeds and raw coconut (unsweetened), or simply eating half of an avocado with some sea salt and chile powder.
The top dogs in terms of fiber vs. sugar content are avocados, spinach, chia seeds, and flax seeds. The others have moderate sugar content, so you’ll need to watch your intake of these foods.
Read Also: Best Keto Deserts you can buy
Too much broccoli or bell peppers could actually kick you out of ketosis….
…Which is why having a ketogenic fiber supplement is extremely beneficial!
Fiber Supplement Dosage
How much fiber do you need a day?
Well, as we stated earlier, 38g for men and 25g for women seems to be the sweet spot for daily fiber consumption. This will help keep you regular.
Adjusting for how much fiber you naturally take in, it would make sense to grab a quality fiber supplement that gives you 5-10g per serving, just to help out the natural foods.
When should you take it?
You can take your fiber supplement with food, or not. The choice is up to you.
What isn’t up to you is the water.
You should drink a glass of water – 8 ounces – with your fiber supplement. This will help the supplement reach the stomach and the GI tract without any hiccups.
Also, make sure you don’t take your fiber supplement with medication.
Medication first, then wait an hour and take your fiber supplement then. Otherwise, you can take your fiber supplement whenever, wherever.
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How long does it take to work?
Regularly, a keto fiber supplement takes 12-24 hours to effect your entire digestive system.
The best way to go about taking a fiber supplement is to begin your day with the prescribed dosage with 8 ounces of room temperature water with sea salt and lemon juice.
That way, you’ll have the fiber primed and ready for any ketogenic meals you have throughout the day!
Fiber Supplement Side Effects
While it all might sound like sunshine and rainbows with ketogenic fiber supplements, there are always side effects to supplementation. Usually, these won’t occur unless you supplement too much or are abusing them in some sort of way. Nevertheless, it’s good to be prepared.
Here are the typical side effects from fiber supplements:
- Flatulence
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Cramping
- Constipation
Thankfully, you can avoid or limit these unfortunate effects by simply slowly upping your fiber supplementation. Start with half a dose if you notice any of these, then gradually increase until you reach the alloted dose.
Top Fiber Supplement Reviews for a Ketogenic Diet
NOW Psyllium Husk Capsules
- Slows absorptions of simple sugars from Carbs
- Main ingredient Psyllium Husk widely used Fiber for thousands of years
- Capsules for quick and easy daily dosage
Always a crowd pleaser, NOW has brought the big guns with their psyllium husk fiber supplement.
Psyllium husk is one of the best sources of fiber known to man; widely used in Asia for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine. Praised as a “bulk-forming laxative, it’s also a prebiotic and serves one hell of a fiber kick.
When mixed with water it produces more bulk which stimulates the intestines to contract and speed up the passage of stool. On the flip side it soaks up plenty of water in the digestive tract which can help with mild diarrhea. Overall, a very powerful and helpful supplement for the digestive tract funtion.
A serving size gives you 1.1 grams of fiber, split into a single gram of soluble and 0.1 gram of insoluble, for a double punch.
Another benefit of NOW’s fiber supplement is the fiber-to-carbohydrate ratio. Of the 1.3 carbs, 1.1 is fiber, meaning you won’t be kicked out of ketosis and you can remain regular and away from unnecessary carbs.
NOW Psyllium Husk is 100% guaranteed to get you the fiber you need on a ketogenic diet without compromising anything in your nutrition plan.
A trusted company for years with a wide range of supplements, give NOW a try.
Ancient Nutrition Keto Fiber
- Made with Chia and Flax Seeds
- Non-GMO, high quality soluble powder
- Whole food with additional spices and plant extracts
Next up on our list is an amazing fiber supplement from Ancient Nutrition.
A serving of this stuff will net you 5g of fiber.
Ancient Nutrition uses organic chia seed and organic flax seed for their all-natural fiber content.
It also includes medium chain triglycerides and bovine collagen peptides to pump up this incredible supplement. (Along with cinnamon, ginger, reishi mushroom, and apple cider vinegar.)
Non-GMO, all-natural, superior quality, KetoFIBER Powder (formulated by Dr. Axe) is a great choice for your optimal keto fiber supplement.
Garden of Life Raw Organic Fiber
- 9 grams of Vegan Organic Fiber
- Fiber from 15 superfoods
- Perfect mix of soluble and insoluble fiber
This product is an organic superfood version of a keto fiber supplement from the bros over at Garden of Life.
This supplement is a monster, with each serving netting you 9 grams of organic fiber.
Made from flax, amaranth, quinoa, and chia, along with buckwheat, millet, and a few beans and seeds, this product includes 15 superfoods and a ton of extra beneficial effects.
Best of all, the 9 grams of fiber is split into 4 grams of soluble and 5 of insoluble, giving you an absolutely epic bang for your buck.
It claims to give you constipation relief, but this supplement will do so much more. Your overall health will be noticeably improved after taking Raw Organic Superfood Fiber consistently in your routine.
If you want a kick in the pants in terms of feeling like an ultimate beast, both with your digestive system and your overall wellbeing, we’d recommend Garden of Life’s supplement.
Ancient Nutrition Keto Digest
- Keto Friendly enzymes for healthy digestion
- Made for High fat/protein, low carb diets
- Capsules for quick and easy daily dosage
Last up is Ancient Nutrition again, but this time it’s a digestive enzyme formula that also works as a keto fiber supplement.
KetoDIGEST involves both a fermented organic botanical blend and an enzyme/probiotic blend.
This product has a bunch of keto-friendly enzyme ingredients to keep your body in tip-top shape while staying in ketosis.
Included in this potent blend is ACV, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, reishi mushroom, a lipase enzyme blend, a protease enzyme blend, and more. In short, it’s really good for you, plus it has the added benefit of keeping you regular.
(Though, not as well as Ancient Nutrition’s other product, KetoFIBER.)
If you want more of a full-fledged adaptogenic blend of nature’s goodness, make sure to grab yourself some Ancient Nutrition KetoDIGEST.
Your stomach will be most pleased.
Conclusion
The ketogenic diet is a wonderful tool for staying fit, staying sharp, and maintaining a healthy relationship with food. However, it’s difficult sometimes, especially when you can’t go to the bathroom properly.
Praise the Lifting Gods for fiber supplements!
They will be your lifesaver if you implement one of the above into your nutrition regimen. Do your research, test one – or more – yourself, and get regular. Your body – and your bowels – will thank you.
And if all else fails, try to add more of the natural foods we listed above. The more fiber you bring inside your gut biome, the better off you’ll be.
Here’s to fiber supplements and consistent bowel movements!
