Dear Motherload,
My girlfriend wants the two of us to go on the South Beach Diet...not to lose weight, because neither of us needs to, but because it promotes general good health.
I feel that I can live without the carbs, but I'm quite concerned about my fecal evacuation. My worry is that if I can't have my oatmeal, my bran muffins and my Metamucil, I will become consitpated. I have found numerous comments online from those following this diet which mention that they have, indeed, become constipated.
I've been taking Metamucil as a fiber supplement for a few years now, and I feel so good from the effects; I have huge and regular bowel movements, and my bloodwork shows extremely low amounts of "bad" cholesterol and higher than average amounts of "good" cholesterol (I've read that my "Meta-Therapy" does have the added benefit of retarding the absorbtion of cholesterol into the blood). The problem is that my good ol' Meta-mucous is chock full of sugar. I can't use the sugar-free variety because asparteme makes me feel extremely ill.
Sugar aside, is psyllium husk acceptable for a no carb/low carb diet, or are there hidden carbs there? If I use pure psyllium husk with no sugar added, will I compromise the effects of the diet?
Any information you might have on this subject would be most appreciated.
Thanks a heap,
H
Dear H,
Psyllium husk can be purchased without any flavorings, sweeteners or other additives. It will not compromise the effects of a low-carb diet. The high fat, low fiber nature of the low-carb diet does in fact cause constipation which can be reduced by adding fiber supplements such as psyllium husk to your diet.
The more important thing that you need to consider is whether making such a dramatic change in diet just because your girlfriend wants you to is really going to be in your best interest health-wise.
You are not overweight. You have excellent blood cholesterol levels. You eat oatmeal, bran muffins and take a fiber supplement. You have stated that you feel great and have healthy poop.
Any sudden change in diet will affect your poop. The type of diet that you are considering will affect it in a way that is probably not going to be pleasing to you. Constipation is a very common side-effect of low-carb diets. This usually sets in after the initial case of diarrhea that is caused by the body trying to rid itself of all the excess glucose once a state of ketosis is achieved in the beginning stage of the diet.
You apparently already eat healthy, exercise regularly and have routine checkups with good results. Why mess with that? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Thanks for asking Motherload!
Motherload is a Certified Nurse Assistant as well as an IBS sufferer, which means she knows a lot about poop. Got a question for her? Ask it here. [1]