Getting the recommended amount of fiber

[Emily-D]

Could you please tell me how to get 25 grams of fiber while eating at induction level? I haven't been able to achieve that. I ate 1/2 cup of flax seed today. If I increased it to 1 cup, I could meet the goal for today, but that's not something I'm going to do every day. My other fiber today came from salad and broccoli.

[woohoo10134]

I got a perfect solution, I have been usting since i've started. I eat for breakfast a box of Low Carb granola, found it at Wal-Mart, http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/review...7/cat/3/page/1

there's a link to it at the product review page, it has 4 net carbs, 25 grams of fiber a serving! It tastes good, and is definately convinent, I personaly use some Low Carb Hood Countdown with it, only takes about a third of a serving to cover the cereal, so it's only about 5 carbs total and you get 25 grams of fiber, a perfect solution

[lunarmoth]

This is not an allowable food for Induction. We are supposed to be eating what's listed as acceptable foods from the list and LC granola is definitely not one of them. Maybe just increasing more of the veggie carbs will help. How about a fiber tablet of some kind? Be sure to check ingredients before consuming. I hope this helps.

[LindaSue]

How did you manage to choke down 1/2 cup of flax seed, emdo?

[3boys4me]

Originally posted by lunarmoth
Maybe just increasing more of the veggie carbs will help.

This is very difficult to do with just veggies. On another thread on this board, that I'm anxiously awaiting an answer to, I posted a sample menu for induction which includes 2 cups romaine, 1cup salad veggies (mush., cukes, onions, brocc.) and 1 cup cauliflower. The whole 21 carb menu only comes up with 6 fiber.

The Atkins Nutritionalists recommends 25 grams fiber w/ 20 minimum NET carbs. This means 45 TOTAL carbs for induction. A VERY difficult feat unless they're suggesting including high fiber products.

[woohoo10134]

Well i've been eating the low carb granola, it fits the plan, has no sugar, full of nutrients, and alot of fiber, i see no way how it could not be allowed, i've lost 10 lbs in the past week - week and a half, and i feel wonderful! At only 5 carbs total for breakfast, no sugar alchols or anything like that, just nutrients and splenda, it's a perfect item for induction.

[3boys4me]

Originally posted by woohoo10134
Well i've been eating the low carb granola, it fits the plan, has no sugar, full of nutrients, and alot of fiber, i see no way how it could not be allowed,

Don't know if you've read an Atkins book or looked at their site but there is a list of acceptable foods for Atkins http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html
It is based on whole foods, not processed ones and granola is no where close to being within those guidelines. It includes nuts and grains and those are not allowed till later on in OWL, following the carb ladder.

However, the Atkins nutritionist will probably have something different to say about it....

[woohoo10134]

I hope that the Atkins Nutrionalist replies, I won't eat it if it somehow is jinxing my eating program, i thought it would be ok, hence the low carb and good nutrients. If there is a problem using this product during induction, i'll stop, but i'm doing great so far on this. Hopefully the Atkins Nutritionlist will answer

[3boys4me]

Originally posted by woohoo10134
i'm doing great so far on this.

You are doing great!

and to the board!

[woohoo10134]

Thank you, I have followed the low carb plan earlier in the year and had tremendous resutls, but unfortanately I fell off, and now I really appreciate it and am looking forward to incorporating it into my daily life. Now if only the Atkins Nutrionalist will come give me some feed back on that granola, all will be good

[Emily-D]

Originally posted by LindaSue
How did you manage to choke down 1/2 cup of flax seed, emdo?

Here's what I do with flaxseed. I can easily eat half of this recipe over the course of the day. I eat it plain, without nuts or cream.

Maple Crunch

Grind 1 cup of whole flax seeds in a coffee grinder. (I grind 1/4 cup at a time, for about 20 seconds.) Dump into bowl.

Add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, if you like.

Mix in 1/3 cup of Atkins sugar-free syrup, maple flavor.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 300 for 5 minutes, then stir and bake for another 5 minutes.

Eat warm, or refrigerate to eat it later.

Can be eaten plain, or with cream.

[Emily-D]

I'm going to think about that granola. The fiber count is great!

[LindaSue]

That's a relief, emdo. I had this picture in my mind of you trying to shovel down spoonfuls of dry flax meal. The stuff you make is similar to my Coconutty Crunch mixture, but with more focus on flax than nuts. I may try increasing the ratio of flax to nuts in my recipe to increase the fiber. I have a bag of Gram's Gourmet cream of flax cereal that I didn't know what to do with (not a big fan of hot cereal), but I may try adding a bit of that to my nutty crunch for extra fiber. I tried that with one serving yesterday and it tasted pretty good with my yogurt.

[Emily-D]

Hi Linda Sue,

I'll have to try your Coconutty Crunch. That sounds good!

[3boys4me]

Bumping for the AN.

[Atkins_Nutritionist]

So sorry that this question has been overlooked, it must have happened since over weekend since so many members replied to it. It will be answered first thing in the morning, I am leaving for the day shortly. Thank you for your patience.

[Atkins_Nutritionist]

To meet your fiber requirements, you want to choose the most fiber-rich vegetables. Dr. Atkins referred to these as ‘Vegetable Superstars’, not only b/c they are rich in fiber but also they are not most nutrient dense. They include escarole, spinach, parsley, watercress, arugula, asparagus, bamboo shoots, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, eggplant, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, okra, onions, pumpkin, scallions, snow peas, spaghetti squash, string or wax beans, Swiss chard, tomato, turnips, water chestnuts and zucchini.

With the emerging research on the effects of fiber and the emphasis on subtracting them out to calculate the Net Carbs, there is a shift in focus away from meeting the 3 cups of salad greens (or 2 with 1 cup starchy veggies), rather, more can be included as long as you stay at 20 grams of Net Carbs each day. Induction is the most difficult time to meet your fiber requirement, but by choosing the Vegetable Superstars, and by including a fiber supplement or flax, than you should meet your requirement. Products are not on the Acceptable Foods list for Induction. If you choose to stay on Induction for more than 2 weeks based on your weight loss goals, there are products that are made available that are appropriate and our products are labeled as such, but we cannot advise on other products since other food manufacturers may calculate their nutrition content differently. But different foods effect individuals in different ways, so as long as that low-carb Granola is not hindering your weight loss, it seems like a great product to include. You have to individual your meal planning to meet your preferences and your needs. The guidelines give you a guide to go about doing so.

Here are some examples the vegetables you can include and still keep your Net Carb under control. Note this does not list other foods or supplements that may be consumed which would contribute to both fiber and Net Carb intake. The columns may be off slightly, I had to cut and paste it in.

Amount Food Item Carb (g) Fiber (g) Net Carbs (g)

1.5cup Asparagus-Boiled-Cup 11.42 4.32 7.1
2cup Watercress-Chopped-Cup-Raw0.88 0.88 0
3cup Romaine (Cos) LettuceCup 3.98 2.86 1.12
0.5each California Avocado-Each 5.98 4.24 1.74
10each Large Ripe Olives-Canned-Each2.75 1.41 1.34
1cup Cherry Tomatoes, Red Raw-cup6.91 1.64 5.27
5each Mushrooms-White-Raw MUC 2.37 0.06 2.31
Totals 34.29 15. 4 18.89

3cup Romaine (Cos) Lettuce-Cup 3.98 2.86 1.12
2cup Spinach-Raw-Chopped-Cup 2.1 1.62 0.48
1.5cup Broccoli Boiled,Drained-Cup 11.84 6.79 5.05
1.5cup Cauliflower-Cup Boiled-Drnd 7.64 5.02 2.62
1cup Green Snap/String Beans-Boiled9.86 4 5.86
10each Large Ripe Olives-Canned-Each2.75 1.41 1.34
0.5each California Avocado-Each 5.98 4.24 1.74
Totals 44.16 25.93 18.23

1cup Cabbage-Shredded-Raw-Cup 3.8 1.61 2.19
0.25cup Cucumber, Peeled, Raw-Cup, 0.74 0.21 0.53
1cup Celery-Raw-Chopped 4.38 2.04 2.34
4cup RomaineLettuce-Chopped-Cup5.31 3.81 1.5
2cup Zucchini Slices-Steamed 10.48 4.32 6.16
10each Large Ripe Olives-Canned-Each2.75 1.41 1.34
0.5each California Avocado-Each 5.98 4.24 1.74
1cup Eggplant-Cubed-Boiled-Cup 6.57 2.48 4.09
Totals 40.01 20.11 19.9

[Emily-D]

Thank you.

Could you give us a sample menu that would provide the recommended fiber at induction level?

It looks like I have to continue eating the flax seed.

[Atkins_Nutritionist]

These are sample meal plans, but only the vegetable component for the day.

The first group listed provides 15.4 g fiber and 18.89 g net carbs that day (you can round up and down as decimals can get complicated, but I'll keep the whole number for my example). But you are not only eating vegetable, the other foods you may choose as you individual your meal plan will meet your goal and you can still aim to stay at 20 grams. For example, you can include 1/2 a serving of the low carb granola that has been mentioned to get your 10 more grams of fiber and 1 more gram of Net Carb.

The second group listed provides 25.93 grams of fiber and you still have net carbs to spare so you can include even more veggies or another appropriate selection of your choice.

The third group you are just below your fiber requirement and also your Net Carb allowance, so you can also add more veggies.

You can also use a supplement or flax to get you up to the recommended level but if you can do it using whole foods and still keep your Net Carbs in check, that's even better. But it is all up to the individual meal plan. Hope that helps to clarify.

[Emily-D]

Sorry, I didn't realize that they were suggested menus. Thanks for posting it.

[MichelleM]

So......After reading your response I STILL dont see any actual "MENUS".

???? Have I MISSED THEM??

[Atkins_Nutritionist]

In my post earlier in this thread, I demonstrated how you can maximize your fiber intake by choosing the most fiber rich vegetables without going over your net carbs allowance. It is not a full sample menu, as I did not include other whole foods that you may include in meal planning that also will contribute to fiber. I didn't mean to confuse you by doing this! Just wanted to emphasize that you can come pretty close to the recommendation intake of fiber even in Induction, the most restrictive phase.

The first, second, and third menu listed provide around 15, 26, and 20 g of fiber, respectively. Depending on what phase you are in, you can meet the 25g of fiber per day by choosing fiber rich whole foods such as low-glycemic fruits and whole grains if you are beyond induction, or if you are too close to your total net carbs for the day, you can use supplements such as psyllium husks, wheat bran or flax meal. Supplementation is usually unnecessary in the Ongoing Weight Loss phase and beyond because individuals are consuming more fiber rich whole foods.

[MichelleM]

Thanx AN!

[Bees KneesII]

Woohoo, did you go to a Walmart Super store? My dang Walmart didn't have it.

Elissa