I want to cut down on carbs. However, I want to up my fiber. I'm currently eating 1 C of high fiber cereal, 1/2 C blueberries, 1 small banana and 1 C of unsweetened almond milk for breakfast. If we have any juice in the house, I'll have 1 C of it. That's a ton of carbs. I usually supplement my lunch with 2 C of a broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix.

I know chips, crackers and things of that sort are the carbs we should avoid. I know candy and things like that are to be very limited.

I just want to cut back on carbs and increase fiber. Is that too much to ask?

Fiber pills only offer 5 grams of fiber. Maybe I should start taking those 2 times per day. As it is, I get around 30 grams per day.

Maybe Nelie, the fiber goddess, will come in and offer her sage advice.

Remember that fiber is a carb, but it's a carb that can't be digested (which is why it acts as broom to clean out the intestines), so it's a carb that doesn't have to be counted. For example if a food has 7 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fiber, you only count 4 net carbs.

Just curious as to why you want more? I eat about the same number as you, and find myself very, um, regular. Fruit and veggies are your best sources. I also have ground flaxseed with my cereal, which is either oatmeal or Cheerios (I do tend to get into food ruts. ) But Coleen is right, subtract the fiber content to get your net carbs.

Have you looked into adding something like chia seeds or flax seeds to your diet? They're really high in fibre (and other good stuff) for relatively few carbs.

If you really want to cut carbs, take out the banana and juice. In addition, swap your blueberries for raspberries, and you'll save another 5 g of carbs and add 2g of fibre.

Thanks. I know to subtract the fiber from the carbs.

I can't add seeds of any type to my diet. I have diverticulitis. Raspberries are out as well. I can't have nuts, seeds or corn. I am risking an attack during the summer because we grow tomatoes. I love our home grown tomatoes so I have to try and seed them before I eat them.

I really don't want to cut out the banana because of the potassium it provides.

Good lower carb (and higher fibre) sources of potassium:

• French beans
• lentils
• spinach

Below is a list of foods that are high in potassium. As you can see, many have more potassium and less carbs and more fiber than banana. I hope this helps!

List of Foods High in Potassium

Foods, Serving Size Potassium (mg)

Apricots, dried 10 halves 407
Avocados, raw 1 ounce 180
Bananas, raw 1 cup 594
Beets, cooked 1 cup 519
Brussel sprouts, cooked 1 cup 504
Cantaloupe 1 cup 494
Dates, dry 5 dates 271
Figs, dry 2 figs 271
Kiwi fruit, raw 1 medium 252
Lima beans 1 cup 955
Melons, honeydew 1 cup 461
Milk, fat free or skim 1 cup 407
Nectarines 1 nectarine 288
Orange juice 1 cup 496
Oranges 1 orange 237
Pears (fresh) 1 pear 208
Peanuts dry roasted, unsalted 1 ounce 187
Potatoes, baked, 1 potato 1081
Prune juice 1 cup 707
Prunes, dried 1 cup 828
Raisins 1 cup 1089
Spinach, cooked 1 cup 839
Tomato products, canned sauce 1 cup 909
Winter squash 1 cup 896
Yogurt plain, skim milk 8 ounces 579

USDA Nutrient Database for Standard References, Release 15 for Potassium, K (mg)

Thanks again. I went to the library and got some books to start plotting out different things.

well, what about leafy greens and other veggies?

Because of my plan, I eat oat bran - 3 tablespoons every day; sometimes I make it 2 tablespoons of oat bran + 1 tablespoon of flax seed (crushed). If you are in the habit of eating muesli/cereals, try substituting at least partially the grain with bran.

I also eat a lot of sea wrack (sea weed).

One thing I learned from OA/HOW (about the only "takeaway" I had with that program) was that one serving of carbs is 15 grams, and for every 15 grams there should be 2 grams of fiber. That pretty much eliminates your carbs to about 10% of what's sold in most grocery stores, but I think it's a good benchmark.

hyachinth: I must say that everytime i see your name and avatar, I think of that beloved show! I haven't seen it in a year or so, but I love it!!

These are some good ways to increase fiber.
So, what are your reasons for increasing your fiber intake? 30g is quite a lot for the body? How much are you intending to increase it by?