Intestinal Problems While On The Atkins Diet Plan

Many people who switch from a high carbohydrate way of eating to the Atkins Diet Plan complain of intestinal discomfort such as diarrhea and constipation. This is largely due to the major change in eating that your body is having to adjust to and should eventually pass.

Most dieters experience diarrhea in the beginning of the plan. This is your bodies way of adjusting to all the carbohydrates it is used to and now having to process a lot more protein type foods. This can also indicate the beginning of ketosis.

Constipation can be a big problem on the Atkins, or any, low carb diet and this is a result of the lack of fiber that can happen if you do not choose your foods wisely. If you were typically eating fruit, legumes and whole grains then your body is reacting to the restriction of these foods and you should probably bulk up on more leafy greens.

These intestinal issues shouldn’t scare you away from low carb eating as there are solutions to them that will help you enjoy this way of life.

The first thing is to make sure that you eat enough low carb vegetables. The induction phase is the most restrictive but it allows for 20 grams of carbs each day so you should be able to get in about 3 cups of salad greens. It’s not wise to forgo the vegetables and save your carbs for soda or cheese or candy as this will result in major constipation!

Eating enough vegetables is critical to maintaining good health as well as good digestive process when on the Atkins plan. It’s also critical to drink at least 8 8 ounce glasses of water a day and get plenty of exercise - both of these will help your digestive track move things along.

If you add in low carb veggies and you still feel constipated, try using a sugar free fiber supplement.

You also want to be sure you are getting enough fats and health oils in your diet. Try adding some flax oil to your salads or even some flax seeds. Also, be sure to use vegetables that are higher in fiber like brocolli and spinach instead of ice burg lettuce.

If this doesn’t work, you might try cutting out salt which includes pickels, bacon, ham and diet soda. Sometimes salt will cause you to retain fluids and once this is decreased it can help with bowel movements.

Intestinal problems are not unusual when you change the way you are used to eating and switching to the Atkins plan is no exception. Simply let your body adjust and everything should be fine!