We don't necessarily need fiber in our diets. I have been LC-VLC almost 5 years now and I am never constipated, but used to be on occasion while eating SAD. My mother cured her chronic constipation going paleo (took about 8 months). Drink lots of water make sure to get enough fats. When we spend years eating SAD our intestines/bowel can get rather lazy because it is used to lots of fiber literally pushing everything through our system so the intestines do have to do much work. Once that excess fiber is removed from our diets our body has to get back to naturally moving food through, as it was designed to do. It can take time to re-train our bodies to act naturally.

Many Paleos say that it's not fiber and water that make nice poops, it's probiotics and fat. Yes, people take fiber supplements to bulk up their stools, but fiber is a poor replacement for what stools should actually be made up of - dead bacteria. This website challenges a lot of conventional wisdom about constipation: http://www.gutsense.org/ So maybe try upping your consumption of fermented foods (sauerkrauit, miso, kefir etc) and your fat.

But I should add, I'm not yet totally convinced that fiber plays no role in regularity. I always understood that the bowels need a bit of soluble fiber (i.e. in tubers) and insoluble (i.e. in greens) to work on. You say you eat coconut products - coconut is really high in insoluble fiber so that's good. Maybe something starchy to add a bit of soft bulk?

Also, magnesium can help clean you out. Magnesium-rich foods like spinach are a good choice - also since spinach shrinks down so much when cooked and isn't as gassy as other vegs.

I won't speak to the fat question except to say I don't think most people are prone to over-eat fat unless there are sweet carbs with it. For example, olive oil on a salad or fat with meat seems to be self-regulating, so all you'd think about is the size of your protein serving and the fat should follow pretty naturally.

I am never constipated, edging toward too loose if anything. I eat plenty of meat, so the rest must be non-constipating, at least for me: cream in coffee, about a cup of full-fat yogurt, large leafy/crispy salads (romaine/leaf lettuce with celery, fennel or onion, cucumber, etc.) and fruit--most often a banana with the yogurt plus a grapefruit and orange before the salad.

Hi Kulture,

Here is some info that may help you out:

http://paleodietnews.com/3115/the-paleo-diet-and-fiber/

My numbers are pretty great, but I struggle with constipation as well. I'm blessed with great genes when it comes to cholesterol, because I'm a BIG middle-aged woman and have never had problems with cholesterol or blood pressure.

I track calories, carbs and fiber when I eat. (Trying to lose weight.) When I ate more volume of food, I didn't have much of a constipation issue, but since cutting grains and legumes, even with an increase of veggies and fruit plus drinking lots of water, I have problems with constipation. I have been supplementing my food with psyllium husks, chia seeds, flax and a magnesium supplements. I eat at least 25 gm of fiber a day, but I try to get up to 50 gm at least one day a week. I don't feel physically bad, but I'm just concerned.

You might wish to try http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Jarro-dophilus-EPS-Capsules/dp/B0013OUKTS.

Blue berries on ocassion are good as well as left over baked potatoes served cold.

I've been wondering about this recently. The increased fat should make things easier, but sometimes I do take fibre sachets if I haven't eaten much veg that day. Things are "more difficult" when I'm trying to lose more weight by eating leaner meat.

What I wonder is - even though we try to eat different parts of the animal, there is still a difference between the selected and trimmed cuts available to buy and the hunks of flesh yielded by a hunt. Assuming that, to get the most out of each carcass, our ancestors really ate as much of the beast as possible, is it possible that they ended up eating more "animal fibre", i.e. really gristly, sinewy stuff that was less digestible than our muscle + organ meat?

I don't even know if this exists - maybe all animal matter is easily digestable - but just a thought.

man, i hope my blood work looks like this. when you have a triglyceride this low you ignore the elevated LDL why? your LDL is dietary LDL. dietary LDL is not the kind that finds its way behind the vascular epithelium to cause atherosclerosis. so , what kind does? thats the endogenous de novo synthesis ldl formed from ingesting fructose or alcohol but that is found in high triglyceride states so you my friend are good to go. as for fiber eat some fruit its very nutritious and the fiber will slow down absorption of the fructose to lower rates that your body can manage. i should have been a doctor. no, this is way more fun.

If you cannot get enough fiber into your day, you are just on a more expensive (grass fed/Whole Foods Market) version of the Atkins Diet.

Why is it that you think you don't get enough fiber? I'm not getting the connection between your numbers and concerns about fiber. Constipation can have many causes and fiber may or may not help.

I am never constipated but in the past have had poor digestion and IBS symptoms including chronic diarrhea, which was almost completely remedied with the paleo diet. It was like flipping a switch, I stopped eating all grains and sugars, and about a week and a half later I was as regular as a clock. My digestion greatly improved and I for the first time in years I was able to eat things like raw kale with no problems whatsoever, which I think also greatly helped my nutrition.

I don't go out of my way to eat fiber, but I have noticed that roasted sweet potatoes with the skin on help my digestion, I am not sure it is the fiber as much as the nutrients and minerals.

I struggled with constipation all my life before going paleo.

I have 3 tbs of chia seeds + 500 mg of magnesium at night. 1000 mg for me produces the opposite effect... To the point you can't mistake anything for a fart... Ahem.

Eat a lot of veggies, prepare them with oil, butter, other sources of quality fat for flavor and it's easy to get a TON of fiber. Throw in some fruit and starch, if you are active and can tolerate them, you're going to have an abundance of fiber.