Fibre

We have all been led to believe that fibre is a wonder nutrient that feeds that magical bacteria in our gut and makes us regular and virtuous. The recommendations to eat 25 to 30 grams of fibre per day are, like most nutritional “Science”, is based on weak Epidemiology heavily confounded by healthy user bias. - Insoluble Fibre - indigestible plant roughage that adds bulk and comes over virtually intact - Soluble Fibre - dissolves in water (hence the name), affects the consistency of the stool and feeds some of the microbes in your gut.

Many of the benefits of fibre are attributed to its fermentation by bacteria in the colon which produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) - including butyrate, and although providing effectively zero fibre the Carnivore Diet does provide sources of fermentable food for the gut bacteria. These include Collagen, Casein and various compounds found in cartilage. Additionally, being in a state of Ketosis, which a Carnivore Diet will likely confer, can directly feed the gut and the rest of the body with SCFAs including Beta-Hydroxybutyrate. A number of studies have shown that the removal of fibre can improve constipation and high fibre diets can damage and irritate the bowel causing or making conditions like Diverticulosis worse and exacerbating rheumatoid arthritis. Although your gut micro biome will shift significantly to reflect your new protein and fat based diet there is no evidence that this results in a loss of diversity or negatively impacts gut microbes.

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