An HCG diet combines a very low-calorie eating plan and hormone shots. Endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons explains that by consuming 500 calories a day along with the hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, dieters can burn excess fat. While on the plan, detailed in Simeons' book, "Pounds and Inches," participants are required to eat certain fruits and vegetables that contain fiber but are not permitted to take any dietary supplements, including fiber. While there are no limitations on how much fiber you can consume, there are rigid calorie restrictions.
Menu
For breakfast, you can have a mug of coffee or tea with a tablespoon of milk and sugar substitute. For lunch and dinner, you can have 100 g of lean meat, a vegetable, a serving of fruit and a bread stick or toast. Items forbidden on an HCG diet include starch and sugar. Consuming a food not on the list of approved items or taking any kind of dietary supplement, including fiber, could have disastrous effects on the diet and sabotage your chances of losing a significant amount of weight, according to Simeons.
About Fiber
Fiber is the indigestible portion of a plant-based food. It moves through the digestive tract, absorbs water and helps form and ease bowel movements. Spinach, chard, tomatoes, celery, apples and numerous other fruits and vegetables permitted on an HCG diet contain dietary fiber -- anywhere from 2 percent of the recommended daily allowance, or RDA, for chard to 17 percent for a medium apple.
Fiber Content
An HCG diet has a fair amount of dietary fiber. However, on just 500 calories per day, you can’t be expected to get your RDA of the nutrient. There are three types of fruit permissible on an HCG diet: a medium apple, half a grapefruit and a handful of strawberries. An apple contains 4.4 g of dietary fiber. The fiber content in grapefruit and a handful of strawberries is about 2.5 g and 1.5 g, respectively. Vegetables with a fair amount of fiber on an HCG menu include onions and fennel with 2.7 g.; celery, 1.8 g; and radishes and cabbages, 1.9 g. Spinach and chard contain 0.6 to 0.7 g of fiber, which is 2 to 3 percent of the RDA. According to Mayo Clinic, healthy adults should consume between 22 to 34 g of fiber per day, depending on gender.
On an HCG diet, you're expected to weigh your food portions and keep your intake at 500 calories a day. There's no way to estimate the exact amount of fiber you will consume each day, but it's a fair assessment to say you will probably get about half of the RDA, which is not far off from the amount Americans take in, even those on a nonrestrictive diet. According to Colon & Rectal Surgery Associates in St. Paul, Minnesota, "Most Americans eat 10 to 15 grams of fiber a day."
Fiber Deficiency
Constipation is a main side effect of a low-fiber diet, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. According to Simeons, constipation is to be expected on the protocol. Constipation is defined by having infrequent bowel movements -- fewer than three times a week -- and difficulty passing stools. On the diet, participants are not permitted to take a laxative to relieve symptoms, nor can you consume any fiber not outlined on the menu of permitted foods. Only if symptoms become unbearable can you resort to using a suppository laxative. The biggest concern regarding adding extra fiber to your diet, suggests Simeons, is the extra calories, which can halt weight loss.
References
- HCG Diet Info; Pounds & Inches; A.T.W. Simeons
- MayoClinic.com: Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines
- MayoClinic.com: Constipation
- Medical News Today; What Is Fiber? What Is Dietary Fiber? Fiber Rich Foods; April 2009
- Colon & Rectal Surgery Associates: High-Fiber Diet
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Constipation; July 2007
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