Learn How To Make Your Own Fiber Supplement

Article Updated: January 22, 2022

In this post, here’s what you’ll learn about making your own fiber supplement:

• Adding an important product to your prepper pantry – by making your own fiber supplement.
• Why you’ll need a fiber supplement in a SHTF (Poop Hit The Fan) situation and if it’s safe or not.
• How to make your own fiber supplement.
• An easy way to save money.

Think About It

In the worst-case SHTF scenario, we’re:

• Potentially drinking tainted water.
• Our diet may be severely altered.
• Our sleep may be limited.
• And our stress level will surely come to an all-time high.

So it stands to reason, in a SHTF event, staying “regular” could be a challenge at best. In a survival situation, your digestive health is a very important thing to get a handle on.

We hear preppers mention Imodium^® A-D (Anti-diarrheal medicine)‎ all the time when we’re discussing first aid kits and bugout bags. And for good reason. Bad water can cause severe diarrhea to the point of life-threatening dehydration.

It is serious, but bad water is not the only issue we may face when everything starts to unwind.

What we don’t hear very often is the severe change in diet and sleep coupled with the high levels of stress we’re likely to experience. So you don’t have to be over 50 to require a little help from a fiber supplement, not when your world turns upside down.

BugOut Bag & Survival Packs: Adding your own fiber supplement in small packets to your bugout food kit might not be a bad idea. I’ve actually carried and used Metamucil Fiber Singles ^{(Paid link)} in my packs for years. Once those run out, I’ll be replacing those with packets of my own supplement mix.

Take It From An Old Man – Fiber Doesn’t Cause Diarrhea

So when my doctor recommended a daily dose of fiber, I said I was concerned with needing to find a bathroom all day while I was driving a truck for a living.

The doctor explained that the fiber would help reduce bathroom visits. It would help prevent constipation WITHOUT causing diarrhea, as long as taken properly.

I told you, not so sexy, right?

Is There Any Harm In Taking A Fiber Supplement Every Day?

There’s no evidence that daily use of fiber supplements — such as psyllium (Metamucil, Konsyl, others) or methylcellulose (Citrucel) — is harmful. ~ Michael F. Picco, M.D., MayoClinic.org.

Let’s Get To It – Mixing Your Own Fiber Supplement

The active ingredient for Metamucil^® and possibly other fiber supplements is Psyllium Husk Powder ^{(Paid link)} (It may cause allergic reactions in people sensitive to psyllium).

*Citrucel uses Methylcellulose Fiber

I bought a 24-ounce bag of Viva Naturals Organic Psyllium Husk Powder from Amazon, ^{(Paid link)} mixed it with 4 cups of Stevia Extract. ^{(Paid link)} That’s it. Done. Except for the storage, that is.

For long-term storage, I used Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. I could have stored the mixed powder in Mason jars, but that could have gotten messy, and I was in a hurry. See video.

Update: I no longer use oxygen absorbers, it can cause the mix to cake up a bit. I squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing that that has worked well for me.

How’s It Taste, You Ask?

It tastes like bland medicine to me. Personally, I wasn’t looking to “dress it up” with great looks and taste. I turn up a glass each night and drink it as fast as I can.

We’re not sipping on a glass of sweet tea on the porch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, enjoying the sunset, and feeling the cool breeze come off the river. We’re taking medicine. 🤣

Better Taste Option 1

My wife did come up with the nice idea of adding in some sugar-free water flavoring.^{(Paid link)} You know, the little packets you can pour into a bottle of water that magically taste like sweet Kool-Aid. It also gives it a bright radioactive kind of color LOL.

I tried it with Fruit Punch flavors in the fiber supplement mix I’ve been using, and it seems very sweet to me but a little better. I should have used fewer packets or less Stevia. Next time I’ll probably use grape flavor.

I worry more about how long it will last and continue to work than anything so adding more ingredients isn’t something I want to do for my long-term storage. I will only add the flavoring to the batch I’m currently using.

Better Taste Option 2

Tang? In a YouTube comment, Cat&Fish M. said:

Put some tang in it, make the orange flavored kind. You get vitamin c that way.👍🏻

Well, Cat&Fish, I think that’s a great idea. I did notice the sugar-free contains aspartame, like most things, and the regular Tang ^{(Paid link)} fructose. You do get vitamin C, and it might be a great pantry option if water becomes the only drink option in a SHTF situation.

Now, My Personal Taste Test?

I actually haven’t had Metamucil^® in a while but I don’t remember it tasting all that great. With that said, I do remember when I first switched to my own fiber supplement mix from Metamucil, I thought the mix was even worse than the orange taste I was accustomed to.

If you’re looking for great-tasting supplements, I’m the wrong one to listen to. I’m not going to add a bunch of sugar for the sake of taste – not when it comes to something like a daily supplement.

Does Mixing Your Own Fiber Supplement Save Money?

It does. Just a few days ago I paid $15.19 ($16.89 – price updated – over four years later) for the Psyllium Husk Powder ^{(Paid link)} on Amazon (It’s Prime, so I paid no shipping) and I paid $6.39 (7.68) for a large bag of Stevia ^{(Paid link)}– of which, I used a little over half the bag.

$16.89 of Psyllium + $3.84 of Stevia (half bag) = $20.73

So let’s say about $21 (Give or take – prices may vary daily) for the ingredients, just to be safe. At the time of this update (Jan. 22, 2022), you could buy a 36.8 oz. container of Metamucil on Amazon for $25.44 (Also Prime).

I believe my Fiber Supplement would fill that 36.8-ounce container two times (but I didn’t check) so we’re looking at about $11.00 for the Fiber Supplement that we mixed to $25.44 for the same amount of Metamucil.

Less than half the cost of Metamucil!

Our mix is basically half the brand price. A savings of $14.44 is probably enough to go through the trouble for many people.

Truthfully, I never did the math until I started writing this article, so I wasn’t even sure it was a savings just an hour ago.

I did feel it was probably better not to swallow any more Sucrose (aspartame for sugar-free), natural and artificial orange flavors? and yellow #6 then we have to. Those are the added ingredients you’ll find in Metamucil.

Mainly, I wanted as few ingredients as possible that work the way it’s supposed to that will last as long as possible in my pantry.

Instagram post

Final Thoughts

I don’t want it to come across like I thought up this cool idea of mixing or making your own fiber supplement. I don’t recall a specific article or video, but I ran across this online quite a while back. A quick search found this same recipe all over the place so, unfortunately, I don’t know who should get the credit but it really is a cool idea.

I hope this post helps inspire a healthier (and more regular 😉) you during the next SHTF situation.

My Disclaimers

I think at this point, I should include a huge disclaimer:

This article and video are provided for informational purposes only. It is not meant to substitute the advice provided by a medical professional. You should seek the advice of a professional for any medical concerns or questions. Okay, I think I’m covered but, unfortunately, I’m not a lawyer either.

I also want you to understand I am not in any way, shape, or form representing, discrediting, or pretending to recreate Metamucil^® or any other product of Procter & Gamble.

I AM NOT a medical professional of any kind and I don’t even play one on the internet. I’m over 50 and I understand the cruel joke nature plays on our bodies when we get older.

This article first appeared on Next Step Survival.

Stay focused with a clear plan and objective.
Brian Hawkins, out.