Month: February 2018

Experience has shown that rural African dwellers who feed largely on plant-based diet rich in fiber rarely come down with various colon diseases which have now become prevalent in the western world today. In fact, the incidence of lower gastrointestinal tract disorder is almost unheard of among these people just because of their dietary choice. Fiber-containing foods have always been around us but unfortunately, they have been slightly cherished. Fibers are also known as roughages. According to the American Association of Cereal Chemist, Dietary fibers are “the edible parts of plants or analogous carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion or absorption in the human small intestine, with complete or partial fermentation in the large intestine. Such include polysaccharides, Oligosaccharides, lignin and associated plant substances.” They are special kinds of carbohydrate that the body cannot digest. As opposed to other carbohydrates whose end product of digestion are glucose, fibers pass through the body and goes to the large intestine undigested.

According to WebMD, It is estimated that about 20 to 30 grams of fibers are needed every day by both children and adult for a healthy bowel but most Americans and other westerners get less than 15 grams of this very important food component per day. It should be noted that not all fibers are edible, hence the name dietary fiber.

Dietary fibers are of two varieties namely soluble and insoluble. The basis for this classification is the ability of one to dissolve in water whereas the other cannot. Insoluble fibers are in addition, not fermentable by colon bacteria but soluble ones are. Both are beneficial to man and virtually all plant foods rich in fibers contain both types of fiber only that the proportion may vary. Very good sources of both are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Soluble Fibers

Soluble fibers are normally broken down by the body into a viscous byproduct that are later fermented by bacteria in the colon to release gases and acids which only permits beneficial bacterial to grow in the lower part of the gut. Foods rich in this category of fibers include beans, oatmeal, nuts, apples, Konjac Noodles, Konjac fruit fibers and blueberries. The advantages of consuming soluble fibers are differs some of which include:

Protection from Diabetes

If fibers constitute a large stock of your diet, you are less likely to come up with diabetes especially the type 2. This is made possible because the soluble fibers are not well absorbed by the body and as such, do not constitute any risk of increased body sugar. Should you have been diagnosed of either types of diabetes, consuming fibers can even help keep it under control.

Weight Loss

Soluble fibers if regularly consumed leaves you with the feeling of being full and hence, you eat less. This eating less is a great weight-loss strategy. You aren’t starving yourself neither are you eating more than necessary.

Heart Protection

Soluble fibers in your digestive tract attach themselves to cholesterol particles in there and by so doing, get rid of them. This action reduces the overall cholesterol level of your body which has been identified as a major threat to the well-functioning of the heart. Of the various soluble fiber sources, oatmeal presents the most viable protection in this regard.

Healthy Movement in the Bowel

Because of its ability to soak up water, soluble fiber bulk up your stool and prevent you from developing diarrhea or constipation

Short-Chain Fatty Acids

When soluble fibers are fermented, short-chain fatty acids such as propionate, butyrate and acetate are produced. A lot of physiological health benefits have been associated with these short-chain fatty acids some of which include

• Stability of blood glucose level
• Provision of nourishment for colonocytes
• Stimulation of gene expression of transporters of glucose in the mucosa of the intestine
• Suppression of the production of cholesterol by the liver
• It aids in the production of T-helper cells.

How to Ensure You Get Enough Soluble Dietary Fibre in Your Body

You cannot leave getting enough soluble fiber in your body to chance. You have to be determined about it. The right quantity is the key if you must get all the attached benefits. Here are some tips to ensure this important food component is not deficient in your system

• Consider eating the whole of an orange instead of just going for the juice
• Instead of settling for white rice, pasta or bread, consider whole grain foods and brown rice
• If you must snack, let it be on raw vegetables instead of chocolates or chips
• Reduce your meat intake and replace the reduction with beans or other legumes

Conclusion

The numerous benefits of fiber-containing food items in ensuring overall bowel health of every human being calls for concerted effort in ensuring that it is not missing or deficient in our diet.

The innumerable number of bacteria occupying the human gut is what is known as the gut flora. For optimum health of any human being, a healthy gut floral is paramount. The bacterial community in human gut belong to any of these four groups: Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Bacteriodetes. Not all bacteria in the gut are beneficial or friendly but the beneficial ones in a healthy gut far outnumber the non-beneficial ones. A situation whereby there are too many harmful bacterial in the gut compared to the beneficial or friendly ones is known as bacterial imbalance or Dysbiosis.

Dysbiosis has been discovered to be responsible for several conditions such as obesity, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBS), Insulin resistance, colorectal cancer and weight gain. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the population of friendly bacterial is kept at maximum to ensure optimum gut health. To this effect, you have to take note of some very common lifestyle practices that are detrimental to your gut bacterial. Some of these include

Absence of Prebiotics in Your Diet

The category of fibers that remain undigested in your body but goes to your colon to promote the growth of friendly bacterial are known as prebiotics. When this fiber foods are lacking in your diet, you are at a greater risk of losing your Gut’s health. Some of the food that harbor this fiber in high proportion include Konjac Soluble fiber, Konjac Noodles, oatmeal, bananas, onions, nuts, garlic, beans, lentils, chickpeas and Amarantus. This prebiotics, when eaten promote the promotion of short-chain fatty acids such as propionate, butyrate and acetate which serves at the primary source of nutrients for the cells in your colon. When absorbed into your blood, they can equally support digestive and metabolic functions of your body. The short-chain fatty acids equally reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and inflammation

Excessive Intake of Alcohol

Alcohol has the tendency to turn its consumer an addict. Apart from its psychological and physical harmful effects, it has a very serious effect on the human gut if it has become an every-day diet. It can lead to a bacterial imbalance infection known as dysbiosis. In fact, a recent study of the gut of 40 alcohol takers and that of 10 healthy non-alcohol takers reveal that 27 percent of those who take alcohol had dysbiosis. This is so because most alcoholic drinks decrease the number of beneficial bacterial in your gut while that in turn, gives the harmful bacterial their ample opportunity to multiply. The result of this is dysbiosis.

The Use of Antibiotics

Antibiotics by their very name fight against microorganisms. They are drugs manufactured to treat certain infections mediated or directly caused by microorganisms especially bacterial. Their mode of action is either by being bacteriostatic, that is stopping the further growth and multiplication of bacterial or bactericidal that is, totally killing the bacterial. Some common infections usually treated by antibiotics include sour throat and urinary tract infections. If used for just a period of time, the diversity of the gut floral may quickly re-adjust but a continuous and perhaps, abusive use of antibiotics can permanently damage the gut by suppressing the beneficial bacterial and encouraging the growth of the harmful ones especially species of Clostridium.

Inactivity or Irregular Body Exercise

The benefits attached to being physically active can never be over-emphasized. When you walk, run or do some gardening, you burn some calories. These physical activities have been discovered to increase the production of a certain short-chain fatty acid called butyrate required for bacterial requiring butyrate for growth. When the guts of some sportsmen were compared with those who are engage in lesser physical activities, studies showed that the friendly bacterial population and diversity in the former far outnumber those in the latter. For instance, species of Akkermansia and Bifidobacterium were abundantly found more in physically active men compared to their less-physically active counterparts. This means that the saying that activity is the law of life also holds true for Gut’s health.

Stereotypic Diet

It is an incontrovertible truth that we are what we eat. However good a food item may be, if it is the only one making constant appearance on your plate and bowel, your friendly bacterial diversity is not guaranteed. A plant-based diet made up of many variety of fruits and vegetables remain the best option for gut overall health. Bacterial like ourselves need enough and differs nutrient to thrive and not eating well or rightly is never a way to go if their presence in your gut must be sustained.

Cigarette Smoking

Tobacco from which cigarette is made, consists of numerous chemicals majority of which are carcinogenic. In fact, it remains the most risk factor for Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS). A separate study by scientists has revealed that cessation from smoking by some sets of people increased their gut bacteria tremendously.

Inadequate Sleep

There is indeed time for everything. Sleep is a natural gift from which even gut bacterial benefit from. Our bodies are programmed in a rhythmic pattern such that it requires us to lay still at certain moments. Failure to honor this order poses a great threat to a person’s overall health, that of the gut inclusive.

Conclusion

The bacterial in the gut play important roles in human’s overall heath and any habit such as the ones listed above which can seriously hamper their diversity and population must be jettisoned.

 

Konjac fiber can help you feed your good  gut bacteria

Over the past several years there has been an exponential increase in the number of studies linking imbalances or disturbances of the gut microbiota to a wide range of diseases including obesity, inflammatory bowel diseases, depression and anxiety.  One of the best ways to establish and support a healthy gut microbiome is by providing the right “foods” for your gut bacteria.  These “foods” are soluble fiber, for example the konjac root fiber – glucomannan

Why you should add soluble fiber to your diet?

soluble fiber such as konjac root fiber can feeds good gut bacteria

What is water soluble fiber?

How soluble fiber impacts our health?

The normal human gut has hundreds of bacterial species, some good and some not so good.  The overall number and relative quantity of each type has a profound effect on our health and well being.  soluble fiber selectively stimulates the good bacteria in our intestines, helping to maintain a healthy balance of bacteria

Your intestines are teeming with bacteria. Good bacteria flourish throughout the colon, helping you ward off illness and even producing vitamins such as vitamin K. Bad bacteria are kept in check by the good guys, who outnumber the bad when you’re feeling well.

Like any living organism, bacteria thrives when it receives what it needs to stay healthy. To keep your gut bacteria healthy, solube fiber  are needed.

Although the best sources of these compounds are derived from plants such as onions, leeks, garlic, and artichokes

Without soluble fiber, the beneficial bacteria do not receive enough of the food sources they need to thrive. Digestion may suffer. The body may have trouble absorbing nutrients properly. It may also have trouble warding off bad bacteria such as E.coli when colonies of beneficial bacteria fall. What you eat directly and indirectly affects your overall health, including the health of your gut.

The health of your gut bacteria directly impacts your overall well-being, too, creating a cycle of interdependence that, if disrupted, can cause health problems. Therefore, people embarking on a celiac disease diet, gluten-free diet or leaky-gut diet that drastically reduces or omits all gluten-containing foods must be especially conscious of what they eat. They need to consider including soluble fiber rich foods in the diet.

Everybody lives for food, we cherish different types of the food products. And one such products is the noodle, known as the noodles. The common noodle actually is one of types of the food as well as is elongated and thin in shape, which is made from unleavened dough. Noodle is then cooked in boiling liquid in order to give its present shape and form. Before cooking, noodles can be refrigerated or dried depending upon their types and people’s requirements.

Historical records reveal that the oldest noodles were traced back in China. Records also reveal that the Oijia Culture in Shandong province, Qinghai, enjoyed noodles more than 4,000 years ago. With the passage of time and with the emergence of technological sectors, noodles now come with various flavors and added nutritional values. Moreover, the competition in the corporate sector has increased and it has not only boosted more rivalry but also enhanced the different aspects of business. One of the noodle brands is Konjac noodles. Konjac noodles are made from nature soluble fiber and this can help in shedding fat. As you might have noticed, people today are very much concerned about their weight and looks. It is true that weight and looks play a crucial role in one’s personality and these are important for your life and also, matter a lot in your diet. When you take proper diet, then there are chances that you can morph your body the way you want to. Similarly, Konjac Noodles are created by keeping such important aspects in mind. Konjac noodles are made from KGM, which stands for Konjac glucomannan and water and it has very low carb and low glycemic and contains about 96% water and 4% soluble fiber.

Konjac Noodles can prove very helpful for your dietary chart, especially when you are looking forward to look good by shedding extra pounds of fat from your body. Konjac noodles are part of Konjac wet foods, which are traditionally Japanese. These are known as Konnyaku or Shirataki Noodles. These noodles are lucid and gummy with no discernable taste. However, tastes and flavors can be added as per the persons’ requisite. These noodles can absorb any flavor and taste as they are made in such manner that they can even absorb sauces as well. These noodles are good for people who have diabetes and health-related issues because the low glycemic and the consistency of glucomannan soluble fiber can help in keeping their health flawless.

Konjac corm powder actually is used as the ingredient in the vegan alternative sea food products. This is incorporated in the animal product versions of the fish, scallops, prawns (or shrimp), crab, and more. For the Chinese cooking, the thin strands of the konjac gel is used as the substitute for the shark fins while preparing the imitation version of shark fin soup.

The Konjac also can be used for the facial massage accessories that are famous in Korea as well as gaining huge popularity in West. Commonly it is through use of the konjac sponge that is used on the sensitive skin.

 

Konjac flour is riped from the tubers of varied species of Amorphophallus.It is a soluble dietary fiber that’s almost like cellulose in structure and performance.
konjac flour contains primarily of hydrocolloidal carbohydrate, and glucomannan. Glucomannan consists of the glucose and the mannose subunits: and inked with B1 ,and 4 linkage at molar magnitude relation of i .O:1 .6. It’s a rather branched carbohydrate having a relative molecular mass of two hundred thousand to two million daltons. Acetyl radical teams on glucomannan backbone generally contribute to the solubility properties & situated, on and average, every nine to nineteen sugar units. All processes look alike and end with a powder that’s riche in konjac fiber and stands the specification enlisted in the Food and Chemicals Codex
The Food Chemicals Codex enlists konjac flour in the U. S. as a thickener gelling agent, film former, emulsifier and stabilizer. Forward that the konjac flour will replace all the uses of the cellulose and changed cellulose or gelatin. The worse case estimate of konjac flour consumption being food ingredient in the finished foods will be I .2 g per person per day. However, as a result of this, the use of the konjac flour is limited on human beings and wouldn’t substitute for uses of the cellulose and the gelatin, good estimate will be konjac flour will substitute for 1/3 of uses and, will be consumed at level of around 0.4 g/person/day.

The Konjac plant will live up to five years. However, throughout  third year of the growth Konjac root matures & produces highest quantity of the konjac fiber. Once the tuber has absolutely matured, it is dug from earth, rinse then peel. The raw root is then chopped into slices then dried through the means of heated or warm air. The dried chips then processed into a powder. To separate the light Konjac starch in the hard glucomannan fiber, and air is blown on dried powder separates  2 carbohydrates. This glucomannan fiber is then refined with alcohol to get rid of any extra starch, alkaloids and alternative materials. The result’s a pure Konjac glucomannan fiber. This extremely refined Konjac fiber has no taste, and might absorb up to two hundred times its weight in water.

In conclusion for us to finally get the konjac powder, many processes must be crossed. This can be useful to those who want to do theirs themselves, but for this to happen you must go to china or japan or Southeast Asia in general.

It is the starch gotten from the roots of the konjac plant which is scientifically called Amorphophalluskonjac. Konjac fiber is also known as glucomannan, the konjac plant is mostly found in parts of Asia, China, Japan, Korea etc. But if you are in Africa or America it is possible you may have never heard about it before.

The Japanese call it devil’s tongue and konnyaku, and this is prepared there in foods that will look like the squares and strips of the stiff gelatin, with rubbery texture. Konjac fiber is used as gelatin substitute that will thicken, and add texture to the foods. It’s also used in traditional Chinese medicine. In the Western world, konjac is best known as a dietary supplement for weight loss and cholesterol management.

Those who consume it say it has many virtues to the human body, some of which includes the fight against health problems such as constipation

BENEFITS

Constipation

Researchers have proven that konjack has many benefits to the human body and one of them is that it helps prevent constipation, which according to Wikipedia refers to bowel movements that are infrequent or hard to pass. This occurs due to fact that the stool is dry and very hard. Some minor symptoms include bloating, abdominal pain, or feeling like one hasn’t passed bowel movement. The result of the research showed adding konjac fiber to low-fiber diet results to amounts of the probiotic bacteria in the feces increase. It also increased bowel movement functions by 30 percent.

Cholesterol relief

A 2008 research found that konjac may help lower total cholesterol, and triglycerides. A later research found that konjac lowered LDL and recommended its use to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Weight loss

According to 2005 research result, by adding supplement glucomannan fiber in balanced, 1,400calorie of diet caused little more weight loss compared to 1,400calorie diet plus placebo. However adding additional fiber (guar gum and alginate) did not have any impact.

Help diabetes

According to Wikipedia, diabetes is group of the metabolic disorders where there are the high sugar levels over prolonged period. The symptoms of the high blood sugar will include the frequent urination, high thirst, as well as hunger glucomannan taken doesn’t matter means might help in reducing the cholesterol, or blood sugar levels or blood pressure in the diabetes patients, and reason why this must be a part of diabetic diet plan

konjac related risks

Konjac supplements may expand in esophagus and bowel and cause obstruction. Risk is much higher if you:

• Take konjac tablets
• Take konjac in any form without water
• Are elderly
• Have problems swallowing

 

Stop definitely taking konjac and get seek attention when you have symptoms of allergic reactions.

• Difficulty in breathing
• Hives or a rash
• Itchy skin
• Rapid heart rate
• Organ swelling, etc

 

Fiber is filling. Eating this regularly helps to keep you much fuller for longer, thus you are less likely overeat and snack between the meals. Konjac expands in stomach to help to keep you full.

 

It’s comparatively a new product, konjac foods have really been around for many years. With Pasta, and lots of different konjac-based foods gaining in quality owing to the various health edges they provide (low calorie, protein free, high fiber), customers are getting a lot of intrigued by konjac foods and their origins. They’re shooting up in grocery stores all over, and folks have an interest in learning a lot regarding this food possibility.
Since recipes like Pasta is created from the basis of the konjac plant, we have a tendency to think it’d be an honest plan to present you some a lot of info regarding the history and evolution of konjac foods.

The transient History of Konjac Foods

Referred to as Konnyaku in Japanese, konjac foods area unit in a dietary staple in Japan. However, once it had been at first introduced regarding five hundred – 800 years a gone, it had been thought of a delicacy and solely out there to the royal house in Japan. It’s wide believed to be initially introduced by China as a healthful food that was ingested for therapeutic reasons by Buddhist monks.

It wasn’t till regarding one hundred years ago that konjac became out there to everybody in Japan, and since then it’s full-grown into one in every of the foremost well-liked kinds of food within the country. It’s out there in many various forms, with varied kinds of noodles being the foremost common manner konjac foods area unit consumed.
Today, konjac foods area unit a staple in Japan with entire food market aisles dedicated to that (similar to the alimentary paste aisles here in Canada). Konjac foods area unit well-liked in several Asian countries, and it’s conjointly changing into being well-liked in North America through innovative foods like Pasta and lots of different konjac-based product.

The Health Attributes of Konjac Foods

The konjac tree grows in Japan on slopes 1000 to 4000 feet on top sea level. The used part of the konjac plant is the root. It resembles an oval formed yam potato or taro, and it principally consists of fiber with little or no starch. To become edible, the basis of the konjac is dried and polished into a fine powder, making konjac flour – the ingredient of most  konjac recipes.

As mentioned on simply Hungry, “Konnyaku is regarding as near a zero-calorie food as you’ll be able to get. No wonder, since it’s all most ninety seven percent water. The remaining three is usually fiber within the type of a viscous substance known as glucomannan, and some traces of macromolecule, starch and minerals like metallic element. It’s the glucomannan that produces it therefore attention-grabbing as a weight loss food, though. a giant block of konnyakuhas regarding ten calories, however it’s terribly filling.”

Hopefully this answers some or all of the queries you had regarding konjac foods.

Whenever the word ‘bacteria’ comes up, thoughts of evil, disease-causing germs and microbes come to mind. But that’s not always the case. In fact, our bodies actually need bacteria to stay healthy and protected.
At any given moment, our bodies host an average of 40 trillion bacteria. These are found in our mouths, skins and our gut. About 75% of these exist in our gut and digestive tracts. The ideal conditions of acidity, temperatures and nutrient supply make sure they thrive here.

Our bodies carry two kinds of bacteria; the good and the bad. The bad bacteria are the ones we should watch out for. If left unchecked, they could lead to potentially fatal conditions, ranging from salmonella, E. coli, inflammatory bowels, obesity, and autism to even cancer. Food poisoning is normally an indicator of their strong presence but if there are good bacteria present, quick recovery is assured. Even though they’re harmful, they’re still important in ensuring that our immune systems are all toughened up. That’s why we never seek to eliminate them but actually try to strike a balance between the levels of the good and the bad bacteria over the span of our whole lives.
While the bad kind bring all manner of illnesses, the good bacteria help with most of our gastrointestinal issues like digestion, water absorption, vitamin synthesis and fending off bad bacteria. They’re especially beneficial to people suffering from Celiac disease. They are capable of metabolizing the gluten that the digestive enzymes in the gut don’t.

The kind of bacteria a person has can actually raise or lower their chances of developing Celiac disease. That’s why managing the levels of good gut bacteria we harbor in our bodies is essential. Ingesting Konjac fiber is one way of tending to and preserving these probiotics.
Good gut bacteria can be boosted and the bad kind quashed with Konjac foods. The Glucomannan in the foods makes the conditions for existence of the good kind habitable while killing off the bad kind. This means that our bodies get to remain healthy without any good entities getting hurt in the process, unlike what most antibiotics do. When the good gut bacteria are killed off while killing of bad bacteria, the pathogenic bacteria get to adapt to antibiotics and that leads to a weakened immune system. That’s
Konjac foods come mostly in the form of tasty gluten-free Konjac noodles. With a host of other benefits like cholesterol reduction, weight loss, diabetes prevention, and anti-constipation features, you should really try these out.

Konjac fiber is a soluble dietary supplement popular for its medical and dietary uses. It has been part of Asian food for a long time and slowly is getting popular in the west as well. Konjac has a number of benefits to our health and diet. This magical herb from Asia has been used now for different purpose like preparing Konjac Noodles with low calorie or thickening of food and as a part of dietary supplements.

Benefits

Konjac is a high fiber content that is useful in lowering the cholesterol along with blood glucose level. Like other high fiber diets this also helps in regulation of bowel movement, prevention of hemorrhoids and diverticular diseases. Below are some of the benefits of Konjac fibers found from research.

Konjac for constipation

A study done in the year 2008 showed that glucomannan or Konjac helps prevent constipation. Adding Konjac to a low-fiber diet helps to increase the probiotic bacteria in feces as per the study. Like many other high fiber diets that help prevent constipation Konjac also contributes to preventing constipation. Konjac also helps to increase the bowel movement function significantly.

Weight loss

Food with fiber, fill your stomach and keep you full. When you eat such food there is very little chance that you will overeat. Konjac helps you stay full by expanding your stomach. There are different studies showing that adding glucomannan in a balanced diet has more probability for weight loss than a normal diet.

Cholesterol control

It is proven fact that Konjac helps to lower your cholesterol especially the bad cholesterol or LDL and Triglycerides. It also helps you reduce body weight along with fasting blood sugar level. It is believed to be a miracle therapy for people with high cholesterol and diabetes. This fiber is recommended for reducing the risk of cardiac disease.

We can see that there are numerous benefits of using Konjac in our diet. Apart from the benefits mentioned above it is also found effective against acne and helps improve the health of your skin. This fiber has been growing its popularity with so many health benefits.