How to take Konjac Fiber – Glucomannan

Glucomannan is a soluble fiber that is made from the root of Konjac herb. It dissolves in the water easily. The advantage of taking this fiber is that it delays our digestion process and makes us full for longer time. This, in turn, supports the weight loss. There are other benefits like improving the cholesterol level in our blood and blood sugar level as well. It’s swelling due to absorption of water makes it useful as the laxative as well. There are so many useful benefits of this fiber Glucomannan. It is always advisable to consult your doctor before you start any new medication. There are different ways of taking this fiber.

Adding glucomannan to your food or water

It is a good idea to use the powder form of glucomannan and mix one gram of it to your food. By doing this the glucomannan mixes well with your food and makes it easy to consume it. You can also drink the powder by mixing it in the water and drinking it 2-3 times a day right before your meal. You can avoid pill form of glucomannan so that you don’t have to face any esophageal expansion later.

Eating Konjac food and food containing glucomannan

You can eat food that has Konjac as their ingredient. There is a Konjac noodles with the name shirataki noodles that you can eat to consume Konjac fiber. There are Konjac candies that you can buy but be careful when you chew them as there are incidents of choking while eating these candies.

Drinking enough water to digest Konjac fiber

Drink 8 ounces of water and this will help you digest the Konjac fiber you ate. You can eat it in any form, either pill or powder.

No matter what form of glucomannan you eat, make sure you take good precaution while eating them as there are some problems reported while eating this fiber.

We can notice that with so many benefits from the herb and its product there are some concerns while eating it. You must ensure to drink enough water and do not eat the candies if you have a breathing problem. You can find Konjac food that can be an easy solution for your glucomannan intake.

KONJAC AND CELIAC DISEASE

Celiac disease is a long term autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine; it is caused by reaction to gluten. Gluten is a composite of storage proteins, stored together with starch in the endosperm of some grains like wheat, barley, oat, etc.

Celiac is a genetic disease. Its symptoms can range from damage to several organs on any part of the body, or no symptoms at all. It begins between six months and two years of age. It is characterized by gastrointestinal problems like malabsorption, abdominal distention, chronic diarrhea, loss of appetite, and failure to grow normally for children. It is associated with some autoimmune diseases like diabetes mellitus typle1, psoriasis, vitiligo, autoimmune hepatitis and more.

The only known effective treatment is a strict lifelong gluten free diet mixed with the intake of prebiotics soluble fiber, such as found naturally in konjac root.

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a fermentable dietary fiber that is soluble in water. It is derived from the root of Konjac plants, native to Asia. It is famous for its numerous health benefits.  For thousands of years, Asians have used the Konjac fiber, in powder form, to treat asthma, diarrhea, skin disorders and breast pain.

Dried Konjac root contains about 40­­% to 60% glucomannan fiber. Konjac Glucomannan is the most viscosity soluble fiber in nature. It has the highest water holding capacity of any soluble fiber; it can carry up to 100% of its own water weight. Because it is a soluble fiber, it lowers blood cholesterol when added to diet. It prevents sugar from rising too high after meals by keeping food in the stomach longer, thereby preventing free fatty acids and triglycerides from rising too high after meals. It binds to fats in the intestine, and  preventing fat absorption, this dissolves fluids in large intestine as well as forms the gel that will bind with the bile acids in intestines, thus, liver converts more of cholesterol to bile the acids, blood cholesterol level gets reduced.

Konjac glucomannan has been known to act as a natural probiotic, by feeding the friendly bacteria in the intestine, it helps the gut health and the overall well being of a person. Glucomannan, as a non digestible fiber, passes through upper part of gastrointestinal tract as well as remains undigested because human body can’t break it down fully. But once it reaches the colon, where it is fermented by the gut microflora, it creates probiotics. Glucomannan increases the fecal concentration of probiotics in general, as well as probiotics like bifidobacteri and lactobacilli. These bacteria exert protective properties on epithelial cells from damage caused by gliadin.

This in turn yields these benefits:

  • Better gut health.
  • Higher immune function.
  • Lower inflammation and autoimmune reactions.
  • Constipation relief. It is a bulk forming laxative, so its intake promotes a larger bulkier stool that passes through the colon easily

This leads to recovery of mucosa, improved symptoms, and reduced risks of developing complications in most people suffering  from Celiac disease.