Foods rich in prebiotic fibers

Prebiotic fibers are essentially the “water” and “fertilizer” that nourish your bowel flora.These are fibers that you ingest but cannot digest, leaving them for microorganisms in the intestines to consume. Some call prebiotic fibers resistant starch since they are impervious to human digestion and digested by microorganisms. Getting prebiotic fibers is crucial to your health and the success of your diet. Don’t confuse prebiotic fibers with the more commonly recognized cellulose fibers from bran cereals, bran muffins, and whole grains, not too different from wood fiber. Cellulose is not metabolized by you or by bowel flora, thereby providing nothing more than bulk in bowel movements with none of the physiological benefits of prebiotic fibers. If you came to believe that bran products were the answer to health problems, you were once again fooled by the overly simplistic thinking and/or marketing of the food industry, an argument not too different from “you need more sawdust in your diet.” Cellulose is not harmful, but it does not provide the benefits of prebiotic fibers. The substantial benefits of fiber come via bowel flora digestion of prebiotic fibers to fatty acids and vitamins, not by having a larger bowel movement from cellulose. The average (unhealthy) American obtains between 3 and 8 grams of prebiotic fibers per day, about half from grains. Measurable health benefits begin at a prebiotic fiber intake of around 8 grams per day, while maximum benefits occu...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Undoctored Wheat Belly Lifestyle Source Type: blogs