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Edition: 2017-08-13 (This topic has now has 3 pages of comments. Here’s quick link to recent traffic on page 3.)
Undoctored®, Wheat Belly® and Cureality presently recommend 20 grams of prebiotic fiber in the daily diet, mixed and varied, worked up to gradually if starting from a diet previously deficient in such fiber. Because we are apt to get 5 grams or so from foods (esp. on a diet with ample unprocessed vegetables), it is often not necessary to supplement the entire 20 grams.
The following tables (food sources, other sources) summarize various prebiotic dietary fiber sources suggested in Undoctored, Wheat Belly and Cureality publications. It also includes four foods which are program-safe in serving sizes intended principally to provide prebiotic fiber (Jerusalem artichoke, dandelion greens, garlic and leeks). Many other foods contain prebiotic fiber, but are not listed, usually because they provide well less than 5 grams at typical serving sizes.
Prebiotic fibers, aka fermentable fibers, which includes resistant starches and some soluble fibers, are necessary for the gut’s contribution to overall health. Prebiotic fibers are the substrate on which gut flora (microbial life forms) feed, producing a variety of beneficial by-products, principally short-chain fatty acids.
Note that the Fiber figure shown on Nutrition Facts panels is not the same as prebiotic fiber. NF Fiber is the sum of prebiotic and non-fermentable fibers. The prebiotic fiber content of a labelled food won’t exceed the NF Fiber figure, but there’s no way to tell what fraction is fermentable, and how much is just “roughage”. So NF panels are of limited use in planning prebiotic fiber intake; hence, this page (and others similar to it around the web).
Used alone, the word “fiber” may be a warning label. Most “fiber” products on the market are merely junk foods high in non-fermentable roughage fibers. If they make a health claim on the package, they are almost assured to be junk, due to the current FDA standards for such. The FDA has no recognition of, or standards for, prebiotics. Independent testing firm ConsumerLab.com has not yet tested any products intended for use as prebiotics. They currently think that 6 grams/day suffices, so you can see that it’s going to be a while before there are any useful official postures on this topic.
Probiotics are actual gut microbes (most often just bacteria), and are not the topic of this article. The current program recommendation is to start any course of probiotics 3-to-5 days prior to adding prebiotic fibers to the diet.
Where the gut microbe population is thought to be unbalanced (e.g. over-growths), or even have extinctions, a course of a quality high-potency probiotic might be useful.
With or without probiotics, any adverse reaction to adding prebiotics to the diet is suggestive of a dysbiosis. If symptoms are severe, prebiotic fiber may need to be reduced or discontinued until further diagnosis can be completed. Some situations, such as stubborn C.diff, Candida or SIBO may require independent interventions, possibly including antibiotics.
The fiber sources are presented as two tables, one natural foods or extracts thereof, and the second commercial mixes or synthetic products. These tables are limited to sources that have been discussed in Undoctored, Wheat Belly or Cureality publications. There are many other fiber sources, but these would require investigation by the user. Keep the glucose meter handy for some of them.
There may be errors in these tables. If so, that just points out how necessary it is to provide this sort of reference information. Most ordinary consumers are not going to undertake anything like the level of investigation and calculation that was required to generate this page. Web sources are incomplete, confusing and materially inconsistent.
The numeric values largely rely on statements made by Dr. Davis in various books, blog posts and forum comments. Other sources will differ, and entirely satisfactory industry standardized testing procedures don’t really exist yet. Determining the prebiotic fiber (or resistant starch) fraction of some foods is fraught with pitfalls. A common method is to freeze-dry and grind prior to analysis. This can easily alter the composition.
Once it is established that the information on the present page is useful, presented in an actionable form, not to mention correct (insofar as anyone can tell), future editions of this table may have in-line scripting added to provide sortable headings.
This is made from the gum of any of a number of species of plants and trees from the Mimosoideae subfamily. Products vary in effective net prebiotic fiber content claims. Claims are made that Acacia senegal is superior to Acacia seyal. [ Return to Table(Acacia) ]
The table data is for green unripe bananas. Ripe banana might as well be candy. A green banana tastes chalky and lacks the distinctive banana flavor. If it tastes like banana, it’s probably at least partially ripe. This also implies that they work best in recipes, like smoothies, that provide ample flavoring and safe sweetness. Do not use green banana in cooked foods - the heating converts resistant starch to available net carb.
A tip for getting bananas green is to seek organic bananas. This inventory turns over slower, so stores seem to be OK with setting it out greener. If you see only ripe/yellow bananas out, ask a store employee if they have any green in back; they often do.
Because we don’t want them to ripen, violate normal banana stewardship and refrigerate them whole, or peel and freeze them. Organic bananas are worth seeking, particularly if you are also experimenting with banana tea, which uses the peels. Non-GMO may not be worth seeking, as all Cavendish bananas are clones to begin with.
Note: do NOT use raw or green banana flour. Products tested to date have been too high in net carbs. The suspicion is that either the drying or milling process (or both) is converting the starch. [ Return to Table(Banana) ]
Due to the net carb content of chickpeas being higher than the prebiotic content, use this bean as only a fraction of the day’s substrate mix.[ Return to Table(Chickpea) ]
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Some (but not all) “shiritake” noodles and rice mimics are made from konjac (with the others being made from something else, typically soy, for which the information here does not apply).[ Return to Table(Glucomannan/Konjac) ]
Food sources (such as green peas) tend to be too high in net carbs, making extracted GOS attractive. Other brands considered had adverse additional ingredients (sugars, emulsifiers).[ Return to Table(GOS) ]
The prebiotic fiber is predominantly GOS, for which Wheat Belly recommends a maximum of 5 grams/day, but you’ll hit the meal/interval net carb limit before reaching that. Soaking to reduce phytates, alas, also reduces GOS.[ Return to Table(GreenPea) ]
For products that contain no added sugars, both the prebiotic fiber content and the net carb content will be reduced to the fraction of the recipe that is chickpeas. Chickpea content is typically around 40%.[ Return to Table(Hummus) ]
Considerations for product selection include the original plant sourcing (typically cassava/tapioca or corn), and geographic sourcing of the raw materials (which can easily be China, confirmed by vague answers to pointed inquiries on this matter).[ Return to Table(IMO) ]
Avoid using inulin in highly acidic recipes, as it can convert the fiber to sugars.
Granulated/roasted chicory used as a coffee substitute or tea may not provide full prebiotic fiber benefit. Depending on the roasting temperature, the net carbohydrate fraction may also be raised (which may not be a big problem in the amount used for beverages).[ Return to Table(Inulin/Chicory) ]
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The prebiotic fiber is predominantly GOS, for which Dr. Davis recommends a maximum of 5 grams/day, but you’ll hit the meal/interval net carb limit before reaching that. Soaking to reduce phytates, alas, also reduces GOS. Do not consume raw due to Phytohaemagglutinin in uncooked beans.[ Return to Table(Kidney Bean) ]
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The prebiotic fiber is predominantly GOS, for which Wheat Belly recommends a maximum of 5 grams/day, but you’ll hit the meal/interval net carb limit before reaching that. Soaking to reduce phytates, alas, also reduces GOS.[ Return to Table(Lentils) ]
The prebiotic fiber is predominantly GOS, for which Dr. Davis recommends a maximum of 5 grams/day, but you’ll hit the meal/interval net carb limit before reaching that. Soaking to reduce phytates, alas, also reduces GOS.[ Return to Table(Lima Bean) ]
PolyGlycopleX® (a-D-glucurono-a-D-manno-β-D-manno-β-D-gluco, a-L-gulurono-β-D mannurono, β-D-gluco-β-D-mannan) is a proprietary blend of natural polysaccharides. But keep looking, they apparently sell the stuff in bulk, so someone wiser may formulate a product lacking disqualifiers.[ Return to Table(PGX) ]
The table data is for green unripe plantains. Ripe plantains are 30% net carb. Unripe plantains work best in no-cook recipes, like smoothies, that provide ample flavoring and safe sweetness. Do not use green plantain in cooked foods - the heating converts resistant starch to available net carb.
Plantains tend to be easier to get green, but the tips above for bananas apply.
Because we don’t want them to ripen, violate normal plantain stewardship and refrigerate them whole, or peel and freeze them.
Note: do NOT use raw or green plantain flour. It may have the same problem as raw banana flour.[ Return to Table(Plantain) ]
Some estimates place the prebiotic fiber content as high as 45%, but these may be based on “dry matter”, which is only 20% of the potato mass.
Do not consume raw potato skin, or green potato flesh due to solanine. Do not cook raw potato, as this converts all but 3% or less of the prebiotic fiber to available carbohydrate.
Re-cooling cooked potato (e.g. potato salad) only repolymerizes 1-2% of the starch.[ Return to Table(Potato) ]
Do not cook raw potato starch, as this converts the prebiotic fiber to available carbohydrate. The program recommends using no more than 1-2 tbsp. (12-24g total, 8-16g prebiotic fiber) at a time due to net carbs.[ Return to Table(RPS) ]
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The value proposition of these mixes appears to be: • variety: 3 prebiotic fibers pre-mixed • net carbs; formulated to be a non-issue • quality: non-GMO Wheat Belly-compliant ingredients • dosing unit: ideal 5 gram starter dose • convenience and flavor They can be added to a home-made mix of other fibers at higher doses.[ Return to Table(Virtue) ]
Apple pectin, Larch AG, Mung bean starch, XOS
___________ Bob Niland [disclosures] [topics]
Given the current chocolate situation... Ah shoot. There goes my daily 2.5T-in-the-prebiotic-shake habit. This prebiotic business is hard.