human vegetable wrote: Is there any comprehensive table listing the content of fermentable fiber for most common foods? That would be a great resource for planning one's nutrition accordingly.
Just another rabbit hole.
In the end, all plant foods contain a variety of fibers, including soluble and insoluble, fermentable and non-fermentable, gums, pectins, gels, inulin, resistant starch, prebiotics, probiotics, etc. Sure, some may be a little higher in one type than another but they all have differing benefits.
When soluble was first linked to lower blood sugar and cholesterol, that became the rage.
Problem was, any whole natural food that had fiber, had both types. Sure, some had a little more soluble and some a little less, but both types are important.
Then when resistant starch was linked with lower blood sugar and weight, it became the rage.
Now its fermentable fibers.
The initial results alsways seem promising, only to eventually fade or wind up as a pharmaceutical. Just check out my post about The Lifecycle of the Typical Nutrient/Supplement
So what foods are sources of fermentable and prebiotic fiber?
Fermentable fiber is present in virtually all fruits, vegetables and legumes. It’s also in nuts and seeds and whole grains.
● Vegetables:
Allium bulbs: garlic, leeks, onions, scallions, shallots
Crucifers: cauliflower, Savoy cabbage, collards, kale, mustard greens
Roots and tubers: Jerusalem artichoke, beets, burdock, cassava, chicory and dandelion roots, jicama, potato starch, sweet potatoes, taro, yacon, yams (but watch the sugars in those starchy veggies by limiting your portion size)
Others: Globe artichoke, asparagus, bamboo shoots, butternut squash, celery, dandelion, green peas, mushrooms, okra, salsify, snow and sugar snap peas, spinach, etc
● Fruits:
apples, bananas, berries, grapefruit, guava, kiwi, pears, persimmons, pomegranate, stone fruits (apricots, peaches, dark plums, nectarines), watermelon, grapes, etc
● Grains:
amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, couscous, freekah, oats, brown rice, rye, spelt, whole wheat, etc
● Legumes:
all dried beans, peas, lentils; fresh peas; etc
● Nuts and seeds, raw:
almonds, cashews, chestnuts, flaxseed, hazelnuts, pistachios, etc
Sounds like the Mcdougall program
michaelswarm wrote:More detail on how a whole food plant based diet works, from a mechanical or biological view. Confirms what Dr McDougall and his colleagues have been saying for 40 years.
Exactly! And don't forget Dr Burkitt!
Problem is, surveys have consistently shown that less than 1% of Americans follow any resemblance of a healthy diet. The latest number was .3%. And in regard to fiber, the average intake has been about 12-15 grams for decades. More proof people don't eat healthy as fiber is only found in minimally processed plants (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans and nuts/seeds.) to be at 12-15 ones diet must be made up of highly refined plant foods and animal foods. The minimum recommendation is 35 grams. On our program you easily get 35-50 and many will get over 75.
We know that when someone eating the typical highly processed, refined, high fat, high salt, high sugar diet, and then switch over to a diet like ours, their whole microbiome shifts to a healthy one in as little as 2 weeks.
Sure, people have individual sensitives and they best way to find those out is to do an elimination diet. Slow and tedious but the most effective.
In Health
Jeff