Psyllium Husk

LFC5Times

Just wondering do many people take this as part of their diet? and how do they find it?

I picked up some yesterday in H & B.

http://www.hollandandbarrett.ie/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=168&prodid=315

I have changed from a high carb diet to a lower carb diet, cutting out bread,potatoes and pasta - which all 3 would have been a big part of my diet previously.
I have also started to take a protein whey shake daily to and while I still drank plenty of water - I found that I have been suffering from a bit of constipation now and again so am hoping this extra fibre will help me along the way.

Khannie

I'd have psyllium daily. I make oat and protein pancakes for breakfast (probably 6 days out of 7) and the psyllium husks really help to thicken them up.

LFC5Times

Khannie wrote: »

I'd have psyllium daily. I make oat and protein pancakes for breakfast (probably 6 days out of 7) and the psyllium husks really help to thicken them up.

Are the pancakes nice Khannie?

Could you post up the recipe? and any rough guideline to nutritional info?

Thanks

rubadub

Thread on husks here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055522503

Thread on pancakes here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2055002535

I am back on the husks myself and am suffering the side effect nobody warns you about -

Floaters....

Transform

good for fibre but as are plenty of salads, linseeds, green veg and doing a good detox now and again.

plenty of water also

Jwacqui

rubadub wrote: »

I am back on the husks myself and am suffering the side effect nobody warns you about -

Floaters....

I need to learn to not be so nosey!! Read this while eating my lunch! :eek:

Khannie

I have perfected the oat / protein pancake recipe. It now stands at:

100g oats
20g whey
130g cottage cheese
5-7g psyllium husks
add water to bring it up to the 500ml volume mark, mix or blend.

Next morning add two eggs and blend that sucker up.

Makes 8 small, thick pancakes that weigh in under 100 calories each (I fry them without oil on a non-stick pan at a low - medium heat). I just had 2 with a smidge of nutella on them. They are flipping superb.

rubadub

Jwacqui wrote: »

Read this while eating my lunch! :eek:

Well reading it is a safe appetite suppressant, except for risk of vomiting.;)

Mellor

Just a comment on the product in the OP, for the weight you are getting, it looks very expensive
the tablets are over priced too, I buy it in 500g bags for 5 dollars about €3.50
just buy plain psy. Husk, avoid anything with a product name, they are all the same, but just for price

optimistic_

Anywhere in Dublin city centre sell psyllium husk apart from H&B?

Khannie, i'm looking at you here!

Edwardius

There's an asian shop on Mary street that does them cheapo.

EileenG

There's a little health food shop in Georges Street arcade which sells 100g of psyllium for €1.65. Nice starter size if you are not sure you're going to like it.

optimistic_

Ah cheers for that, i was worried i was going to have to give H & B more money.

Reckon i'll check out Eileen's place there.

Ed, you sure that's Mary St that's on? Don't know the name of it by any chance?

EileenG

H&B don't do it. Or at least, only as an ingredient in something very expensive in a tub.

Wonkagirl

Psyllium husks are a fantastic source of fibre- just make sure you are drinking enough water to help them through, if you know what i mean!

I add a spoon to my morning juice (carrot, apple beet & ginger) or the odd time add to soup as well..

optimistic_

Thanks again for that.

I know the place on Mary St now, ignore that last comment!

By "enough water", I'm sure you just mean the usual 2-3 litres a day right? I dunno that i could drink more on a non training day?

Wonkagirl

optimistic_ wrote: »

Thanks again for that.

I know the place on Mary St now, ignore that last comment!

By "enough water", I'm sure you just mean the usual 2-3 litres a day right? I dunno that i could drink more on a non training day?

yeah, 2-3 is plenty.. I made the mistake one nite of ingesting psyllium husks late at nite (in a small amt of water)- i woke in pain at about 5am- it was like as if there was some kind of blockage or something- you know that awful mixture of constipation and diarrhoea (sorry, TMI!)

now i take them earlier in the day, and the water consumed throughout the day eases them through nicely!

rubadub

optimistic_ wrote: »

Thanks again for that.

I know the place on Mary St now, ignore that last comment!

It still might be worth asking if they are called P. husks in the shop. These asian stores often have different names for things and if you have never seen them before you might not recognise them.

optimistic_ wrote: »

By "enough water", I'm sure you just mean the usual 2-3 litres a day right?

You usually mix them up with water and drink them. They expand rapidly and could be a choking hazard, i.e. if a clump was stuck in your throat and then started expanding. If you are eating them mixed in the likes of pancakes just be sure to drink lots of water during the day, 2L a day should be plenty.

my pack says says 1-2g in at least 350ml of water. I have used less water than that though, just be careful and not chug down a big load of it at once.

metamorphosis

I don't like the feeling of taking my husks with water so i started adding them to recipes like oat pancakes or id add it into my porridge or when making bread or muffins. Great thickner.

Recently iv been having a bowl of oat bran in the evenings and adding in husks and protein powder and 'go' the minute im outa bed in the morning!

Dixie Chick

I had a panicky moment when i tried to take the powder form beacuse i totally overreacted to the choking warning on the back of the tub. i just take the suppliment for now and i know there is something waiting for me to wake up in the morning then!!:o

optimistic_

Okay on the way home i had a look in that Asian shop, couldn't see it so I asked teh guys there.

They hadn't a notion what i was on about, any chance they're calling it something different? Am i just pronouncing it incorrectly?

ta....

I might just go to the george st arcade tomorrow evening instead!

metamorphosis

optimistic_ wrote: »

Okay on the way home i had a look in that Asian shop, couldn't see it so I asked teh guys there.

They hadn't a notion what i was on about, any chance they're calling it something different? Am i just pronouncing it incorrectly?

ta....

I might just go to the george st arcade tomorrow evening instead!

Just go to a health shop then - they wiill deffo have it there.

Edwardius

rubadub wrote: »

It still might be worth asking if they are called P. husks in the shop. These asian stores often have different names for things and if you have never seen them before you might not recognise them.

Aye, they are. They're in a Green box (as far as I remember) on the edge of the shelves where the shampoos and things are (unless they've stopped carrying them). I'll probably be passin' tomorrow so will have a look.

optimistic_

Hey Ed,

had a quick look in there again last night, this time over by the shampoos etc, and didn't see it?

I'm in town late for an appointment later so i'll be nipping over to the george st arcade

ragg

health shop called restore on wexford street. has 250g's for a ittle over 3 euro..

Word to the wise, some of the staff will talk to you about about your poops,... :pac:

optimistic_

Cheers man,

went to george st arcade before physio this evening, nutri in there did the 250g bags for little over 3 europes..seems like a good little shop, pity i didn't have enough time to check out other stuff there.

Edwardius

optimistic_ wrote: »

Hey Ed,

had a quick look in there again last night, this time over by the shampoos etc, and didn't see it?

I'm in town late for an appointment later so i'll be nipping over to the george st arcade

Hmm, was in there about 10mins ago and they have the husks. They're in a box about twice the height of a cigarette packet with a picture of a factory on the front. The box is greenish and has "sat-isabgol" written on it. Looks kinda dodgy! They also sell pistachio flavoured ice cream in there. Thought it'd be rude not to acquire some :P

Jumpy

The flaky stuff is all you can get I thought I assume you mean the stuff that looks like the outside of bird seed. Its sold in pretty much any health food store.

Jumpy

Khannie wrote: »

I have perfected the oat / protein pancake recipe. It now stands at:

100g oats
20g whey
130g cottage cheese
5-7g psyllium husks
add water to bring it up to the 500ml volume mark, mix or blend.

Next morning add two eggs and blend that sucker up.

Makes 8 small, thick pancakes that weigh in under 100 calories each (I fry them without oil on a non-stick pan at a low - medium heat). I just had 2 with a smidge of nutella on them. They are flipping superb.

This with ground almond instead of the oats is a good low carb alternative.

Kimia

I've just started taking it, and am wondering what to expect? I'm kinda half afraid that it'll have a laxative effect or something mad will happen. I'm taking it in the mornings with some food and lots of water.

Also my bottle says 1-2 capsules, 3 times a day. That seems like quite a lot right?

Mellor

Jumpy wrote: »

This with ground almond instead of the oats is a good low carb alternative.

Low carb yas, but 100g of almonds is going to be very high in fat and calories.
I'd take oats over ground nuts

rubadub

Found this site with a gallery of what comes out the other end after you eat the husks. Warning the pictures are horrendous!!

The site itself says

Please note that some people may find the pictures below disturbing, repulsive or down-right disgusting. All the more reason to start eliminating such build-up from your system TODAY!

The first guys testimonial says

This is the first testimonial that I have ever taken the time to write, and it is the least that I can do to repay you for saving my life! I have been using your product since April 1, 2005 and I am absolutely horrified at the results!!!

Last warning! this is utterly vile. GALLERY

LFC5Times

Manuel Great Fiddle wrote: »

Its not like drinking a load of OJ, it kind of keeps things together but moving if you get me ; ) Sorry can someone please put up where they get the flaky stuff, i am not mad on the powder.

I got my original psyllium husk(powder) in Holland and Barrett(expensive). When I ran out of that I got more from myprotein.co.uk as I also ordered something else from them too.

http://www.myprotein.co.uk/search.aspx?SearchTerm=psyllium

On page 2 of this thread I think post 25, the poster mentions getting some in a health shop called Restore on Wexford St - not sure if its capsules or powder.

EileenG

rubadub wrote: »

Found this site with a gallery of what comes out the other end after you eat the husks. Warning the pictures are horrendous!!

The site itself says


The first guys testimonial says


Last warning! this is utterly vile. GALLERY

I've been pooping for a long time (all my life) with and without psyllum husks, and I've never produced anything like that.

El_Dangeroso

rubadub wrote: »

Found this site with a gallery of what comes out the other end after you eat the husks. Warning the pictures are horrendous!!

The site itself says


The first guys testimonial says


Last warning! this is utterly vile. GALLERY

That, ugh, is not from psyllium husks. That's from those colon cleansing scams:

From MDA:

You’ve probably seen the disgusting images of toxic “mucoid plaque” deposits culled from unhealthy colons. If not, give “mucoid plaque” or “colon cleanse” a whirl in Google Image search. You’ll get hundreds of results, images of brown/black, ropy extrusions that look a bit like chewed up Tootsie Rolls. This is “mucoid plaque,” a toxic film that supposedly accumulates on the walls of our colons over the years. No one is safe from the scourge of mucoid plaque, and the only way to rid yourself of this menace is to purchase a special fiber-and-herb cleansing formula, or shoot a high-powered jet of water through your colon to dislodge the toxins.

It’s strange, then, that physicians have always been unable to locate this mysterious, seemingly ubiquitous colonic plaque, even after “several thousand intestinal biopsies.” Some even suggest that the colon cleansers are creating the problem themselves, and that those ropy extrusions are the product of consuming all that insoluble fiber in the cleansing formulas. Huh? A self-fulfilling marketing ploy that ensures repeated consumption of a product by exacerbating the very condition it purports to relieve? Nah, that would never, ever happen.

Mellor

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

That, ugh, is not from psyllium husks. That's from those colon cleansing scams:

He wasn't saying they were from the husks. He was saying it was deposits as per colonic irrigation type removals

El_Dangeroso

Mellor wrote: »

He wasn't saying they were from the husks. He was saying it was deposits as per colonic irrigation type removals

Wasn't he? I thought he said that's what comes out after eating them no?

Colonic irrigation would never remove anything like that, it's more likely that the colon cleanse type things actually create deposits like that. Either way tis a scam.

rubadub

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

I thought he said that's what comes out after eating them no?

Yes, that is what I meant, I saw the bulk of the product in question was husks, so presumed it was it. I have been looking up those scams, there are plenty on youtube too with most comments saying it is only the product and many saying only the husks. The husks will certainly produce more volume, while the other ingredients seem to be binding agents or something. This seems to say it is figs & senna and the "bulky fibrous ingredients" -husks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucoid_plaque

Practicing physicians have dismissed the concept of mucoid plaque as a hoax and a "non-credible concept".[8] A pathologist at the University of Texas School of Medicine addressed Anderson's claims directly, saying that he has "seen several thousand intestinal biopsies and have never seen any 'mucoid plaque.' This is a complete fabrication with no anatomic basis."[1][9] Another pathologist, Edward Friedlander, has noted during his experience that he has never observed anything resembling a "toxic bowel settlement" and that some online photographs actually depict what he recognises as a blood clot.[10] Commenting on claims that waste material can adhere to the colon, Douglas Pleskow, a gastroenterologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, stated "That is the urban legend. In reality, most people clear their GI tract within three days."[14]

In a review of websites promoting products that claim to remove 'mucoid rope' or plaque from consumers' intestines, Howard Hochster of New York University wrote that these websites are "abundant, quasi-scientific, and unfortunately convincing to a biologically uneducated public." He noted that although such sites are entertaining, they are disturbing in that they promote a belief that has no basis in physiology.[2] Hochster also noted that a preparation marketed to remove mucoid plaque contains laxatives and bulky fibrous ingredients. Thus, the ropy residue expelled from people who consume this product "certainly is a result of the figs and senna in this preparation," rather than any sort of pathologic 'plaque'.[2] Other 'colon cleanser' products contain bentonite clay that, when ingested, would also result in production of bulky stools.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colon_cleansing

I am now left wondering how beneficial things like husks are as sites are saying that you clean yourself out just fine anyway...

El_Dangeroso

Yep I'm with you on that. I'm very skeptical that taking husks in order to poop regularly is a good thing. Probably ok once in a while but If it's a chronic problem then the husks will be masking a symptom rather than addressing the underlying cause.

Interestingly the bulk of stools are composed not of waste food and fibre but of gut bacteria and cells of the ever-renewing gut lining. Stikes me that chronic constipation is a sign that the gut critters aren't in good shape (dysbiosis). Doesn't seem to be as simple as taking a probiotic either, that sometimes make constipation even worse.

My underlying instinct would by that the bad bacteria needs to be starved off before the good bacteria can be replaced.

Adelie

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

My underlying instinct would by that the bad bacteria needs to be starved off before the good bacteria can be replaced.

I'm curious, how do you think you can encourage the bad bacteria to be starved of?

Mellor

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Yep I'm with you on that. I'm very skeptical that taking husks in order to poop regularly is a good thing.

I have a very low fibre diet, without husk i'd get none at all really. I don't want to go into details here, but loe fibre can cause other problems other than irregular pooping, which is my other reason for taking them.

El_Dangeroso

Adelie wrote: »

I'm curious, how do you think you can encourage the bad bacteria to be starved of?

I don't know if there is another way, the only way I know is to go on a very severe low carbohydrate diet, similar to the candida diet. Very little in the way of carbs or fibre of any kind for 30 days. That will starve both good and bad bacteria alike, so the next step is to replace good bacteria with a daily probiotic and eat a diet rich in soluble fibre like onions, leeks, mushrooms and artichokes.

Mellor wrote: »

I have a very low fibre diet, without husk i'd get none at all really. I don't want to go into details here, but loe fibre can cause other problems other than irregular pooping, which is my other reason for taking them.

I completely agree that fibre is important for the majority of people (though it can be hell if you're in the throws of severe IBS like I once was). But don't forget that all the documented advantages of a high-fibre diet come from eating fibre in real food, not from taking psyllium husks. I think they are useful for occasions when you need to get things moving, but the long term effects of high-fibre supplements are not established and I feel in certain conditions they might just be masking an underlying issue. My 2c.

Mellor

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

I don't know if there is another way, the only way I know is to go on a very severe low carbohydrate diet, similar to the candida diet. Very little in the way of carbs or fibre of any kind for 30 days. That will starve both good and bad bacteria alike, so the next step is to replace good bacteria with a daily probiotic and eat a diet rich in soluble fibre like onions, leeks, mushrooms and artichokes.



I completely agree that fibre is important for the majority of people (though it can be hell if you're in the throws of severe IBS like I once was). But don't forget that all the documented advantages of a high-fibre diet come from eating fibre in real food, not from taking psyllium husks. I think they are useful for occasions when you need to get things moving, but the long term effects of high-fibre supplements are not established and I feel in certain conditions they might just be masking an underlying issue. My 2c.

If I eat some husk along with 50g protein, 10g carbs, 10g fats over a few hours, i don't really see how it is different to a whole food that has the same breakdown.

I'd agree with you if we were talking taking husk only for a period of time, 8 hours say

El_Dangeroso

Mellor wrote: »

If I eat some husk along with 50g protein, 10g carbs, 10g fats over a few hours, i don't really see how it is different to a whole food that has the same breakdown.

I'd agree with you if we were talking taking husk only for a period of time, 8 hours say

If I stuck some protein powder together with some suet, would that be the same thing as eating fillet mignon?

Nutrition science is entirely in its infancy. We only discovered the last vitamin a few decades ago. We're only slightly beginning to understand eichosanoid metabolism and how omega 3 and 6 interact. The body is used to getting nutrients in certain ratio, many nutrients remain undiscovered. High fibre food may contain a yet-undiscovered nutrient that is essential to the proper metabolism of the fibre by the gut bacteria.

One thing I've learnt in the last while is that no nutrient operates in a vacuum, there are always dependencies, fibre is no different. Supplements can never ever hope to replicate the benefit of real food.

RobAMerc

Sorry to drag up an old thread but -

has anyone else found this to be having the exact opposite effect that they expected ?

I am finding myself very dehydrated since I started taking this and consequently I'm having issues with my digestive systems lack of water. Since I started using porridge some time back this has not been any sort of issue for me till I've started supplementing my diet with Psyllium ( mostly on days I have a protein rich breakfast or used in cooking to bulk out muffins etc )

I never drink less than 2 litres of water per day.

ciagr297

RobAMerc wrote: »

Sorry to drag up an old thread but -

has anyone else found this to be having the exact opposite effect that they expected ?

I am finding myself very dehydrated since I started taking this and consequently I'm having issues with my digestive systems lack of water. Since I started using porridge some time back this has not been any sort of issue for me till I've started supplementing my diet with Psyllium ( mostly on days I have a protein rich breakfast or used in cooking to bulk out muffins etc )

I never drink less than 2 litres of water per day.

yep, i tried Psyllium husk a few years back and my stomach was in bits after it.
i would stay away from Psyllium as it sounds like your digestive system is struggling. there are lots of sources of fiber out there that won't be as harsh.
as you said yourself, porridge is going well. if you are finding it diffiicult to get some ideas, you can try the site i use for IBS http://www.helpforibs.com/
i actually got the fiber supplement on it, and it was very easy to take. but you can get a soluable fiber supplement in Boots which is great. i think its Benefiber.
keep drinking the water though - tea infusions are a good way of getting more fluids and make things more interesting

RobAMerc

thanks ciagr297 -

yea - gonna stay away from it from now. back to a good healthy bowl of porridge lots of fruit and veg and plenty of water. It's done me the world of good for years, I don't know why I ever tried to change !

Rob

Sandska

Where in Georges street arcade is this little health food shop? Just Made a really yummy bread using husks as the fibre. Didn't have any culinary ones so just emptied some capsules. Worked grand but the 100g for 1.65 sounds appealing!