High soluble fiber diet Q&A

The American diet is notoriously deficient in dietary fiber.
To make up for the deficiency, foods such as soy and oatmeal have been routinely introduced to supplement it with soluble fiber.
Most foods contain a mixture of soluble and insoluble fiber, which together make up the dietary fiber family.

A diet high in soluble fiber is beneficial for several reasons.
Soluble fiber ingested in large amounts can decrease blood cholesterol.
Soluble fiber is also beneficial in moderating levels of blood glucose. When consumed in large amounts, soluble fiber slows glucose absorption from the small intestine.
Insoluble fiber plays little or no role in the regulation of blood glucose or lowering of cholesterol.

Beneficial Effects of High Dietary Fiber Intake in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
"A high intake of dietary fiber, particularly of the soluble type, above the level recommended by the ADA, improves glycemic control, decreases hyperinsulinemia, and lowers plasma lipid concentrations in patients with type 2 diabetes"
.....The New England Journal of Medicine Volume 342:1392-1398 May 11, 2000

Dietary fiber and type 2 diabetes
"Water-soluble fiber appears to have a greater potential to reduce postprandial blood glucose, insulin, and serum lipid levels than insoluble fiber. Viscosity of the dietary fiber is important; the greater the viscosity, the greater the effect. "
...Clin Excell Nurse Pract. 2000 Sep;4(5):272-6.

Glucomannan is nature’s most viscous soluble fiber, with the highest water holding capacity, and largest molecular weight among any dietary fiber.

Glucomannan minimizes the postprandial insulin surge: a potential adjuvant for hepatothermic therapy.
"Glucomannan (GM) is differentiated from other soluble fibers by the extraordinarily high viscosity of GM solutions. Administration of 4-5g of GM with meals, blended into fluid or mixed with food, can slow carbohydrate absorption and dampen the postprandial insulin response by up to 50%.
...Med Hypotheses. 2002 Jun;58(6):487-90.

Beneficial effects of viscous dietary fiber from Konjac-mannan in subjects with the insulin resistance syndrome: results of a controlled metabolic trial.
" A diet rich in high-viscosity KJM improves glycemic control and lipid profile, suggesting a therapeutic potential in the treatment of the insulin resistance syndrome. "
... Diabetes Care 2000 Jan;23(1):9-14
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Konjac-mannan (glucomannan) improves glycemia and other associated risk factors for coronary heart disease in type 2 diabetes. A randomized controlled metabolic trial
"KJM fiber added to conventional treatment may ameliorate glycemic control, blood lipid profile, and sBP in high-risk diabetic individuals, possibly improving the effectiveness of conventional treatment in type 2 diabetes"
... Diabetes Care, Vol 22, Issue 6 913-919
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Konjac foods was made by glucomannan and water, is very low carb and very low glycemic nature food, which contain about 96% water and 4% soluble fiber.
Konjac foods, translucent and gelatinous, have no discernable taste but absorb the dominant flavors of the soup or dish to which they're added.
Konjac foods is kinds of traditional Japanese foods called shirataki noodles or konnyaku.
Konjac foods very much like Chinese glass noodles (cellophane or bean thread noodles) in taste and texture but they have almost no calories.
Konjac foods is kinds of instant foods, you can toss it with sauce like vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, onion or garlic or any flavors your favored, then just eat in cold.
You can also boil or cook the konjac foods with other vegetable, meat or seafood, with any flavor you favored.
You can cook konjac foods just like regular pasta, while the texture was bouncier than pasta.

High soluble fiber diet is the very low calorie diet.

What is soluble fiber?
What are the benefits of high soluble fiber diet?
What are the health benefits of soluble fiber approved by FDA?
How do soluble fibers lower cholesterol?
How does soluble fiber regulate blood sugar?
How does soluble fiber help control diabetes?
Can high soluble fiber diet help control obesity?
How can soluble fiber help Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
How can soluble fiber help hypoglycemia?
What is the downside of soluble fiber?
What are the natural food resources of soluble fiber?
Can I increase my intake of soluble fiber without increasing my calorie intake?
How can I make konjac foods myself?

What is soluble fiber?
Soluble fiber comes from the storage materials of the plant used to store water.
Soluble fiber dissolves and thickens in water, and can form a gel, include gums, pectins, mucilages.
There are three major properties of water-soluble fiber, namely, water-holding ability, viscosity and ferment ability. Soluble fiber attracts water and turns to gel during digestion. Most soluble fibers are completely fermented, except psyllium (soluble fiber) which is only partially fermented.
Gum, pectin, mucilage and some kinds hemicelluloses are soluble fibers.

What are the benefits of high fiber diet?
Independent studies indicate that soluble fiber may help lower blood cholesterol, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
A diet rich in soluble fiber has numerous health benefits such as its effectiveness in controlling obesity, stroke, diabetes, cancer and gastrointestinal disorders.

Dietary fiber can be grouped into two major type:
(1) soluble, viscous, fermentable.
(2) insoluble, non-viscous, slowly fermentable.
These two type fibres appear to have quite different physiological effects

Insoluble Fiber
Passes through body more quickly than soluble fiber, preventing or relieving constipation.
May prevent colon cancer by moving cancer-causing substances through digestive tract more quickly.
Too much may decrease body’s absorption of vitamins and minerals because of decreased absorption time in the intestine.

Soluble Fiber
Acts like a sponge, absorbing fluid as it moves through system.?This results in softer, bigger stools (fewer hemorrhoids).
Slows release of sugar to the bloodstream (hypoglycemia, diabetes).
Prevents hunger by filling the stomach and regulating blood sugar.
Lowers cholesterol soluble fiber form gel captures bile acids and cholesterol in diet.?If bile acids are not reabsorbed, body has to use cholesterol in the blood to make more.?8-10 grams soluble fiber a day are necessary to lower cholesterol.
Helps with weight loss (regulates blood sugar, makes you feel full).
High fiber diet cause you to excrete more calories

What are the health benefits of soluble fiber approved by FDA?
The US Food and Drug Administration has authorized the following claims that food manufacturers can place on their labels:

How do soluble fibers lower cholesterol?
Water-soluble fiber appears to have a greater potential to reduce postprandial blood glucose, insulin, and serum lipid levels than insoluble fiber. Viscosity of the dietary fiber is important; the greater the viscosity, the greater the effect.
Soluble fiber forms a gel that binds with certain digestive acids made from cholesterol in the liver, and then takes the acids away in the stool. In response, your liver draws cholesterol from your blood to make more acids, thus lowering your blood cholesterol.
A diet higher in soluble fiber also had the greatest effect on reducing total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels--the bad cholesterol. Levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)--the good cholesterol--either increased or did not change, resulting in an improved total LDL/HDL ratio.

How does soluble fiber regulate blood sugar?

How does soluble fiber help control diabetes?
Soluble fiber along with complex carbohydrates (starches) can make the hormone insulin work better. This allows patients to take less diabetes medication while keeping their blood sugar normal. Persons with diabetes often have sharp rises of blood sugar following meals. Increased soluble fiber in meals slows down the release of food into the intestine and keeps the blood sugar from rising rapidly.

Can high soluble fiber diet help control obesity?
Soluble fiber has a 3-way mechanism for controlling obesity

• Fiber is the only component of food that makes a person feel full without contributing calories.
• Soluble fiber also takes the edge off your cravings for snacks by effectively controlling your blood sugar. It gives an indirect boost to your fat metabolism by attaching to fat and reducing the ratio which is stored as fat deposits.
• Soluble fiber displaces fat and sugar calories that may contribute to weight gain.

How can soluble fiber help Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Insoluble fiber and soluble fiber have totally different effects on IBS.
Soluble fiber is the single greatest dietary aid for preventing IBS symptoms as well as relieving them once they occur.
Always eat soluble fiber first, eat soluble fiber whenever your stomach is empty, and make soluble fiber foods the largest component of every meal and snack. 
Konjac food consisting of glucomannan and water only, are the ideal food for IBS.
Insoluble fiber can induce IBS and diarrhea.
Never eat insoluble fiber on an empty stomach, in large quantities at one sitting, or without soluble fiber. 

How can soluble fiber help hypoglycemia?
Soluble fiber helps hypoglycemia by delaying gastric emptying, slowing glucose absorption, and minimizing drastic blood glucose swings.

What is the soluble fiber health benefit?
1. Acts like a sponge, absorbing fluid as it moves through system. This results in softer, bigger stools (fewer hemorrhoids).
2. Slows release of sugar to the bloodstream (hypoglycemia, diabetes).
3. Prevents hunger by filling the stomach and regulating blood sugar.
4. Lowers cholesterol *** gel captures bile acids and cholesterol in diet. If bile acids are not reabsorbed, body has to use cholesterol in the blood to make more. 8-10 grams a day are necessary to lower cholesterol.
5. Helps with weight loss (regulates blood sugar, makes you feel full).
6. Fiber foods cause you to excrete more calories - one study showed men on high-fiber diets excreted 150 calories per day more than those on low-fiber diet of equal calories.

What is the downside of soluble fiber?
A high-fiber diet causes gas because the carbohydrates in high-fiber foods cannot be completely digested in the stomach and small intestine.

Soluble fiber is found in oats, oatmeal, oat bran, beans, legumes, barley, citrus fruits and certain fruits, psyllium, vegetable gum include konjac gum, pectin, guar gum and gum arabic, to name a few. Oats have the highest proportion of soluble fiber among cereals.
Usually, soluble fiber is hard to get from foods. Normal food has a very small percentage soluble fiber. The cereal containing highest level of soluble fiber is oat bran, which has about 14% soluble fiber. All other food grains contain much less soluble fiber than oat bran.
Glucomannan is soluble fiber derived from the konjac plant (tuber). Fresh konjac contains an average of 13% dry matter, 64% of the dry matter is glucomannan, 30% is starch. That makes Glucomannan the richest soluble fiber resource in nature.
Glucomannan is nature’s most viscous soluble fiber, with the highest water holding capacity, and largest molecular weight among any dietary fiber. These properties help to increase its effectiveness against stroke, cancer, diabetes and gastrointestinal disorders.