Popular Food Additive Inulin Can Cause Stomach Ache
Have you ever wondered what is the thing attracting you to eat more chocolate bars and various snacks? The answer is Inulin, a carbohydrate fiber that stimulates so called ‘good bacteria’ in the colon and is able to cause body gases, flatulence, bloating and diarrhea. Naturally Inulin can be found in bananas, onions, garlic and wheat.
A negative outcome may arise from consuming Inulin food too often. Its addictive nature causes gastrointestinal problems in the digestive body system. Joanne Slavin form the University of Minnesota at St. Paul, department of food science and nutrition, has conveyed a study that involved healthy 26 men and women from 18 to 60 years old. In five weeks time, once a week they were give breakfast with cream cheese bagel and orange juice.
The breakfast meal was served on an empty stomach without a previous night dinner. The orange juice contained 5 to 10 grams dose of normal inulin products – shorter-chain oligofructose and native inulin; or a placebo.
Over two days the participants were asked weather they have felt any symptoms from this type of fiber consumptions; symptoms like nausea, flatulence, diarrhea, gas, GI rumbling and constipation. Results came in with mild symptoms from those that had inulin in their nutrition, mainly from the 10 grams of oligofructose dosage. The most common symptom was flatulence – yeah, pretty embarrassing!
From the research it has come to the conclusion that consuming 5 grams of “sweet” inulin and 10 grams of native inulin a day are tolerable for healthy people. With a target of reducing calories and fat in food products; and increasing the amount of fiber and flavor; food production has found a way of chemically structuring inulin in order to perform its “addictive seduction” role.
High calorie food tends to be more addictive then a normal nutritious type of fruit. People chose Chocolate bars over fiber bars. The taste of a sweet chocolate bar works great for the appetite, reaching a point that a fiber bar is unable achieve. But a fiber bar is far more nutritious and healthy then a high calorie chocolate bar. The heart and stomach don’t have to work overtime in order for fiber to be distributed through the blood flow.
To start fighting the addictive nature of products containing inulin, people need to start with making firm decisions about what to consume. It is always difficult at the beginning when you change a habit. Start slow and finish strong.
