Functional Fibers Table

Functional Fiber, Inulin: Dandelion Greens

Functional Fibers table 

Fibers are largely absent from the American diet. This reality is starving our beautiful microbiome. Try bringing in a variety of these fibers every day/week and nourish your benevolent bugs in your gut and entire body for greater health.

Items in parentheses are gluten & dairy products, these are commonly the highest inflammatory foods. I recommend getting your fibers and prebiotics from other sources to see how calming foods might be. Key: GF = gluten free, DF = dairy free.

If these foods don’t digest well in your system, consider running an advanced stool test (I use the latest technology that looks at whole genome sequencing which is the most comprehensive testing available today) to which bugs are in you, which aren’t and how they are working for you or against you and your digestive process. Email me for support or if you’d like a PDF copy of this Table to track the fibers you’ve brought in weekly. I like to print a copy and circle which fibers I’ve enjoyed.

CELLULOSE FOOD SOURCES 

• Cereals: (barley), certified GF oats, certified GF cereal bran, (bulgur), certified GF quinoa (this crop is often cross-contaminated in shipping/manufacturing), cornmeal (often inflammatory; highly glyphosate sprayed), brown rice

• Cabbage family: arugula, bok choy, Brussel’s sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radishes, rutabaga, Swiss chard, turnips, turnip greens and watercress

• Fruits: avocado, berries, apples and pears with skins

• Legumes: peas, chickpeas, beans, lentils - just a few bites will be fine for the bugs

• Nuts - encourage you to enjoy walnuts for the Omega 3 among other nuts

• Potatoes with skins (cooked and cooled overnight in the fridge will have a bit more insoluble fiber

• Seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, hemp and chia seeds 

RESISTANT STARCH 

• Beans (black, pinto, soybeans, peas, white beans, lentils); canned are soaked and pressure cooked therefore easier to digest

• Starchy foods that have been cooked and cooled, such as rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pasta and corn tortillas

• Green bananas, plantains

• Raw potato starch, hi-maize flour

• (Whole grains), certified GF oats and (barley) 

ARABINOGALACTAN (AG)

• Carrots, radishes, (wheat), Shiitake mushrooms, and coconuts

• Echinacea purpurea and Thuja occidentalis

• Larch tree sourced AG, ensure it’s processed using an eco-friendly, hot water extraction process

GALACTO-OLIGOSACCARIDES (GOS)

• (Milk, yogurt) artichoke, lentils, fermented tofu, cashews, pistachios, red kidney beans, chickp•eas, baked beans, split peas, lima beans, lentils 

FRUCTO-OLIGOSACCARIDES (FOS)

• Yacon root, garlic, onion, leeks, chicory root, Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus, bananas, burdock root

XYLO-OLIGOSACCHARIDES (XOS)

• (Milk), honey, vegetables, fruits, and bamboos shoots

BETA-MANNAN

• (Barley), whole certified GF oats, soybean 

INULIN

• Dandelion greens, Jerusalem artichoke, leeks, bananas (less ripe), burdock root, yacon root, jicama

BETA GLUCAN (β-GLUCAN)

• Cereal grains: millet, rice, (barley), GF oats, (rye), (triticale), sorghum, corn; seaweed, algae, mushrooms (Reishi, shiitake, maitake)

LIGNIN

• Flaxseed, root vegetables (carrots, parsley, horseradish), bran, tomatoes, berries, broccoli, cabbage, green beans, peaches, peas, brazil nuts, apples 

PECTIN

• Citrus peels, apples, pear, pitted fruits (plums, apricots, peach), guava, carrots

POLYPHENOLS

• Colorful foods including: fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, herbs, cacao, leeks, onions, radishes, plantains, high-quality olive oil, legumes, root veggies, artichokes, asparagus, green tea, raw honey, sea veggies, and colostrum

Source: adapted from MicroBiome Labs

Best Kept Secrets of Fall

Beautiful Brassicas, Brussel Sprouts

The plant kingdom holds many secrets to vibrancy and health. I am forever discovering ways its members can bring greater health, balance, and joy.

In fermentation, cabbage is King of the Crock for its ability to be transformed and the ease in which it marries with a variety of seasonings.

For the plant enthusiasts, cabbage is a member of a large and diverse plant genus, the Brassicas (or cruciferous vegetables) that are distinguished by some unique attributes, including their high fermentability and healing potential.

We know broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are powerful choices if we want to eat low calorie and increase fiber. Did you also know these medicinal plants play a key role in fighting cancers, notably, breast, prostate, and colon? High in antioxidants, they help neutralize harmful free radicals.

I’m delighted to share hidden secrets of this rich family.

Beyond Cabbage

The Brassica genus includes an amazing array of roots, leaves, stems, and even seeds:

Roots: radishes, kohlrabi, turnips, wasabi, horseradish, rutabagas
Leaves: cabbages, kale, watercress, mustard and collard greens, Brussels sprouts, arugula
Stems: bok choy, cauliflower
Seeds: rape (canola)

A mildly peppery, somewhat bitter, taste distinguishes the Brassicas from others thanks to the sulphur containing phytonutrient, glucosinolate. Glucosinolates have powerful anti-cancer benefits if activated properly.

With this array, you can easily add pizazz and even more medicinal power to your ferments or autumn meals.

Tricks to Release Potent Cancer Fighters

As in fermentation, technique is important to maximize the healing potential of these plants. Aerating, which allows the veggies to rest for about 5 minutes, after chopping, and before cooking, amps their cancer fighting powers.

By creating the opportunity for enzymes to convert the glucosinolate into a new compound, isothiocynate (pronounced: glu·co·sin·o·late and iso·thio·cy·a·nate). Isothiocynates enhance our body’s natural detoxification systems and offer us the greatest cancer protection.

Enjoy them raw, fermented or lightly steamed, but avoid microwaving or overcooking as you’ll diminish their potential.

Healthy Action Steps:

• Once again, healthier is easy: simply allow your veggies to lounge before enjoying them

• No knife to chop? Use your own chops to get more bang and up your “chew rate” -- shoot for double your current count

• While your veggies are lounging, why not take a 5-10 minute “Time In” and gift yourself some inward reflection. Five minutes of deep breathing, mindfulness, or appreciation/gratitude can be life altering. While your veggies are releasing and creating, see what can be released and created within you

• Encourage yourself in the next week to bring in a minimum of 3 cups of these life affirming gems along with your other plant based foods and ferments

• If you don’t digest these veggies, or veggies in general, try heating them and just having a bite to start. You may need to regrow the enzymes and microbes that thrive on these fibers