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