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The Benefits of Psyllium Husks

Weight loss using psyllium… is it possible?

There are so many benefits of psyllium husks, especially from a health and weight-loss perspective. In this article we will examine all of the psyllium benefits as well as how you can assist weight loss using psyllium.

Psyllium husks are a water-soluble fibre that comes from the husk of the psyllium seed. They are a great food to include in your diet because of the various health benefits they offer. Plus, they are very cheap.

The easiest ways to obtain the benefits of psyllium husks are to add them to your cereal or include them in your protein shakes. By doing so you can easily increase your daily fibre intake, which will provide your body will an array of psyllium benefits. These include:

• Slows down the absorption rate of carbohydrates
• Adds more ‘bulk’ to the meal
• Binds to cholesterol as it passes through the gastro-intestinal tract (as well as potentially toxic substances)
• Decreases the gastro-intestinal transit time (speeds up the rate at which food passes through the intestines)

Slows down the absorption rate of carbohydrates

Since it slows down the absorption rate of any carbohydrates consumed with them, the glycemic index (GI) of the carbohydrate-containing food is lowered significantly, which means it is easier to keep your blood sugar level stable, keep insulin low, and therefore assist weight loss using psyllium.

Adds more ‘bulk’ to the meal

By adding more ‘bulk’ to a meal, it becomes easier to feel fuller for longer after consuming the meal. This is especially true if you’re having a protein shake for your mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack/ meal or if you’re adding it to your morning breakfast cereal.

It’s quite possible that after having your mid-morning protein shake (meal replacement shake), within 30 minutes you may feel hungry again. However, by adding the psyllium husks to your protein shake (and perhaps having some fish oils capsules as well), you can feel fuller for much longer after having the shake.

With regards to the breakfast cereal, it you are having the correct amount, which is about 30 grams for most people, you may also find that you are hungry shortly after having this meal.

I have natural muesli most mornings for breakfast and 30 grams works out to be about 3 tablespoons! So it really isn’t much food at all! However, by adding the psyllium husks to the cereal as well as the LSA (linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds) mix, I find I can feel quite satisfied until my next meal (mid-morning).

Binds to cholesterol as it passes through the gastro-intestinal tract

One of the great health benefits of psyllium husks is the fact that it binds to cholesterol (and potentially toxic substances) as it passes through the gastro-intestinal tract. This means that over time, it has the potential to lower your cholesterol level without having to resort to cholesterol-lowering drugs!

Plus, by binding to toxic substances in your gut, you can prevent these compounds from being absorbed into your body or even with reacting with the walls of your intestines. This may reduce your risk of developing colon cancer.

Decreases the gastro-intestinal transit time

By speeding up the rate at which food passes through the intestines, you again, reduce the risk of toxic substance being absorbed into the body or reacting with the intestinal lining and potentially causing colon cancer.

Plus, you will find that the psyllium husks will help to keep you very regular!

Important points

Since psyllium husks are a water-soluble fibre, if you decide to include them in your diet and therefore obtain the benefits of psyllium husks, then the most important point to remember is to drink plenty of water with them.

You may also want to gradually increase your intake over time rather than simply having a tablespoon of them straight away. A few people I’ve spoken with have found that if they did that, they were actually constipated for a few days because the psyllium husks obviously ‘bound them up’.

Therefore, I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon a day for a few weeks and then slowly increasing it from there until you reach a daily intake that you (and your body) are happy with. Most people should be able to handle a tablespoon of psyllium husks within a few months.

Overall, I highly recommend people to consume psyllium husks on a daily basis so they can obtain the enormous health benefits they offer.

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