Psyllium husk, also known as isabgol or ispaghula, has a variety of weight-loss and digestion benefits. It is generally used to reduce excessive body weight and helps in the treatment of digestion-related conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diarrhea, and constipation.
One of the major health benefits of psyllium husk is that it is an effective fiber supplement rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber, i.e. it can provide appropriate amount of fiber to the body that can be effective while losing weight without making changes to the regular diet.
Soluble fiber from psyllium husks absorbs water and turns into gel, thus slowing down the digestion and makes a person feel full. This helps in controlling the levels of blood sugar, thus preventing the storage of fat in body. Also, the insoluble fiber from psyllium husks helps in cleansing the digestive tract and maintaining the movement bowel inside the colon.
How Psyllium Husk Helps in Weight Management?
Psyllium husk is widely used in the heal-care industry as a weight loss supplement. There are various ways in which psyllium husk can help in losing weight, these are:
- Helps in controlling appetite: Psyllium husks have a property of swelling inside the body. The soluble fiber from the psyllium husk swells inside the body by absorbing water and makes a person feel full. Thus, it helps limit the intake of calories leading to natural weight loss.
- Supports digestion: Plant fiber is the major macro nutrient required by the body for the proper digestion of food. Psyllium husk being a rich source of fiber, can help in fulfilling the body’s requirement of fiber and improves the digestive health of body. Including it in the meal or using it 30 minutes prior eating can help in improving the health of the digestive system.
- Removes toxins and helps in treatment of gastrointestinal disorders: Psyllium husk when used with water absorbs harmful toxins from the colon. These toxins are later driven out of the body with stool. Also, this helps in maintaining the health of gastrointestinal system and helps in prevention from diseases like constipation, IBS and colon cancer.
- Maintains the levels of cholesterol: Psyllium husk absorbs the excessive cholesterol from body along with other harmful toxins. According to scientists, if a person consumes an adequate amount of psyllium husks every day, it helps in controlling their levels of blood cholesterol, thus helping in prevention from various harmful heart diseases such as coronary artery disease.
- Cleanses the colon by improving bowel movement: Psyllium husk absorbs the water from the gut and forms a gelatin like structure that can lighten the bowel and improves its movement inside the colon. Thus, it is easy to get rid of bowel problems. This helps in keeping the colon clean and prevents conditions like enema.
How to Use Psyllium Husk?
Psyllium husk can be consumed in various ways. Many people prefer to eat the husks directly, however, it is not easy for everyone to do the same. It can be added to various beverages and food items and still be effective while maintaining the weight loss regime.
It can be added to water, or some other beverage such as juice. Also, it can be added to oatmeal, yogurt or even to soups to serve its weight loss purpose. Also, it can be combined with various food items which completely change the experience of consuming psyllium husk. Some psyllium husk recipes are listed below:
1. Coconut Flour Psyllium Husk Bread:
Ingredients:
- Psyllium husks (finely grind)- 6 tablespoon (27 grams)
- Warm water- ¾ cup
- Coconut flour- 1 cup (125 grams)
- Baking soda- 1½ teaspoons
- Seasalt- ¾ teaspoon
- Eggs- 2
- Egg whites- 1 pint/8 whole eggs
- Coconut oil (melted)- ¼ cup
- Olive oil- ½ cup
How to prepare:
- Preheat the oven (350oF).
- Take a silicon pan. If not available, take a normal pan and grease or line it with parchment paper.
- Take the psyllium husks in a bowl and add some water to it. Keep it aside till it forms a gel.
- Take rest of the ingredients and mix them together using an electronic mixer or a mixing bowl. A food processor can also be used if available.
- Now add the psyllium husks (turned into gel) to this mixture in the electronic mixture or the food processor.
- Spread the final mixture into a 8X4 loaf pan.
- Bake the mixture for about 45-55 minutes (wait till the edges turn brown).
- Keep the bread in the pan for about 15 minutes and then separate it from the pan and wait for it to cool down.
The final bread is ready now, and is ready to eat.
2. Pumpkin Sunflower Seed Psyllium Bread:
Ingredients:
- Psyllium husks (finely grind)- ½ cup (60 grams)
- Pumpkin seeds- ¼ cup (40 grams)
- Sunflower seeds- ¼ cup (40 grams)
- Chia seeds- ¼ cup (40 grams)
- Sesame seed flour (ground flax seed)- 2 tablespoons (15 grams)
- Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
- Salt- ¼ teaspoon
- Melted coconut oil- 3 tablespoons
- Egg whites- 1¼ cup (300 grams)
- Almond milk- ½ cup
How to prepare:
- Take a large mixing bowl and mix together psyllium husks, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia, flax, salt and baking powder.
- Add coconut oil and stir.
- Now, add almond milk and egg whites and blend the ingredients together.
- When the mixture gets thickened, put them in a 8X4 inch loaf pan. Either use a silicon pan, or grease line a normal pan.
- Bake the mixture at 325oF for 70 minutes or until the internal temperature is about 215oF.
This psyllium bread is ready now and has enhanced the taste of psyllium for everyday use.
3. Psyllium Bread Rolls:
Ingredients:
- Psyllium husks (grind)- 6 tablespoons (27 grams)
- Coconut flour- 1 cup (110 grams)
- Egg whites- 2 cups (1 pint of a carton)
- Eggs- 2 (large)
- Baking soda- 1½ teaspoons
- Coconut oil- ¼ cup
- Avocado oil- ½ cup
- Warm water- ¾ cup
How to prepare:
- Preheat the oven (350oF).
- Take a muffin top pan and grease it lightly.
- Now, mix psyllium with water and keep it aside until it forms a gel.
- Meanwhile, take the other ingredients and mix them together using electric mixer or by pulsing them in a food processor.
- Add the psyllium gel to the mixture of other ingredients and continue mixing with food processor/electronic mixer.
- The final mixture forms a batter. Divide the batter in the muffin molds of the muffin pan.
- Put the mixture in the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes, until the edges turn brown.
- Keep the pan intact for 10-15 minutes and then separate the buns from it. Now, let the buns cool down.
Psyllium bread rolls are ready to eat. Use them by putting ham between two buns and make a healthy sandwich at home.
4. Keto Crepes:
Ingredients:
- Psyllium husks- 1 tablespoon
- Coconut flour- 2 tablespoons
- Coconut milk- 90ml
- Egg whites- 8
- Large eggs- 2
- Baking soda- ½ teaspoon
- Tartar cream- 1 teaspoon
- Coconut oil/ghee- 2 tablespoons
- Garlic powder- 2 teaspoons
- Salt (according to taste)
How to prepare:
- Separate the yolk from the eggs.
- Now put the egg whites and the yolks and other ingredients, i.e. psyllium husks, coconut flour, coconut milk, cream of tartar, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and mix the ingredients well.
- Now, add garlic powder to the mixture and whisk the mixture. However, sweetener can also be used in place of garlic power if you want to make the crepes sweet instead of savory.
- Put the mixture aside for 5-10 minutes so that the psyllium husk and the coconut flour can absorb the moisture. Later, whisk the mixture again.
- Now, heat a non-stick frying pan by using coconut oil or ghee. Pour the batter in the pan evenly and keep it moving while pouring the batter so that it forms a thin layer at the bottom. Make sure that the mixture isn’t very thick and is spreading evenly. Also, if the batter is thick, it is advised to thin it by adding approximately 1 tablespoon of water.
- Make one crepe at a time and keep greasing the pan in between so that the crepes don’t stick at the bottom of the pan.
- After cooling down, pack the crepes in an airtight container and let them cool down in a fridge for a few days.
Once out of the refrigerator the crepes will be ready to eat. If you want to enhance the taste, add some chocolate spread or cheese to it.
These recipes can change the way of using psyllium husk and can convince people to include it to their daily routine. However, if a person still wants to directly consume psyllium husk, they can consume it by mixing it with water or some other beverage.
The recommended dosage for people over 12 years of age is one tablespoon of psyllium husk mixed with 8 ounces of any beverage of their choice. However, in case of children aged between 6 and 12 years, the recommended dosage is one teaspoon in 8 ounces of any beverage. Also, it should be taken about 2-3 times a day. The dosages vary in case of powdered psyllium husk, i.e. one teaspoon for people aged more than 12 years and half teaspoon for children aged between 6 and 12 years.
Guidelines for Using Psyllium Husk
Some people directly consume psyllium husk, however, it is advised to not consume it directly, as it can be harmful for the digestive system. Further, it is advised to use psyllium husk by mixing it with water or some beverage such as fruit juice, soup, yogurt, milk, etc.
Drink a lot of water after consuming psyllium husk. This is because psyllium husk absorbs water from the body, thus it can cause dehydration. So, if a person who consume psyllium husks should drink at least 8 glasses of water every day in order to prevent their body from getting dehydrated.
Pregnant women need to stay hydrated all the time, so they should avoid using psyllium husk. as they It can possibly cause dehydration. Moreover, a pregnant woman needs to eat a lot of nutritious food. Psyllium husk swells in stomach and provides a sense of fullness. So, it is better to avoid psyllium husk during pregnancy so that a woman can have the required amount of nutrition.
Psyllium husk contains required amount of fiber but lacks other essential nutrients. So, it is advised to not replace it with regular diet and just use it as a supplement for improving the digestion and the well-being of the gastrointestinal system.
Avoid consuming psyllium husk immediately before and after a meal Instead, use it a few minutes before and after a meal.
These guidelines can help in using psyllium husk without any causing any certain side-effects.
Diabetes and Psyllium Husk
It is necessary for a person with diabetes to balance the levels of insulin hormone and blood glucose in their body. Also, they need to maintain a healthy weight and avoid being overweight. According to various studies, psyllium husk is helps in maintaining a healthy glycemic index, thus maintaining levels of glucose in blood.
However, a person with diabetes wants to add psyllium husk to their daily regime, it is advised to take the recommendation of a doctor before using it. A doctor can help in setting up a healthy psyllium regime that can help in balancing the level of glucose in body without affecting the daily nutritional intake.
