How the Glucomannan diet can help you to stay healthy

Healthcare professionals won’t stop talking about it, with one going even as far as calling it 'nature's skinny sponge' because it exhibits the potential to soak fats from the body. How exactly does Glucomannan help to reduce appetite and support you in your weight management journey? Now available in capsule form, Glucomannan has become increasingly popular for it’s umpteen health benefits. Continue reading to know more about this superfood

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What Is Glucomannan?
What Are Soluble Fibres?
What Does Glucomannan Do?
Does Glucomannan Really Work?

What Is Glucomannan?

Glucomannan comes from the root of the konjac plant and is a beneficial soluble fibre that helps to suppress the appetite.

Glucomannan is used across the world in supplement form as a weight loss aid. When you take glucomannan in the correct quantities before a meal, it turns into a gel which is absorbed by your stomach. This leads to your stomach feeling fuller, ultimately curbing your appetite, and resulting in potential weight loss.

What Are Soluble Fibres?

Soluble fibres are a class of "complex" carbohydrates which are soluble in water. When mixed with any liquid, especially water, soluble fibres turn them into a thick gel. There are plenty of examples of such fibres, including fruit pectin which is commonly used to thicken jams and jellies, and xanthan gum that is used as an emulsifier making foods creamier. Glucomannan functions in the same way by trapping the water in your digestive tract.

By introducing more soluble fibre into your diet, such as that found in apples, oats and cherries, you can speed up the burning of unwanted fat, as the fibres can help to pull out cholesterol and excess hormones responsible for weight gain. We recommend that women consume 25g of fibre per day whilst men should aim to take 30g a day.

Soluble fibres are great bacteria foods (which earns soluble fibre the term prebiotic). Our gastrointestinal bacterias eagerly ferment soluble fibres, creating by-products, such as valuable nutrients.

Soluble fibres are found in foods such as:

White bean extract and legumes
Grains such as oats, rye, and barley
Fruits such as plums/prunes, apples, pears, berries, and bananas
Vegetables such as onions, artichokes (root vegetables/tubers are often high in soluble fibres)
Seeds such as chia and psyllium

What Does Glucomannan Do?

Glucomannan works in the intestines and stomach by absorbing water to form a bulky fibre gel, which can help increase the feeling of fullness. Glucomannan can also decrease your absorption of cholesterol and sugar, which in turn helps to reduce your cholesterol levels.

Glucomannan, like other dietary fibre, is not only great for helping to alleviate constipation related issues by flushing out harmful toxins from your intestinal tract, but it can also help with decreasing the bad bacteria in your intestines, and consequently to increase the good bacteria count left behind. The probiotic effect of Konjac Glucomannan gives your body the little extra help it needs to maintain weight levels, and potentially help you to lose weight in the process.