Inulin, Chicory Root, and Prebiotics

[Daves_Not_Here]

After reading The Good Gut, by by Justin & Erica Sonnenburg, I've increased my consumption of dietary fiber by eating more greens, artichokes, asparagus, onions, etc.  I'd like to add chicory root, which the authors say is by far the richest source of inulin.  However, I've not been able to find raw chicory root at a store or online.  I just ordered inulin powder derived from chicory root from Amazon and I've been drinking coffee blended with roast chicory root granules a la New Orleans.

Dozens of articles online speak to the benefits of consuming chicory root, but none describe how to buy or prepare it.  Searches on preparing chicory root invariably point to how to make chicory coffee.  Is anyone here eating chicory root, or have recommendations on how to find and prepare the stuff?

Thanks for any help!!

[j_valentine4]

I don't understand the need to increase insulin production unless you're diabetic.  Even then, I'm pretty sure your doctors wouldn't want you to do that.  

As a diebetic whose pancreas was damaged during surgery, I only take the medications and insulin prescribed by my endocrinologist.  A well managed diet will let your pancreas and liver make all the glucose and insulin you need. 

ooops!  disregard this post.  I mis read inulin for insulin.  

[Dominique]

Your post prompted me to re-listen to a podcast on gut bacteria with Dr. Michael Ruscio. There’s probably not much new to you in it, as you appear to have figured out a very low-carb diet may starve healthy gut bacteria, since the nutrients they thrive on are almost exclusively found in carbohydrates. There’s a segment on resistant starches that starts at 36:40 and briefly mentions inulin, though not in connection with chicory root. However, if inulin is easily/cheaply available in supplemental form and you believe it would be beneficial as part of your fiber intake, why not consume it in that form?

I see the podcast’s guest recently published a book: Healthy Gut, Healthy You. Gut health appears to be in .

[Daves_Not_Here]

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@j_valentine4wrote:

ooops!  disregard this post.  I mis read inulin for insulin.  

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As I was reading the first part of your post, I was reminded of the old Emily Litella Weekend Update bits on SNL .  I couldn't find my favorite which was "What is all this I hear about endangered feces?  What with it hitting the fan and all."

[Daves_Not_Here]

@Dominique - thanks for the links!  I have not viewed that podcast yet and will this evening.  Also, I'll read the book you suggested.

I'm very intrigued by the idea that our gut bacteria affects our mood, appetite, and overall health.  When I heard that fecal transplants from skinny mice to fat mice made the fat mice skinny and vice-versa, I was blown away (same with timid / bold mice). 

While I restrict carbs, I now try to get all of them from high-fiber sources such as greens, avocados, onions, asparagus, artichokes, etc.,  As a result, I get more fiber than before I went into keto-psychosis, and I believe it's contributing to my overall improved wellness.

My plan with the inulin is to tweak my keto-coffee mix -- I'll replace the stevia with inulin and have 200 calories of caffeine, fat, anti-oxidants, and soluble fiber.  I will report back here if it is palatable.

[Dominique]

Yes, the gut microbiota thing is fascinating! The podcast does mention MFT. I wasn’t aware of the importance of our early years (mother’s pregnancy + child’s first 2-3 years), and that exposure to dirt at that stage pretty much determines the make-up of your gut biome for the rest of your life. Likewise, the impact of delivery (C-section vs. vaginal), that I became aware of elsewhere (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3110651/). I’m getting ever more grateful to my mother for the cards I was dealt with in that respect .

[WendyB]

I stay away from any product that has Inulin or Chicory Root. It does a number on my stomach.

[GershonSurge]

I could not find any research that suggest inulin separate from the food that contains it provides any beneficial effect. Any supplement taken separate from the way it is in the food incurs unknown risks -- it can even have the opposite effect.

Inulin is in pretty much everything, so I don't see a reason to supplement. This is more hoodwinking by the supplement industry: find a nutrient, discover it's beneficial in food, make a supplement, but don't test it in isolation. Sell it to an unsuspecting public.

[Daves_Not_Here]

@GershonSurge -- I'm pursuing supplementation of inulin as a last resort - I'd prefer to obtain raw Chicory Root but can find no source.  I'm getting a lot of inulin in the vegetables I'm eating (onion, asparagus, artichoke), but I'd like to experiment with increasing it further without increasing carbs.  So I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too.

I'm also going to try preparing Jerusalem Artichokes, which I believe are highest in inulin after Chicory Root, and should be more readily available in my local markets.  And as an added bonus, I understand they can be amazingly flatulent, so I'm looking forward to posting that report here!

[GershonSurge]

@Daves_Not_Here,

What you are trying to do is take a way of eating that is inherently unhealthy for the gut and make it healthy by adding inulin. It isn't going to work.

The reason is there are two main types of intestinal flora. The healthy flora comes from fermentation, which exists only in the guts of those who avoid all animal products. The unhealthy flora comes from putrefaction (think roadkill on a hot day) that comes from meat rotting in the gut while producing so much poison it can affect those who examine stool samples. 

Having a swap meet for fecal matter does nothing to cure the problem. There is a 6.5% fatality rate from doing this. The healthy way to swap is to quit ingesting animal products and shift plant food. 

The focus on fiber "originated" with Dr. Dennis Burkitt (he probably wasn't the first) who noted that during the seventeen years he was the minister of health in Uganda, there was only one heart attack; this heart attack occurred in a man who had recently returned from law school in England. He attributed this to the large amount of fiber people ate and not to the fact that they didn't eat animal products. His paper published in 1975 started the fiber fad. People were sprinkling sawdust on their bacon and thinking it was healthy.

Now, so-called medical science is declaring they have found the key to health in the gut. So what? Dr. John Kellogg published books about this in the early 1900's. Unlike Dr. Kellogg who recommended a healthy way of eating, the "scientists" of today are using a profit-generating reductionist approach to sell medicine and supplements. They think they are smarter because they can describe a mechanism. The body is so complex, that pretty much every mechanism described is wrong. What matters is defining a healthy way of eating, and there is no profit in that.