Losing weight with psyllium husks (Fybogel)

Can you lose weight from psyllium? They definitely support this! The husks of psyllium help against diarrhoea and constipation, as they consist of about 80 percent water-soluble dietary fibre.  For this reason, they are often prescribed as medicines. In addition to the regulation of digestion, psyllium husks also help you to be full faster and longer. Therefore, you can use them very well in your dietary change to achieve and maintain your dream weight.

What exactly psyllium husks are, where they come from and how they help you to lose weight will be revealed in this article.

Psyllium, also known as ispaghula, belong to the genus of plantain plants. In terms of taste, most seed species are similar. There is no substitute for the very valuable Indian psyllium seeds with the native ribwort or the European (black) psyllium seeds, as both contain far less mucous (arabinoxylans). Mucous substances provide a longer-lasting feeling of satiety and promote digestion. The proportion of arabinoxylans in the Indian psyllium is 20 to 30 percent.

In drugstores you can often find the shells of the bright psyllium from Pakistan and India. They have a higher swelling capacity and therefore have a higher effect. The psyllium husks are also obtained from this variety. The shells too are commercially available in powdered form. This makes them easier to stir into dishes.

Psyllium husks are particularly helpful in losing weight because one of their properties is swelling as soon as they come into contact with liquid. The small seed coats can bind up to 50 times their own weight in water. The psyllium husks have a large volume and thus quickly provide a long-lasting feeling of satiety. After all, the filling of the stomach is partly responsible for our feeling of hunger. However, it is very important to drink a sufficient amount of water with it!  This is the only way that the dietary fibre in the psyllium husks can swell and constipation/intestinal obstruction does not occur.

In addition, the psyllium husks enrich the good intestinal bacteria. These make sure that we don’t put on fat quickly. How quickly we digest and which bacteria colonise our intestines determine, among other things, whether the organism draws more or fewer calories from food. As the dietary fibres from the seed shells also help to regulate blood sugar levels, they provide lasting satiety and prevent cravings.

Because the shells bind 40 to 50 grams of water, digestion is stimulated and bowel movements increase. It is hard to believe: in this way, psyllium husk powder can help with constipation but also with diarrhoea, even if this sounds very contradictory at first. As already mentioned, the seed shells regulate the intestinal environment, as they “feed” the intestinal-friendly colon bacteria and thus also help with weight loss. By shortening the time food spends in the intestine, waste and toxins are also excreted from the body more quickly. For this reason, the psyllium husks are often used as a laxative and for cleansing the intestines.

How long should you take psyllium husks? The positive effect of the psyllium husks sets in after about 12 to 24 hours, which is why they should be taken over several days (at least 2-3).

Intestinal cleansing is usually understood as complete bowel emptying, which is artificially induced, such as by medication. In the medical field, they are often used before operations. They are also common for constipation or before fasting and detox treatments. The psyllium husks are also an alternative to the controversial enemas and epsom salts.

Enemas are often used for medically performed intestinal cleansing. Glauber’s salts (sodium sulphates) are used more frequently before fasting and taste very bitter. The psyllium husk powder offers a neutral-tasting alternative here. The Glauber salts work by osmosis, because here water is accumulated in the intestine. The psyllium husks bind the liquid and swell. However, emptying only occurs here if about ten times the amount of water is additionally taken – otherwise taking the shells leads to the exact opposite: constipation.

The different names indicate whether the product contains the whole psyllium seeds or only the husks in ground or unmilled form. Which product you ultimately buy makes a big difference in terms of taste, swelling capacity, but above all the nutritional composition. Whole psyllium seeds are low in calories, but contain less fibre and more protein compared to psyllium husks. It is precisely in the shells that the mucous substances are located, which promote digestion, therefore the effect on the intestines is much stronger with these. Therefore, it is important to know that you can eat significantly more of the psyllium seeds, but you should be more careful with the psyllium husks.

However, the form in which you buy the psyllium husks is rather secondary to the effect. Here you need to decide which consistency you prefer. The psyllium husk powder dissolves well, for example, in yoghurt, curd dishes or smoothies.

Psyllium husks contain significantly more dietary fibre than chia and flaxseeds. These two instead provide many valuable omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. However, this is also the reason why they contain more calories.

Psyllium husks can be used as a natural remedy for type 2 diabetes  They help to keep the insulin level constant and thus relieve the pancreas. To a certain extent, they also reduce cholesterol. In addition, the antioxidant flavonoids protect the cardiovascular system.

What happens if you eat too many psyllium seeds? If you have taken too many psyllium husks at once, you should definitely drink one to two liters of water immediately afterwards. Otherwise, the already mentioned intestinal obstruction could occur. Furthermore, milk, coffee or lemon juice can help against constipation. In addition, flatulence and cramps in the epigastric region can occur as further side effects. That is why it is very important to properly dose the psyllium husks or psyllium husk powder.

You can use psyllium husks as an aid for losing weight. However, it is also very important that you adjust the rest of your diet as well. For example, foods such as fruit, vegetables and nuts in combination with sufficient protein are of great importance.

Until a few years ago, psyllium husks could only be bought in pharmacies as a laxative. Today they can be found in almost every ordinary health food store or drugstore, as well as in supermarkets. You can also get psyllium husks online at a low price, there are often discounts, especially for larger quantities.

Psyllium seed husks can now be found in every common supermarket, drug store and health food store. They can support weight loss well if the dosage is adjusted correctly. By swelling, i.e. binding liquid, the psyllium husks can absorb 40 to 50 times their own weight. This ensures faster digestion and, at the same time, a long-lasting feeling of satiety due to the volume.

Also, with diarrhoea or constipation, the seed husks can be very helpful. However, it is of the utmost importance to always drink enough water. This is the only way to prevent constipation, which may even lead to intestinal obstruction. If the user has already had problems with an intestinal obstruction, a doctor should advise on the correct dosage.